Women's Basketball Sets Sail for Saturday Showdown at Navy

ATTENTION: Series Record: 45-32
Record at Home: 23-14
Record at Navy: 19-16
Neutral Site Record: 3-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 6-3
Current Streak: Navy W2
Longest Bucknell Winning Streak: 12 gamesFans can also park downtown and walk on via Gate 1 at the Visitors Access Center for all sporting events on the Yard.  
 
Those 18 years old and over must have a valid picture ID (state issued driver’s license, student I.D., or a government issued passport). Those 17 years old and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult.Game NotesAccessing the Naval Academy Grounds for Home Sporting EventsUp NextNavy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is located at 550 Taylor Avenue and you should enter the stadium lot at gate 5.  There is a charge to park and the shuttle bus is free. Shuttle bus hours begin one hour before the start of an event and end one hour after the conclusion of an event.WITH A WIN OVER NAVY, BUCKNELL WOULD…
• … improve to 9-8 on the season
• … improve to 4-6 on the road
• … improve to 46-32 all-time against the Midshipmen
• … improve to 7-3 all-time against the Midshipmen under Woodruff
• … improve to 92-60 overall under Woodruff
• … improve to 41-37 on the road under WoodruffSTREAKS OF NOTE
Tuana Coskun – Starts (16)
Isabella King – Starts (16)
Ashley Sofilkanich – Starts (44)LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison (8-8, 3-2 Patriot League) hoist the Orange & Blue colors as the Bison head south of the Mason-Dixon Line to play the league leader Navy Midshipmen (12-4, 4-1 Patriot League) in a conference clash. The Bison seek to rebound after having their three-game winning streak snapped by Holy Cross on Wednesday. The Midshipmen were riding a four-game victory stretch before Colgate doused their hot run on Wednesday with an Education Day triumph. Navy swept the season series in 2023-24 but Bucknell owns the all-time record 45-32. The tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.MORE MILESTONES UNEARTHED
• Isabella King reached 600 career points against Dartmouth on Dec. 6, 2024 and currently has 658 overall. King broke into the top ten for career three-pointers with 111 when she hit three versus Robert Morris on November, 29, 2024. She now has 124 career three-pointers – sitting tied for eighth all-time with Kate Walker (2015-2019).  
• Ashley Sofilkanich passed the 600-point mark against Lehigh on Jan. 2, 2025. She currently sits at 685 points. 
• Trevor Woodruff reached the 200 career win mark as a women’s basketball head coach after defeating Vermont on Dec. 4, 2024. Bucknell returns to friendly Sojka Pavilion for a two-game series versus Colgate (Jan. 22) and Boston U. (Jan. 25). SCOUTING NAVY
• The Midshipmen finished 14-17 overall but went 9-9 in conference play, showing immense growth after a 1-29 voyage in 2022-23. Navy beat Bucknell in the season finale to gain the seventh seed in the Patriot League Tournament. They defeated #10 Lafayette in the First Round and fell by five to #2 Colgate in the Quarterfinal after being outscored 23-14 in the final stanza.
• Navy has started 12-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. They went 7-3 in non-conference play with several notable wins over Delaware and Iona. The Mids started 4-0 in conference before Colgate defeated them on Wednesday. 
• Navy’s roster has 14 players with one transfer (Lizzie Holder) coming from Colorado. Five players come from Maryland and Virginia.
• The Bison and the Middies share one common non-conference foe in 2024-25 in Dartmouth. The Big Green sunk Navy while Bucknell emerged victorious.   
• Navy was picked to finishseventh in the ten-team Patriot League but has made sport of the prediction. Zanai Barnett-Gay made the Preseason All-League Team.
• Tim Taylor is 42-78 in his fifth season as head admiral of the Midshipmen. The program has bounced back after finishing 1-29 in 2022-23.HEADLINES
• Bucknell’s three-game winning streak was shattered by Holy Cross in a 63-37 rout. The Bison and Crusaders were tied at 21-21 before Holy Cross broke away in a 42-16 run. 
