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2005-06 Bucknell Women's Basketball Schedule Announced
Sept. 22, 2005 LEWISBURG, Pa. - With six non-conference home dates at Sojka Pavilion and a trip to the United States Air Force Academy Tournament highlighting the 2005-06 Bucknell women's basketball schedule, ninth-year head coach Kathy Fedorjaka should have the Bison ready for the difficult Patriot League slate in early January. Entering her 13th campaign as a college head coach, Fedorjaka has fashioned an impressive 27-game slate for her young squad that features four freshmen, six sophomores, three juniors and is without a senior. Bucknell will be challenged early as it opens the season away from home for the fourth consecutive year, traveling to Stony Brook on Nov. 18 for the first of two meetings between the teams, and the first of 11 games against New York State foes on the schedule. Two days later the Bison will battle Iona on the road as well. The home opener against 2005 NCAA Tournament participant and 20-game winner Coppin State on Nov. 22 kicks off a busy week at Sojka Pavilion. After a brief break for Thanksgiving, the Bison host Siena and in-state rival St. Joseph's on back-to-back days Nov. 26 and 27. The contest with the Hawks will be the final home game for the Bison for more than a month with final exams and a five-game road trip filling the month of December. The trip to Colorado for the two-day Air Force Classic, which features High Point, Stephen F. Austin and Air Force, opens that five-game road trip the first weekend in December. Bucknell will face the host Falcons in the opening game of the tournament. "We are excited for our trip to Air Force," commented Fedorjaka. "We are looking forward to playing in their facilities and getting some early-season tournament experience. Our home games with Coppin State and St. Joseph's should highlight the home portion of our non-conference schedule." Following final exams the Bison travel to Maryland-Eastern Shore (Dec. 17), Cornell (Dec. 20) and Buffalo (Dec. 28). Bucknell defeated all three of those teams at home last year and area combined 17-5 all-time against the trio. The Bison close out their pre-conference slate with home contests against Delaware State (Dec. 30) and the second game of a home-and-home series versus Stony Brook (Jan. 3). Fourteen of the final 15 games for the Bison will be against Patriot League opponents, with a home game against Columbia on Jan. 24 closing out the non-league portion of the schedule. Highlights of the league slate include a match-up at home against NCAA Tournament participant Holy Cross on Jan. 14, and a four-game homestand with Colgate, Columbia, Navy and Lafayette paying visits to Sojka Pavilion near the end of January. A change to the Patriot League schedule finds the women's teams playing predominantly on Saturdays and Tuesdays. In previous years, Patriot League teams played Friday-Sunday for much of the conference slate. Another schedule change brings the return of doubleheaders with the men's team. On five occasions this year the women are scheduled to play at home on the same day as the men. The first of those doubleheaders comes Saturday, Nov. 26, when the women host Siena and the men host Yale. Other doubleheaders include contests against league opponents Holy Cross, Colgate, Navy and Army. The women's game will start at 4 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 7 p.m. in each of those instances except against Holy Cross. On that day the men's game will be played at 1 p.m. with the women to follow at 4 p.m. Road doubleheaders with the men will take place at Navy, Colgate and Holy Cross. "I am happy the Patriot League has chosen to return to the midweek/weekend format," said Fedorjaka. "I also like the return to doubleheaders on the weekends. I think we have always had a great atmosphere in this format and I am excited to see the doubleheaders return." The Patriot League Tournament will be played in the same format as last year where the top two seeds at the conclusion of the regular season will each host a four-team "mini" bracket on March 2 and 4. The winner of those brackets will advance to the tournament championship on March 8, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed. The winner of the championship game receives the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell last advanced to the field of 64 in 2002. In 2005-06 Bucknell returns three players honored by the Patriot League with postseason awards last season. Lindsey Hollobaugh, the 2004 PL Rookie of the Year, was a Second Team All-League selection last year, while Kesha Champion and Hope Foster were members of the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.
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