March 1, 2006
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Third-seeded Bucknell opens the 2006 Patriot League Tournament against No. 6 seed Lehigh. It is the second consecutive year the two teams have met in the first round. The Mountain Hawks posted a two-point win in Bethlehem, Pa., last year. The Bison enter the game having lost two of their last three games, but they ended the season on a high note by defeating Army at Sojka Pavilion last Saturday. Bucknell will be trying to advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years, while Lehigh will be attempting to reach the semifinals for the third consecutive year. The Mountain Hawks had a three-game winning streak snapped last Saturday at the Hart Center when Holy Cross defeated them by seven points. The winner of Thursday's game will meet the winner of No. 2 Holy Cross and No. 7 American, which takes place at 8 p.m., immediately following the Bucknell-Lehigh matchup. Saturday's semifinal is slated for 1 p.m. at the Hart Center.
ABOUT LEHIGH
Eleventh-year head coach Sue Troyan relies heavily on her strating unit. She has used just two different starting lineups this season, with Emily Geosits breaking into the starting five four games ago. The Mountain Hawks are 3-1 since she replaced Tricia Smith. Just six players are avergaing more than 15 minutes per game, while four play more than 31. Senior Jenny Callan, who averages a double-double and led the PL in rebounding, and junior Adrienne Blount earned positions on the PL All-League Team. Callan was a first-team selection, while Blount was a second-team choice. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Sara Ellis, who has had a fine season by averaging more than 15 points per game to rank second on the team and third in the conference, was not honored in the league's postseason awards. Lehigh, which outrebounded Bucknell 82-65 in two meetings this season, averages greater than seven rebounds more per game than its opponents.
BISON VS. THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Lehigh holds a slight 29-27 edge in the second-most played rivalry in Bucknell history. The Bison have battled Lafayette 57 times, one more than Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks won all three meetings last year and have won seven of the last nine meetings.
LAST MEETING - Feb. 21, 2006 (Sojka Pavilion) - Lehigh 56, Bucknell 55
Kesha Champion and Hope Foster each scored 15 points, but it was not enough as Bucknell dropped its second consecutive one-point game for the second time in program history. Lehigh's Melissa Rich, Adrienne Blount and Sara Ellis combined for 48 of the Mountain Hawks' 56 points.
BUCKNELL VS. LEHIGH PL TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Feb. 27, 1998 (Annapolis, Md.) - No. 5 Lehigh 59, No. 4 Bucknell 55
Lori Houck scored 18 points and Jennifer Winhofer added 17 for Bucknell, but Maureen Trigo and Kelly Collins scored 14 each for Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks outlasted the Bison. Lehigh shot just 42 percent from the free throw line.
March 3, 2005 (Bethlehem, Pa.) - No. 2 Lehigh 54, No. 7 Bucknell 52
Jessica DePalo tipped in a missed shot with 0.4 seconds remaining to give Lehigh a 54-52 win over Bucknell. Lindsey Hollobaugh led all scorers with 23 points in the game that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...reach 18 wins for just the fifth time in program history
• ...win a PL Tournament game over the Mountain Hawks for the first time
• ...advance to the PL Tournament semifinals for the fourth time in five years
• ...become the second No. 3 seed in the last five years to win a PL Tournament first-round game
• ...set the program record for largest win improvement from one year to the next (eight)
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell is the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time ... Bucknell is 0-2 all-time vs. Lehigh in the PL Tournament ... Lindsey Hollobaugh became the 15th Bison to eclipse 1,000 points earlier this season ... Kathy Fedorjaka has 203 career victories ... Hollobaugh's 425 career rebounds top current Bison ... Hope Foster has 407 career rebounds ... Foster is the all-time blocks leader in Bucknell history ... Foster is two blocks shy of tying the PL single-season record ... Schober is in position to become the first Bucknell freshman to lead the team in scoring since Molly Creamer in 1999-2000 ... Creamer was the fourth freshman, and just second since 1980, to top the team in scoring ... Bucknell's starting backcourt of Hollobaugh, Brown and Kesha Champion have combined for more than 30% of the team's rebounds ... Bucknell's conference win total equaled its overall win total of last year ... more than 40% of Jacquie Seawright's rebounds have come at the offensive end of the floor ... Bucknell has not had a three-game losing streak this year ... Bucknell secured a top-three finish in the Patriot League standings for just the sixth time ... the Bison have finished second in the PL four times and first once (1995-96).
