Bucknell University

LEWISBURG, Pennsylvania – The Bucknell Bison women’s basketball team (5-5) rounds out its non-conference schedule with a home game against the Hofstra Pride (3-6) on Saturday afternoon. Bucknell and Hofstra have a long hard-court history with 22 meetings but have not met since the 1999-2000 season. Last time out, the Bison’s five-game winning streak was snapped by Duquesne in a 65-48 loss. The tipping appointment is scheduled for 2 p.m

Game notes

What: Bucknell vs. Hofstra

When: Saturday, December 21st at 2 p.m

Where: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania – Sojka Pavilion

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: 90.5 WVBU

Live statistics: bucknellbison.com

The starters of the last game:
R Jr. G: Sophia Sabino (5.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 4.0 apg)
Jr. F/G: Isabella King (8.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)
So. Q: Ashley Sofilkanich (18.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.8 apg)
So. F: Tuana Coskun (8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg)
So. G: Anna Kunzwiler (3.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.5 apg)

WITH A VICTORY OVER HOFSTRA, BUCKNELL WOULD…
• …improve to 6-5 this season
• … improve to 5-0 at home
• …improve to 10-13 all-time against the Pride
• … improve to 1-0 against the Pride under Woodruff
• …improve to 89-57 overall under Woodruff
• …improve to 50-12 at home under Woodruff

HEADLINES
• Duquesne ended Bucknell’s five-game winning streak with a 65-48 win on Dec. 10. The Bison fought, but their efforts were hampered by 19 costly turnovers and the Dukes’ 41 rebounds. The Orange & Blues initially kept the game close, trailing 15-14 after the first quarter and only trailing 29-25 at halftime. The Dukes pulled away with timely runs in the third and fourth quarters. The Bison shot 31 three-pointers and converted ten. Duquesne came into the game averaging 33.4 3PG attempts, but only attempted 24 and made nine. Ashley Sofilkanich scored 15 points to lead the Bison. Isabella King gave 11 points. Gabby Hutcherson led Duquesne with 16 points.
• Ashley Sofilkanich was named Patriot League Player of the Week (9/12) for her performances against Vermont and Dartmouth. It is her second POW award this season and the first time a Bison has won consecutive POW awards since Kaitlyn Slagus (2016).
• Sofilkanich earned three spots on the 2023-24 All-Patriot Defensive, Rookie and Third Teams. She is the first bison to achieve this.
• Sofilkanich ranks ninth nationally in blocks per game (2.70).
• The Orange & Blue have nine newcomers (six freshmen and three transfers) to the roster.
• Bucknell finished 13-18 overall and 9-9 in the Patriot League last season. The Bison reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 Patriot League and played as the No. 8 seed in the tournament, but lost 61-56 to No. 1 seed Holy Cross.
• Bucknell graduated four graduates this spring: Nicole Davis, Caroline Dingler, Julie KuleszaAnd Kaylee Reinbeau. Dingler served as captain in 2023-24 and Kulesza was a three-point threat off the bench.
• Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2024-25 Patriot League preseason poll. The Bison were picked sixth last season and finished eighth in the conference.
• Sofilkanich received two awards in pre-season. She was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot in the Patriot League’s Preseason Five. Her 60 blocks ranked eighth on the Bucknell single-season list.
• Senior Isabella King was named captain ahead of the 2024/25 season.
• This summer, Bucknell graduate Taylor O’Brien signed with the Essex Rebels of the Women’s British Basketball League. O’Brien dominated the circuit as the Leicester Riders won the December Player of the Month title and a place on the All-League team.
• Head Coach Trevor Woodruff is in his sixth season at Bucknell. He was named PL Coach of the Year in his first two seasons.
• Sherill Baker was recently promoted to assistant head coach. Baker played in the WNBA and foreign professional leagues. Because of their defensive prowess in Georgia, they were nicknamed “The Queens of Steals.”
• Three new coaches joined the team. Owen Brown left the University of San Francisco to join the Bison community. Shelby Case was hired as a combination assistant coach and operations manager. The case was played at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Edward Joyner was hired before the FDU game. He spent 15 seasons as the men’s head coach at Hampton.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
• Hofstra finished the 2023-24 season 11-21 overall and 3-15 in the competitive CAA. They placed 13th in the CAA tournament and reached the quarterfinals with Cinderella. They defeated Hampton in the first round and followed up the win by defeating fifth-seeded William & Mary. The run ended against NC A&T, but Hofstra was still the top seed to reach the CAA quarterfinals.
• The Pride started the season 3-6 with wins over NJIT, Yale and Howard. They took a trip to the Sunshine State where they lost to Florida and Jacksonville.
• Hofstra’s roster includes 14 players with five transfers. The team has no seniors but does have three graduate students.
• The Bison and Pride share a common opponent (Lehigh) this season. Hofstra fell to the Mountain Hawks.
• Hofstra was picked to finish 12th in the 14-team CAA.
• Danielle Santos Atkinson has a 45-106 record in her six seasons at Hofstra.

