≈ Saturday, December 03, 2005
Bucknell-DePaul tops 4-game slate
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BUCKNELL at DePaul 2 p.m.: The game of the day in the Patriot League pits the giant killers from Lewisburg against Big East newcomer DePaul in a game that raises the question: How long till they start placing a on games involving the Bison? We ask that question not due to any interest in wagering, but rather out of curiosity about how the oddsmakers might view a game like this. Sure the Bison are getting a lot of ink and some folks who really don't know them and have never seen them are talking about them as favorites next week against Villanova. But we wonder what guys who make their living predicting the outcome of games think about Bucknell's chances against DePaul.
Despite the Bison's wins over Big East schools Pittsburgh (last season) and Syracuse (two weeks ago), it is still hard to view them as a favorite on the road against a Big East club. Even a club like DePaul, which is picked to finish 13 in the 16 team Big East.
The Blue Demons return two starters from last season's team that went 20-11 before losing in the second round of the NIT. The team's leading scorer thus far is not one of those two. Miami (Fla.) transfer Karron Clarke, a 6-6 forward, is averaging 13.3 ppg. Returning starter Sammy Mejia (10.8 ppg) is a 6-6 slasher who gets to the free throw line a lot.
DePaul is 2-2, with wins over Creighton and Northwestern and losses to Northern Illinois and Bradley, two mid majors that both lost in the first round of their conference tournaments last season, neither of which are picked to win their leagues. Does that make this look like a winnable game for the Bison? Well, yes. If they can defend DePaul without getting into the foul trouble that has plagued them in three of their four wins.
Remember the old Wendy's commercials -- where's the beef? It is on the basketball court at DePaul. The Blue Demons' roster includes three guys over 6-8 who weigh more than 250 pounds and the Demons go 10 deep. It is hard to imagine Bucknell winning this one if guys like Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo spend much of the afternoon riding the pine due to foul trouble.
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Marist at LAFAYETTE 1 p.m.: The Red Foxes are 1-1 with a close loss at Seton Hall and a lopsided win over Delaware. Through two games, Jared Jordan is Marist's leading scorer, averaging 16 ppg. Two other players, 7-footer James Smith (13.5 ppg) and Will Whittington (10.5 ppg) also average in double figures. Jordan has been the best 3-point shooter of the bunch, knocking down 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) but the fact that Whittington has jacked up 17 from the arc in two games suggests he might be just as dangerous, even though he has made just 3 so far. The 6-3 junior finished in the top five in the nation in both 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game last season.
Defense, though, not offense, has been Marist's strong suit in its two contests. The Red Foxes are shooting just 41.2 percent as a team, but they have held opponents to 36.6 percent from the field.
In addition to Smith, Marist also starts 6-8 redshirt sophomore Ryan Stilphen, a MAAC all-rookie pick last year up front. That kind of size will pose a challenge for the guard-oriented Leopards.
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Princeton at COLGATE 2 p.m.: At 1-2, these are not your father's Princeton Tigers. Princeton is 10-4 against Patriot opponents in the past six seasons and 4-1 under head coach Joe Scott. But coming off a loss at Lafayette, Princeton, whose only win came at Lehigh, should have a hard time improving to 2-1 against Patriot League teams.
The Tigers don't shoot the ball very well (41.1 percent) and have been getting hammered on the boards by a margin of 12.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Noah Savage (6-5) is the only player averaging in double figures (16.7 ppg) for a team that has scored more than 50 points in only one of its three games.
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AMERICAN at Ohio 3:30 p.m.:Late starters, the Bobcats have played only one game, beating St. Francis (Pa.) 77-61 over a week ago (Nov. 26). The Bobcats forced 15 first half turnovers in that one, 23 for the game. But their field goal defense was suspect. St. Francis shot 48.9 percent in the loss.
That is about as much encouragement as we can offer fans of the 0-4 Eagles. OU returns four starters from the team that American beat by 9 at home last season. That same OU team went on to finish the year 21-11, losing to Florida (67-62) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This year they are picked to win the tough Mid-American Conference. Suffice to say Jeff Jones' squad will have its hands full this afternoon in Athens.
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Who'd a thunk it?
(Originally posted Friday, 9:42 p.m., updated at 8:42 a.m.)
If somebody had told us Friday afternoon that the Patriot League and the Ivy League would split a pair of games tonight, we would have probably been skeptical, but we'd have been willing to admit the possibility of Navy upsetting Penn seemed, well, possible.