TWO OUT OF THREE VS. SAME OPPONENT
For the second time this season Bucknell is set to play two out of three games against the same opponent. The last time it happened, last week against Army, the Bison avenged a one-point loss from the first meeting. Ironically, Bucknell lost to Lehigh by just one point last week.
BUCKNELL IN PL TOURNAMENT AT HART CENTER
Thursday's game is the sixth time Bucknell has played a Patriot League Tournament game at the Hart Center. The Bison, who defeated Holy Cross 88-74 on the Hart Center floor for their only conference title, are 1-4 in postseason games at the Hart Center. That championship tilt was the last time Bucknell played a postseason game at the Hart Center.
Bucknell in PL Tournament at Hart Center
Date Opponent Final Score
3/1/91 Fordham L, 103-75
3/5/93 Holy Cross L, 75-63
3/3/96 Colgate L, 65-53
3/8/00 Holy Cross L, 87-63
3/6/02 Holy Cross W, 88-74
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT RECORD
Bucknell enters its 16th Patriot League Tournament with an overall record of 9-14. The Bison have never been seeded third prior to this year. They have advanced to the semifinal round three of the last four years.
BISON SPLIT WITH FIRST-PLACE ARMY
With its 60-47 win over Army on Feb. 25, Bucknell was not swept during the regular season by the eventual first-place finisher in the PL standings for the second straight year. Prior to last year's split with Holy Cross, the Bison had been swept by the first-place team every year since 1999-2000.
ELLIS STRUGGLES AGAINST BISON
Lehigh junior guard Sara Ellis, who ranks third in the Patriot League in scoring at over 15 points per game, has been held in check throughout her career by Bucknell. While she owns a career scoring average of greater than 12 points per game, she has tallied just 7.6 per game in seven career contests against the Bison. She has made just 20 of 70 field goals against Bucknell in her three-year career.
EXPERIENCED HOLLOBAUGH
Junior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh is the lone player on the Bucknell roster that has played more than one Patriot League Tournament game. She has played in three games and is averaging 22.7 points per game in the tournament.
Hollobaugh in PL Tournament
Opponent Points Rebounds Assists FG 3FG
Holy Cross (2004) 25 6 3 10-19 2-4
Colgate (2004) 20 6 4 7-12 3-4
Lehigh (2005) 23 7 2 9-14 3-4
Totals (Avg.) 68 (22.7) 19 (6.3) 9 (3.0) 26-45 (.578) 8-12 (.667)
SEAWRIGHT STARTS
Junior forward Jacquie Seawright earned her first career start in the season's final regular season game. She immediately produced as she nearly tallied her first career double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds in a career-high 29 minutes. Amanda Brown, the person she replaced in the starting lineup, flourished off the bench and scored 11 points. Bucknell has used six different starting lineups this season, although just two different ones during Patriot League play.
WIN IMPROVEMENT
With a win against Army last weekend, Bucknell equaled its largest win improvement from one year to the next. The Bison won just 10 games last year and claimed number 17 versus the Black Knights. The 1985-86 and 1995-96 teams each posted seven-win improvements over the previous year.
AVOIDING THREE-GAME LOSING STREAKS
By defeating Army on Feb. 25 Bucknell avoided its first three-game losing streak of the season. It is the third time in head coach Kathy Fedorjaka's nine-year tenure the Bison have not registered three consecutive losses in a season. It has happened just four times since the 1979-80 campaign.