• Ashley Sofilkanich won her third Patriot League Player of the Week award (1/13) after scoring 51 points in the Bison’s 2-0 week. She tallied a career-high 29 points in the win over American and gained two double-doubles.
• Sofilkanich earned three slots on the 2023-24 All-Patriot Defensive, Rookie, and Third Teams. She is the first Bison to do so. 
• Sofilkanich ranks seventh nationally in blocks per game (2.70).
• The Orange & Blue have nine newcomers (six freshmen & three transfers) on the roster. 
• Bucknell finished 13-18 overall and 9-9 in Patriot League play last season. The Bison reached the 2024 Patriot League Quarterfinals, playing as the No. 8 seed in the tournament, but they fell 61-56 to No. 1 seed Holy Cross.
• Bucknell graduated four seniors in the spring: Nicole Davis, Caroline Dingler, Julie Kulesza, and Kaylee Reinbeau. Dingler served as the 2023-24 captain 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 preseason honors. She was named Preseason Defender of the Year and notched a spot on 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 with the Leicester Riders having won Player of the Month for December and a spot on the All-League Team. She has been on fire this  season averaging 20.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg.  
• Tessa Brugler became the second active former Bison to sign overseas when she inked a deal with Balencesto Miralvalle Club, in picturesque Plasencia, Spain. The team plays in the Spanish Liga Femenina (LF2) league – the third tier of Spanish professional basketball. She currently averages 9.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg.
• 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 associate head coach. Baker played in the WNBA and overseas professional leagues. She was dubbed “The Queens of Steals” for her defensive prowess at Georgia. 
• Three new coaches joined the staff. Owen Brown left the University of San Francisco to join the Bison community. Shelby Case was hired as an assistant coach/director of operation combo. Case 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. Series History with Navy (Last Six Meetings) 
1/26/22    at Navy                  W, 53-43
3/10/22    Navy (PLT)            W, 64-44
1/25/23    at Navy                  W, 67-49
2/8/23      Navy                      W, 70-49
1/24/24    at Navy                   L, 48-59
3/6/24      Navy                       L, 49-55SERIES HISTORY with THE MIDSHIPMEN
• This is the 78th meeting between Bucknell and Navy.
• The series began in 1981 as a non-conference clash. 
• Trevor Woodruff is 6-3 all-time against Navy but was swept last year by the Mids.Notable CAREER HIGHS SET vs. HOLY CROSS
Isabella Casey – Points (7)Last Time Out
• Bucknell dropped to 3-2 in conference play with a 63-37 defeat against American. The two teams were tied at 21-21 late in the second quarter before Holy Cross finished the period on a 7-0 run. The Crusaders kept the run going after halftime and extended it to 42-16 for the lopsided victory. The loss returned Bucknell to .500 overall.  
• The Bison shot a season worst 25.5% (14-of-55). Bucknell’s hot three-point shooting disappeared as the team went 5-of-18 (27.8%). Holy Cross shot the best of any Bison opponent to date making 26 shots on 53 attempts (49.1%). The Bison out-rebounded Holy Cross, 28-25 but produced18 turnovers.  
• Ashley Sofilkanich scored a team-high eight points but her streak of 14 straight games of tallying double-digits stopped. Isabella Casey produced a career-high eight points and Elana Weisman also notched eight points. Kaitlyn Flanagan paced the Crusaders with 19 points and Lindsay Berger added 16.     What: Bucknell at Navy
When: Saturday, January 18 at 1 p.m.
Where: Annapolis, Md.- Alumni Hall
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: navysports.comThe Naval Academy and NSA Annapolis are currently under increased force protection measures.  If you plan on accessing the Yard for sporting events and you do not have a Department of Defense ID to drive on to Academy grounds, you are encouraged to ride the shuttle bus from the press box side of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the following events:  men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field.General public visitation (visits not associated with an event) have currently been suspended.Last Game’s Starters:
R-Jr. G: Sophia Sabino (6.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Sr. F/G: Isabella King (8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.4 apg)
So. F: Ashley Sofilkanich (18.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 apg)
So. F: Tuana Coskun (7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Fr. G/F: Reese Zemitis (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.9 apg)