But Army beating previously unbeaten Columbia? Is that a pig we saw overhead?
Army 67, Columbia 66 -- From the Army Web site:
The Black Knights shot 54.3 percent from the field, including an amazing 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) from 3-point range. When they were not knocking down shots from the floor, they were at the foul line, where they went 22-for-29 (75.9 percent).
Columbia was better from the foul line -- percentage wise anyhow-- making 90 percent of its free throws (18-of-20) and shot the ball pretty well from the floor (21-of-47, 44.7 percent). They also outrebounded Army 29-21. It didn't matter. They are no longer undefeated because they didn't D it up.
Penn 86, Navy 73 -- A career-high 31 points for Penn's Ibrahim Jaaber as the Quakers came from behind to beat the winless Midshipmen.
The key stat of the game: Penn shot 55 free throws, making 39, including 11 during a 15-2 run that gave the Quakers control after they trailed 58-56 with 13:36 to play. Those free throws were crucial given Penn's 3-for-22 shooting from the arc.
Freshman guard Clif Colbert, making his first start in place of injured Corey Johnson, had 22 points to lead Navy. Carlton Baldwin was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field (12 points) before fouling out/ The 6-8 junior only played 11 minutes. Matt Fannin also fouled out for Navy. Three other Mids finished with 4 personals,
Steve Danley had four personals for Penn. Nobody else had more than 3.
Mike Kern of the points out:
As the Talking Heads used to sing, "What's that I smell?" Since we did not see the game and have no first-hand accounts to go by until tomorrow's papers, we will assume it was only the Schuylkill. But it sure looks odd in the .
It doesn't even mention the foul shots disparity in in the Philadelphia Inquirer, though Tatum does note:
Come league play, they are going to bang out some wins at home, and even though they might come over teams with better records, they will not really be upsets.
If somebody had told us Friday afternoon that the Patriot League and the Ivy League would split a pair of games tonight, we would have probably been skeptical, but we'd have been willing to admit the possibility of Navy upsetting Penn seemed, well, possible.
But Army beating previously unbeaten Columbia? Is that a pig we saw overhead?
Army 67, Columbia 66 -- From the Army Web site:
Colin Harris hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer, leading Army to a 67-66 victory over Columbia on Friday night and snapping the Lions' season-opening five-game winning streak.Somebody should have told Columbia, you need to play at least something resembling defense. And no, that does not mean hacking away when the opposition is shooting the ball.
Army trailed by 10 points, 48-38, with 12:56 remaining before Dan Borcherdt hit six free throws over the last 6:29 and got the ball to Harris for the winner.Army's hometown paper, the Times Herald-Record, did not bother stopping in NYC en route to Philly for today's football game. But the does mention something that seems significant:Army (3-3) has already matched its win total from last season. The two wins against Division I foes doubles last season's output. The Black Knights were 0-13 on the road last season but are already 2-2.Harris finished with 22 points, Jarell Brown added 15 and Borcherdt 10 for the Black Knights.
The Black Knights shot 54.3 percent from the field, including an amazing 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) from 3-point range. When they were not knocking down shots from the floor, they were at the foul line, where they went 22-for-29 (75.9 percent).
Columbia was better from the foul line -- percentage wise anyhow-- making 90 percent of its free throws (18-of-20) and shot the ball pretty well from the floor (21-of-47, 44.7 percent). They also outrebounded Army 29-21. It didn't matter. They are no longer undefeated because they didn't D it up.
Penn 86, Navy 73 -- A career-high 31 points for Penn's Ibrahim Jaaber as the Quakers came from behind to beat the winless Midshipmen.
The key stat of the game: Penn shot 55 free throws, making 39, including 11 during a 15-2 run that gave the Quakers control after they trailed 58-56 with 13:36 to play. Those free throws were crucial given Penn's 3-for-22 shooting from the arc.
Freshman guard Clif Colbert, making his first start in place of injured Corey Johnson, had 22 points to lead Navy. Carlton Baldwin was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field (12 points) before fouling out/ The 6-8 junior only played 11 minutes. Matt Fannin also fouled out for Navy. Three other Mids finished with 4 personals,
Steve Danley had four personals for Penn. Nobody else had more than 3.
Mike Kern of the points out:
The Quakers were 3-for-22 from the arc, which won't get it done on most nights. But you don't shoot 55 free throws on most nights, either, compared with Navy's 20. The school record is 60, set in 1955. Penn made 39 (28 in the second half), which never hurts.Both teams had 32 points in the paint. Navy outrebounded Penn 35-32. And the Mids only attempted 14 three-pointers (making five). None of those stats seems to indicate how the huge (35-19) disparity in fouls.