AMONG NATION'S SCORING DEFENSE LEADERS
Bucknell is allowing just 57.6 points per game this season, the second-best figure in program history. The Bison have allowed less than 63 points per game just once since the 1979-80 campaign. Through games of Feb. 27 Bucknell ranked 32nd in the nation in scoring defense.
Scoring Defense
Year Points Allowed/Game
1. 1975-76 56.9
2. 2005-06 57.6
3. 1974-75 59.0
1979-80 59.0
NCAA Scoring Defense Leaders (through Feb. 27)
Rank Team Opponent PPG
32. Bucknell 57.6
STRONG DEFENSE
Bucknell has limited its opponents to a Patriot League-best 34.9% shooting from the field this season, including a sparkling 33.5% in league contests. The Bison have held five opponents under 30 percent this year. In the lastest NCAA rankings, which include games through Feb. 27, Bucknell ranked seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense.
NCAA FG% Defense Leaders (through Feb. 27)
Rank Team Opponent FG%
1. BYU 33.9
2. South Carolina 34.1
3. Coppin State 34.2
4. Liberty 34.5
5. Connecticut 34.7
6. Tulsa 34.9
7. Bucknell 34.9
LARGE VICTORY MARGIN
Bucknell, which won seven consecutive games by at least 13 points earlier this year, is outscoring its opponents by a league-best 5.7 points per game this season. After winning just five games by at least 10 points last year, the Bison have 12 wins by double figures this season. In Patriot League contests, Bucknell has outscored opponents by 12.1 points per game.
BLOCKED SHOTS FOR FOSTER
Sophomore Hope Foster leads the Patriot League and has broken her own Bucknell single-season blocks record with 93 this year. She ranks sixth all-time in PL history and is two shy of tying the PL single-season record. The Washington, D.C., native has blocked at least four shots in a game 12 times this season and 19 times in 55 career games. Earlier this year she had a string of 33 games with at least one block snapped. In the latest NCAA rankings, which include games through Feb. 27, Foster ranked fifth in the nation in blocks. Ironically, Foster has more blocks than any Patriot League team. Lehigh's leader in blocked shots is Jenny Callan with 15.
Patriot League Career Blocks
Player, School Years Games Blocks
1. Kathy Courtney, Holy Cross 1994-97 117 309
2. Lisa Andrews, Holy Cross 2002-05 118 201
3. Karen Juda, Holy Cross 1993-96 112 194
4. Kelly Roche, Fordham 1991-93 78 174
5. Leandra Fuller, Colgate 2002-05 119 170
6. Hope Foster, Bucknell 2005- 55 165
2005-06 Patriot League Blocked Shot Leaders
Player, School Games Blocks Avg.
1. Hope Foster, Bucknell 27 93 3.4
2. Kaitlin Foley, Holy Cross 27 29 1.1
3. Carly Meyer, Navy 22 20 0.9
2005-06 Blocked Shots
Player/Team Blocks
1. Bucknell 122
Hope Foster 93
2. Holy Cross 72
3. Navy 61
HOLLOBAUGH REACHES 1,000 POINTS
With her first field goal in a 58-45 win over Lehigh on Jan. 18, Lindsey Hollobaugh reached the 1,000-point mark in her career. She is the 15th Bison in the history of the program to reach that figure. She currently ranks 12th on Bucknell's career scoring list with 1,130 points. She is averaging 14.1 points per game in her career, good for fifth on the Bison career list.
UP NEXT
If Bucknell defeats Lehigh, it will play the winner of the No. 2 Holy Cross/No. 7 American matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hart Center. The Bison are 2-5 all-time in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. With a win Saturday, Bucknell would either travel to West Point, N.Y., for the PL Tournament Championship Game or, with an Army loss in its half of the bracket, will host the game at Sojka Pavilion.
