GAME NOTES - LIVE STATS - SFU RADIO BROADCAST

LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 13, 2012) –The Saint Francis University women's basketball team opens its 2012-13 road schedule against Bucknell Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
JUST THE FACTS
Saint Francis Red Flash (1-0, 0-0 NEC) vs.
Bucknell Bison (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League)
Where: Sojka Pavilion
When: Wednesday | 7 p.m.
ALL-TIME: Bucknell leads 12-5
LAST TIME: SFU 70, Bucknell 53 - Nov. 27, 2011
 
BROADCAST INFO:
Web stream - Bison Vision (BucknellBison.com)
BROADCASTERS:
Dave Franczak and Bernie Jubeck
 
GET TO KNOW THE OTHER BISON
Like Saint Francis, Bucknell also made a coaching change in the offseason. The Bison finished the 2011-12 season with a 5-25 overall record, including a 3-11 mark in the Patriot League. Bucknell was picked to finish tied for last place in the leagues preseason poll. The Bison graduated just one senior and will look for continued solid play from junior guard Shelby Romine who averaged 10 points a contest a season ago. Bucknell also returns senior forward Lindsay Horbatuck (7.5 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game).
 
LAST TIME OUT
SFU opened its 2012-13 campaign at home against the Bison of Howard University. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led the way for the Red Flash with 20 points and 12 rebounds en route to a 69-61 SFU victory. The win was the first for new head coach Joe Haigh, and it came against a very talented Howard team that was picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Title.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Saint Francis enters Wednesday's meeting with Bucknell leading the Northeast Conference in scoring averaging, 69 points, but the Red Flash hold just one game to their credit. The Flash also started the season well on defense allowing just 61 against Howard, the team picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. SFU claimed its first victory of the season thanks in large part to a good showing at the free throw line, connecting on 17-of-21 free throws. Opening the season at home also aided SFU's overall shooting as the Flash shot 42.9-percent from the field. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) led the Red Flash to the season opening win with 20 points and 12 rebounds and earned Co-Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Player of the Week.
 
Bucknell opened the season Saturday on the road against Xavier and fell to the Musketeers 71-62. The Bison had two players, Audrey Dotson and Lindsay Horbauck, pick up double-digit rebounds and Shelby Romine led the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting. The Bison started the game with 13-of-30 (43.0-percent) shooting but Xavier limited Bucknell to just 9-of-31 (29.0-percent) shooting in the second half. 
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
1 – Wednesday's contest against Bucknell stands as the first road game in the career of Joe Haigh. Road openers have not been kind to first year SFU women's basketball coaches and Veronica Bussard stands as the only SFU women's coach to ever win her road debut.
 
2 – Saint Francis has just two victories all-time against Bucknell in Lewisburg, with its last coming on Dec. 19, 1999 when Myndi Hill knocked off the Bison 99-62 in her first season.
 
3 – Saint Francis has only started 2-0 three times in its history.
 
9  - Bucknell won the first seven games ever played between these two schools but in the last nine meetings SFU holds a 5-4 edge in the series.
 
18 – This marks the 19th all-time meeting between Saint Francis and Bucknell. The Bison hold the advantage in the all-time series 6-12.
 
36 – With a win Saint Francis would be off to its best start in 36 years. In the 1976-77 season Veronica Bussard guided SFU to four consecutive wins to start the season.
 
STARTING THE SEASON RIGHT
SFU started the season with a win for the first time since the 2006-07 season with a 69-61 victory at home against Howard. Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) earned the Northeast Conference Player of the Week Award for her 20-point, 12-rebound and five-steal performance. Nickia Gibbs (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) added 14 for the Flash with eight coming from the free throw line as the senior did not miss from the charity stripe. The win also gave Joe Haigh the first win of his college coaching career.
 
UP NEXT
The Red Flash return home Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff in DeGol Arena against Mid-American Conference rival Akron.