As the Talking Heads used to sing, "What's that I smell?" Since we did not see the game and have no first-hand accounts to go by until tomorrow's papers, we will assume it was only the Schuylkill. But it sure looks odd in the .
It doesn't even mention the foul shots disparity in in the Philadelphia Inquirer, though Tatum does note:
Lange started three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior against Penn, and Navy still managed to establish that it had come to hold its own.Remembering how Navy came on at the end of last season, and seeing how many guys Lange played in this one (12 played, 10 had at least 7 minutes), anyboy writing Navy off after an 0-4 start is shortsighted. Especially given the way the Mids traditionally get away with a lot of physical stuff in Alumni Hall that might result in 35 personal fouls called in the Palestra.
Come league play, they are going to bang out some wins at home, and even though they might come over teams with better records, they will not really be upsets.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Media darlings
Looks like the guys at USA Today.com are mighty high on Bucknell. From what we read in their , we wonder if they are also high on something else.
Check this out:
They might be right, but if so, it is probably more of a lucky guess than a sign of knowing what they are talking about. Wwe would put more faith in these guys' predictions if they had even seen the Bison once this season (or last, other than maybe part of the Kansas game on TV). Or if they at least were following the story close enough to realize that Bucknell won't be 2-0 in the Big East if they beat 'Nova. They will be 2-0 if they beat Big East member DePaul tomorrow. That would make them 3-0 if they also beat Villanova.
Check this out:
5. Sure Villanova crushed Lehigh on Sunday. But the Wildcats hoisted up 33 three-point attempts. Without Curtis Sumpter, are these the Wildcats we should come to expect this season? And if so, can they survive doing that all year?They also seem to agree that Bucknell belongs in the Top 25.
Jeff Zillgitt: I generally don't mind taking that many three-pointers, especially if a team makes 17 of 33, like the Wildcats did against Lehigh. Though you can expect teams to play much better defense against Villanova than Lehigh did.
Eric Crawford: I don't think we can learn much from Villanova's games so far. But I do think it'll balance out against better teams, even without Sumpter.
Eric Crawford: When you can put that much pressure on teams from the outside, it can open a lot of things up offensively.
Tom O'Toole: But can they go 2-0 in the Patriot League by beating Bucknell next week?
Eric Crawford: Or will Bucknell go to 2-0 in the Big East?
Tom O'Toole: Hey, it's at Bucknell.
Jeff Zillgitt: If a team can make about 40% of its three-pointers, I'm fine with it. Tom, after that game, Bucknell will be atop the Big East standings and 'Nova will be in second place in the Patriot League.
Tim Gardner: I think Bucknell takes them at home. But for the season, the 'Cats will have to run and run and run. And when they stop running, they'll have to run some more.
They might be right, but if so, it is probably more of a lucky guess than a sign of knowing what they are talking about. Wwe would put more faith in these guys' predictions if they had even seen the Bison once this season (or last, other than maybe part of the Kansas game on TV). Or if they at least were following the story close enough to realize that Bucknell won't be 2-0 in the Big East if they beat 'Nova. They will be 2-0 if they beat Big East member DePaul tomorrow. That would make them 3-0 if they also beat Villanova.
Army, Navy in action tonight
Now that they found the Commander In Chief trophy hidden in a dorm broom closet, the Cadets and the Mids can turn their attention to hoops tonight, before shining the spotlight on their annual gridiron classic in Philly tomorrow.
Patriot League scoreboards
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NAVY at Penn 5 p.m.: Now this is what we call smart and creative scheduling: a Navy basketball game in Philly on the eve of the Army-Navy football game. We are not so sure about the five o'clock start, but if the Mids can get a nice turnout of alums and Midshipmen to skip happy hour for hoops, then it might make the Palestra just a little friendlier for Navy.
That would be great, because Navy will need any help it can get against the 2-0 Quakers, who are picked to win the Ivy League.
From Penn's game notes:
It will be interesting to see if Penn gets caught looking ahead to Saturday's .
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ARMY at Columbia 7 p.m.: We find out tonight if Army battling UConn was a sign of UConn taking the night off or Army being vastly improved. Undefeated Columbia (5-0) is no UConn, but as the record shows, they are certainly plenty of challenge for the Black Knights.