SERIAL STORY with THE PRIDE
• This will be the 23rd meeting between Bucknell and Hofstra.
• Although the series has a long history and Bucknell is one of the most played non-conference opponents, the last meeting took place in the 1999-2000 season.
• Trevor Woodruff has never faced Hofstra.

Series history with Hofstra (last six meetings)
12/9/92 Hofstra L, 51-48
02/06/94, Hofstra L, 55-54
01/05/95 Hofstra W, 87-69
11/25/95 Hofstra W, 82-53
12/29/97 vs. Hofstra L, 81-67
12/3/99 vs. Hofstra L, 87-74

Series record: 9-13

Record at home: 7-5

Balance sheet at Hofstra: 2-5

Neutral location data set: 0-3

Trevor Woodruff Record: 0-0

Current series: Hofstra W2

Longest Bucknell winning streak:W2

Out last time
• Bucknell fell to 5-5 on the season and saw its five-game winning streak end after losing 65-48 to Duquesne on Dec. 10. The Bison offense attempted 31 three-point attempts and made 10, but the Dukes capitalized on 41 rebounds and 19 turnovers from Bucknell to emerge victorious. The game started close as the Bison had four treys in the opening stanzas. Duquesne led just 29-25 at halftime, but a cold third quarter doomed the Bison. Duquesne pulled away with two big runs and Bucknell lost on the road for the fifth time.
• Bucknell shot a season-low 28.3% (15 of 53). The Bison were ice cold from beyond the arc, shooting 5 of 22 (22.7%). Duquesne hit 44.7% (21 of 47) of its shots. The Dukes had a decisive lead at the boards and beat Bucknell 41-24.
• Ashley Sofilkanich led the Bison by scoring 15 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field and 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. Isabella King added 11 points on three treys and two free throws. Gabby Hutcherson led the Dukes with 16 points. Megan McConnell delivered 13.

Notable career highs vs. Duquesne

Tuana Coskun – Steals (4)

STRIKE NOTICE

Tuana Coskun – Launches (10)

Isabella King – Launches (10)

Ashley Sofilkanich – Starts (38) and double-digit scoring games (9)

MORE MILESTONES DISCOVERED
• Isabella King reached 600 career points on December 6, 2024 against Dartmouth and currently has a total of 616. When she scored three goals against Robert Morris on November 29, 2024, King entered the top ten in career three-pointers with 111. She now has 116 three-pointers in her career, ranking ninth all-time.
• Ashley Sofilkanich reached the 500-point mark on November 23, 2024 against Youngstown State. It is currently at 575 points.
• Trevor Woodruff reached the 200-win mark as women’s basketball head coach after defeating Vermont on December 4, 2024.

Next

The Bison will enjoy the Christmas break before returning to action on January 2nd at Sojka vs. Lehigh in the Patriot League opener.