Of course as a foul-mouthed student columnist at the :
As a team, Columbia is shooting better than 50 percent and holding opponents under 39 percent. That hot shooting is not all the big men inside close to the basket. The Lions shoot over 43 percent from the arc.
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NAVY at Penn 5 p.m.: Now this is what we call smart and creative scheduling: a Navy basketball game in Philly on the eve of the Army-Navy football game. We are not so sure about the five o'clock start, but if the Mids can get a nice turnout of alums and Midshipmen to skip happy hour for hoops, then it might make the Palestra just a little friendlier for Navy.
That would be great, because Navy will need any help it can get against the 2-0 Quakers, who are picked to win the Ivy League.
From Penn's game notes:
To say that the Quakers have had success against Patriot League teams would be an understatement; in fact, they have won 19-straight games against the Patriots, with the last loss coming January 27, 1997 at Lafayette. Since the last time Penn played Navy, Dunphy’s teams have gone a combined 30-1 against the Patriot LeagueAdding to the challenge, the Mids will be , who is out at least two games with a knee injury.
It will be interesting to see if Penn gets caught looking ahead to Saturday's .
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ARMY at Columbia 7 p.m.: We find out tonight if Army battling UConn was a sign of UConn taking the night off or Army being vastly improved. Undefeated Columbia (5-0) is no UConn, but as the record shows, they are certainly plenty of challenge for the Black Knights.
Of course as a foul-mouthed student columnist at the :
Then again, it's just five games into the season. The combined record of (Columbia's)opponents? A stunning 4-15. The talent pool they've been playing against? Let's just say if they played Oak Hill Academy, I wouldn't touch the line. They went wire-to-wire against some horrendous teams.Look for 6-8 sophomore forward John Baumann to be a real matchup problem for Army. The Lions' leading scorer and co-leading rebounder averages 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. With Baumann and 6-9 center Nwachukwu (12.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg.), Columbia's frontcourt will be tough for undersized Army to handle.
As a team, Columbia is shooting better than 50 percent and holding opponents under 39 percent. That hot shooting is not all the big men inside close to the basket. The Lions shoot over 43 percent from the arc.
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BU-'NOVA TO AIR LIVE ON ESPN360
From Bucknell Sports Information
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Sold-out Sojka Pavilion will be the backdrop for the first-ever ESPN360 telecast on the Bucknell campus when the Bison men’s basketball team hosts fourth-ranked Villanova on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. The much-anticipated contest will be aired live on ESPN’s multi-dimensional broadband service. ESPN360 is available at www.ESPN360.com, and it can be accessed by customers of many high-speed Internet service providers.
ESPN360 leverages ESPN-branded content to deliver high-quality video, featuring exclusive and live programming, unique behind-the-scenes coverage, and in-depth analysis from ESPN commentators. ESPN 360 also offers fans access to single and multi-player video games, and the ability to customize content according to their interests.
Among the current Internet service providers carrying ESPN360 programming are Adelphia, Beld, Bend, Charter, Frontier, Grande, Knology, Mid-Hudson, MediaCom, Spencer, Municipal Utilities, Starstream Communications, SusCom, Us Cable and Verizon.
This will be the 100th live event aired on ESPN 360 in 2005, and the network will be rolling in production trucks, announcers and a production team to give the broadcast the feel of any ESPN televised event.
“I am extremely excited that many loyal Bison fans around the nation will be able to tune in to what should be an extraordinary night of basketball in Sojka Pavilion,” said Bucknell director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. “The high-speed, customizable broadband service offered by ESPN360 could be the future of televised sporting events, and it is a wonderful opportunity for Bucknell to be able to take advantage of this medium.”
“This is a truly remarkable feat to have our 100th live event of the year be the match-up of two top programs – Villanova and Bucknell,” commented Len Mead, director of new media content at ESPN. “ESPN360 sets a new standard for live events available on broadband. This year, we have produced twice as many games as we did last year and we look forward to satisfying the appetites of college basketball fans across the country.”
Both Bucknell and Villanova are experiencing renewed success on the hardwood. The Bison are coming off a 23-10 season, a Patriot League championship and their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a 64-63 upset of third-seeded Kansas last March. With all five starters back, Bucknell is off to a 4-0 start, including a 74-69 victory over No. 17 Syracuse on Nov. 22 in the Carrier Dome.
The Bison, who play at DePaul on Saturday, have now knocked off three top-20 teams since last January, and although they are listed just outside the top 25 in both the Associated Press (29th) and ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches’ Polls (32nd), they are receiving the most votes in school history.
Coached by 1983 Bucknell graduate Jay Wright, Villanova is playing at its highest level since winning the national championship in 1985. The Wildcats finished 24-8 last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, where they lost a 67-66 decision to eventual national champion North Carolina.
This year, Villanova was picked as the preseason favorite in the Big East. The Wildcats are 3-0 after victories over Stony Brook, Lehigh and Rider. Villanova, which will be the highest-ranked team ever to play at Bucknell, hosts Oklahoma on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Sold-out Sojka Pavilion will be the backdrop for the first-ever ESPN360 telecast on the Bucknell campus when the Bison men’s basketball team hosts fourth-ranked Villanova on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. The much-anticipated contest will be aired live on ESPN’s multi-dimensional broadband service. ESPN360 is available at www.ESPN360.com, and it can be accessed by customers of many high-speed Internet service providers.
ESPN360 leverages ESPN-branded content to deliver high-quality video, featuring exclusive and live programming, unique behind-the-scenes coverage, and in-depth analysis from ESPN commentators. ESPN 360 also offers fans access to single and multi-player video games, and the ability to customize content according to their interests.
Among the current Internet service providers carrying ESPN360 programming are Adelphia, Beld, Bend, Charter, Frontier, Grande, Knology, Mid-Hudson, MediaCom, Spencer, Municipal Utilities, Starstream Communications, SusCom, Us Cable and Verizon.
This will be the 100th live event aired on ESPN 360 in 2005, and the network will be rolling in production trucks, announcers and a production team to give the broadcast the feel of any ESPN televised event.
“I am extremely excited that many loyal Bison fans around the nation will be able to tune in to what should be an extraordinary night of basketball in Sojka Pavilion,” said Bucknell director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. “The high-speed, customizable broadband service offered by ESPN360 could be the future of televised sporting events, and it is a wonderful opportunity for Bucknell to be able to take advantage of this medium.”
“This is a truly remarkable feat to have our 100th live event of the year be the match-up of two top programs – Villanova and Bucknell,” commented Len Mead, director of new media content at ESPN. “ESPN360 sets a new standard for live events available on broadband. This year, we have produced twice as many games as we did last year and we look forward to satisfying the appetites of college basketball fans across the country.”
Both Bucknell and Villanova are experiencing renewed success on the hardwood. The Bison are coming off a 23-10 season, a Patriot League championship and their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a 64-63 upset of third-seeded Kansas last March. With all five starters back, Bucknell is off to a 4-0 start, including a 74-69 victory over No. 17 Syracuse on Nov. 22 in the Carrier Dome.
The Bison, who play at DePaul on Saturday, have now knocked off three top-20 teams since last January, and although they are listed just outside the top 25 in both the Associated Press (29th) and ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches’ Polls (32nd), they are receiving the most votes in school history.
Coached by 1983 Bucknell graduate Jay Wright, Villanova is playing at its highest level since winning the national championship in 1985. The Wildcats finished 24-8 last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, where they lost a 67-66 decision to eventual national champion North Carolina.
This year, Villanova was picked as the preseason favorite in the Big East. The Wildcats are 3-0 after victories over Stony Brook, Lehigh and Rider. Villanova, which will be the highest-ranked team ever to play at Bucknell, hosts Oklahoma on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
Bucknell announces recruiting class
We will post Bucknell's release in its entirety here, without comment for now, other than to mention that Evans and Behan were already know commitments. The third guy, Tyree, appears to be a "sleeper," an athletic kid better know for football who prefers basketball. We will try to find out more on him later. For now, though, here is the text of Bucknell's release:
BUCKNELL MEN’S BASKETBALL INKS THREE EARLY SIGNEES
Patrick Behan, Zach Evans, Stephen Tyree to Join Bison in 2006-07
LEWISBURG, Pa. – With the 2005-06 season just underway, Bucknell head men’s basketball coach Pat Flannery has announced the addition of three players who will impact the program starting in 2006-07. Patrick Behan, a 6-8 forward from Leesburg, Va., Zach Evans, a 6-5 guard from Encino, Calif., and Stephen Tyree, a 6-3 guard from The Woodlands, Texas, have all taken advantage of the NCAA’s early signing period to ink national letters of intent to enroll at Bucknell.
Behan is entering his senior campaign at Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg, Va. A year ago he averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals per game for head coach Kevin Martin. He earned the Coaches’ MVP Award and was listed among the top 185 prep players by Hoop Scoop. This past July, Behan attended the prestigious ABCD camp.
“Patrick is going to be a wonderful addition to our program,” said Flannery. “He is a legitimate 6-8, can really shoot and run, and has the ability to defend aggressively both in the post and on the perimeter. He plays at a great basketball school against very tough competition.”
Evans plays for coach Bryan Cantwell at Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, Calif. An All-Mission League performer last season, Evans averaged 12.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was named the conference’s rookie of the year as a sophomore, and prior to his junior year he also attended the ABCD camp.
“Like Patrick, Zach is an extremely athletic player who has gone up against some outstanding competition in California,” commented Flannery. “Zach made a great impression on our staff when we saw him in Las Vegas this summer. He simply knows how to play the game. He can play the ‘3’ and is a long, versatile defender.”
Tyree recently concluded another very successful football season at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston, and now he will be turning his attention back to basketball for his senior year. An all-conference selection as a defensive back and wide receiver on the gridiron, Tyree also averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game last season in basketball. He was a second-team all-district selection in basketball as both a sophomore and junior.
“The entire staff is awfully excited about Stephen’s potential,” Flannery said. “He’s been a star football player in high school, but basketball seems to be his first love. He is a tremendous athlete and an extremely bright young man who should ease right into our system.”
“Every year in recruiting we start by looking for kids who fit Bucknell’s student-athlete profile, and Zach, Patrick and Stephen are three really good ones,” said Flannery. “Coming out of the July recruiting period, these three were high priorities for us. They are gym rats who should jump right into the program both academically and athletically.”
Bucknell, the defending Patriot League champion, is off to a 4-0 start in 2005-06, with victories over Rider, No. 17 Syracuse, Yale and Niagara. The Bison travel to DePaul on Saturday afternoon.
Morning readaround
So far, so good: Bucknell beat writer Tom Housenick of the Daily Item that looks at Bucknell's fast start. Among Tom's observations:
This was the last of a four-game series between the two teams. Murray writes
The two teams are not old, traditional rivals. The series dates only to 1982 and includes just 8 games since then. But if Mihalich keeps turning out the kind of teams he has had in recent years, odds are that is a game Pat Flannery would like to see on his schedule. Flannery is not one to load his non-conference slate with cupcakes.
From Murray's coulumn:
Becoming a regular: Genaro Armas of the Associated Press has unofficially made more trips to Lewisburg this year than all AP writers combined over the past 5, maybe even 10 seasons.
We're cool with that. As we have said before, there is plenty of room on the Patriot League bandwagon.
In his latest visit, Armas put together a . Not much new in there, but there is a good Pat Flannery quote on the difference between this team and some he has had in other seasons:
Offensively, the Bison appear to be in mid-season form. Bucknell is shooting 51.2 percent from the floor as a team (44.4 percent last season), 57.6 percent in the second half.Encore, Encore: Pat Murray of the Tonawanda News was at Wednesday night's Bucknell-Niagara game. He so much, he wants to see them play again.
The Bison also have dramatically improved in the turnover department. They are a plus-12 for the season in assist/turnover ratio (minus 92 last season). And they are winning the hustle battle, with a 47-31 edge in combined blocked shots and steals.
Bucknell is in a rhythm offensively and as talented as its perfect start indicates, but the Bison are winning because of their defense, especially in the second half of games.
Foes are shooting just 33.0 percent from the floor in the second half this season.
This was the last of a four-game series between the two teams. Murray writes
:“We only have one open date next year,” Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said after Wednesday’s loss. “Maybe we can resume it the following year.”Oh sure it would be easy to say Mihalich wants to wait until Chris McNaughton is gone, but we doubt that is the case. More likely he, and his team, would like to get right back at BU after losing two times in as many seasons by a total of 5 points.
The two teams are not old, traditional rivals. The series dates only to 1982 and includes just 8 games since then. But if Mihalich keeps turning out the kind of teams he has had in recent years, odds are that is a game Pat Flannery would like to see on his schedule. Flannery is not one to load his non-conference slate with cupcakes.
From Murray's coulumn:
There’s a healthy respect between the two coaches for what they’ve accomplished, even if the mid-majors have trouble getting respect from the mammoth Division I institutions. As Flannery said earlier in the week: “The right people respect us, that’s what matters.”His column did not actually include bold face type. We added that to make it easier for Lehigh folks to read.
Bucknell may not have the name recognition of some other schools on Niagara’s schedule, but the Purple Eagles won’t be facing many foes tougher than the Bison.
Two schools that have developed solid basketball programs while not sacrificing educational standards battling down to the wire on the court. It’s what college hoops should be about.
Becoming a regular: Genaro Armas of the Associated Press has unofficially made more trips to Lewisburg this year than all AP writers combined over the past 5, maybe even 10 seasons.
We're cool with that. As we have said before, there is plenty of room on the Patriot League bandwagon.
In his latest visit, Armas put together a . Not much new in there, but there is a good Pat Flannery quote on the difference between this team and some he has had in other seasons:
In the past, we could play a really, really fine game and change some things in our game plan to compete with some people," Flannery said. "(Now) we are able to go and do some things that we want to do, as opposed to holding the tail and trying to hang on."
Close, but no cigars
(Originally posted Thursday night, updated at 8:07 a.m.)
Tough night for the Patriot League, with a Kevin Hamilton-less Holy Cross falling on teh road and Lafayette losing at home. Both were close games. Both still count as L's.
Siena 68, Holy Cross 63 -- You won't convince Ralph Willard that there's much good to losing for the fourth straight game after starting the season 2-0. But given the absence of reigning PL layer of the year Kevin Hamilton, this is not such a bad showing. Keith Simmons had 20 points for the Crusaders. Freshman forward Colin Cunningham added 16, a very positive sign for a team that has not gotten much offensive production out of its frontline. Cunningham also had 9 rebounds.
Alex Vander Baan, the other freshman starter at Siena, fouled out with 4 points in 31 minutes.
Torey Thomas, the Crusaders 5-11 point man had a team-high 11 boards while playing all 40 minutes (Sophomore Pat Doherty, who has been struggling with a foot injury, was a DNP). Thomas singlehandedly pulled down as many caroms as 6-8 Vander Baan (6) and 6-7 Kevin Hyland (5) combined. Thomas also had 5 steals and 5 assists, with just 1 turnover. But he also shot just 1-of-7 from the field, finishing with 5 points.
Tim Clifford, the 6-10 sophomore who was expected to be the Crusaders starting center this season, played only 5 minutes, finishing with 1 rebound and 3 turnovers while going 0-for-2 from the floor. Clifford, who showed great potential at times last season, appears to have caught whatever it is that has ailed Lehigh's Jason Mgebroff since the Mountain Hawks big man had a solid freshman season, then began a fade as a sophomore that has continued in this, his junior season.
Holy Cross outrebounded Siena 42-28 and held the Saints to 37 percent shooting from the field overall. Unfortunately, Siena shot better from outside the arc than inside, going 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. The Saints also had a huge edge in free throws, hitting 18-of-25 while HC only went to the line 8 times, making 6.
After the Vermont game, HC coach Ralph Willard talked about a similar disparity in that game. But it seems a pattern could be developing, which would not be surprising given the less than stellar play teh Crusaders have been getting from their big men.
You might recall Colgate's Emmitt Davis had the same complaint a lot of last season, when the Raiders had little inside game and lived and died by the jumpshooting of its guards.
St. Peter's 79, Lafayette 76 -- Lafayette's three-game win streak ends at the hands of St. Peter's and guard Keydren Clark, the nation's leading scorer the past two seasons, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
Lafayette trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before battling back to tie the game at 76-76 with 45 seconds to play. St. Peter's retook the lead on a pair of free throws by Raul Orta, who was fouled after getting the offensive rebound of his own miss.
At the other end, the Leopards turned the ball over on what sounds like a questionable, at best, charging call on Matt Betley.
Corky Blake of the Express-Times was there. We will let him tell :
Tough night for the Patriot League, with a Kevin Hamilton-less Holy Cross falling on teh road and Lafayette losing at home. Both were close games. Both still count as L's.
Siena 68, Holy Cross 63 -- You won't convince Ralph Willard that there's much good to losing for the fourth straight game after starting the season 2-0. But given the absence of reigning PL layer of the year Kevin Hamilton, this is not such a bad showing. Keith Simmons had 20 points for the Crusaders. Freshman forward Colin Cunningham added 16, a very positive sign for a team that has not gotten much offensive production out of its frontline. Cunningham also had 9 rebounds.
Alex Vander Baan, the other freshman starter at Siena, fouled out with 4 points in 31 minutes.
Torey Thomas, the Crusaders 5-11 point man had a team-high 11 boards while playing all 40 minutes (Sophomore Pat Doherty, who has been struggling with a foot injury, was a DNP). Thomas singlehandedly pulled down as many caroms as 6-8 Vander Baan (6) and 6-7 Kevin Hyland (5) combined. Thomas also had 5 steals and 5 assists, with just 1 turnover. But he also shot just 1-of-7 from the field, finishing with 5 points.
Tim Clifford, the 6-10 sophomore who was expected to be the Crusaders starting center this season, played only 5 minutes, finishing with 1 rebound and 3 turnovers while going 0-for-2 from the floor. Clifford, who showed great potential at times last season, appears to have caught whatever it is that has ailed Lehigh's Jason Mgebroff since the Mountain Hawks big man had a solid freshman season, then began a fade as a sophomore that has continued in this, his junior season.
Holy Cross outrebounded Siena 42-28 and held the Saints to 37 percent shooting from the field overall. Unfortunately, Siena shot better from outside the arc than inside, going 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from three-point range. The Saints also had a huge edge in free throws, hitting 18-of-25 while HC only went to the line 8 times, making 6.
After the Vermont game, HC coach Ralph Willard talked about a similar disparity in that game. But it seems a pattern could be developing, which would not be surprising given the less than stellar play teh Crusaders have been getting from their big men.
You might recall Colgate's Emmitt Davis had the same complaint a lot of last season, when the Raiders had little inside game and lived and died by the jumpshooting of its guards.
St. Peter's 79, Lafayette 76 -- Lafayette's three-game win streak ends at the hands of St. Peter's and guard Keydren Clark, the nation's leading scorer the past two seasons, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
Lafayette trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before battling back to tie the game at 76-76 with 45 seconds to play. St. Peter's retook the lead on a pair of free throws by Raul Orta, who was fouled after getting the offensive rebound of his own miss.
At the other end, the Leopards turned the ball over on what sounds like a questionable, at best, charging call on Matt Betley.
Corky Blake of the Express-Times was there. We will let him tell :
After the free throws, the Leopards called a timeout. Brown received the inbounds pass and then handed to Matt Betley at the top of the foul line.The 'Pards still had a desperation chance to tie after St. Peter's Kevin Spann missed one of his two free throws at the other end with one second left. Marcus Harley's three-point try from the backcourt at the buzzer clanged off the backboard.
As Betley turned off the screen, Clark stepped in and flopped. Official Larry Scirotto bought the act, and called Betley for the game-ending charge.
"You don't see that call made on the road, do you?" said (St. Peter's coach Bob) Leckie with a smile
"He (Scirotto) made the call so it must've been a foul," Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon said in resignation.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Bison rally for win
(Originally posted Wednesday, 9:08 p.m., updated at 7:21 a.m.)
Bucknell 66, Niagara 63: Trailing 40-31 at the half, the Bison held Niagara to 13.6 percent (3-22) shooting in the second half while shooting 61 percent at their own end. The win broke Niagara's 18-game home win streak.
The Bison overcame the halftime deficit by holding Niagara without a field goal the first 11 minutes of the second half, outscoring the Purple Eagles 21-4 in that span.
Bucknell managed to hold off the Purple Eagles at the end, despite being without Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown, who both fouled out. The Bison's foul woes kept Niagara in the game. The Purple Eagles were 16-21 at the line in the second half, 24-32 for the game.
McNaughton played only 23 minutes due to foul problems, finishing with 12 points. Charles Lee led Bucknell with 17 points. Kevin Bettencourt also in double figures with 13 points.
The Bucknell bench outscored Niagara's reserves 15-0. Surprisingly, though, Bucknell did not go any deeper than Niagara, playing only eight guys, the fewest Pat Flannery has used all season. Freshmen Jason Vegotsky and Josh Linthicum, who each saw action in the first three games, were DNPs against Niagara.
Curiously, even with McNaughton in foul trouble, sophomore Darren Mastropaolo saw only 13 minutes of action, less than a minute of the coming in the second half. Mastropaolo had two personals in the first half, and picked up a third almost as soon as he stepped on the floor midway through the second.
Down the stretch, though, Flannery went with 6-7 Tarik Viaer-McClymont when McNaughton was in foul trouble and after he fouled out. And when Brown was in the same situation as McNaughton, Flannery went small a number of times, with 6-3 Charles Lee at the four and Abe Badmus, bettencourt and John Griffin in a three-guard backcourt.
The smaller lineup paid off on offense and defense in the second half, but it also contributed to Niagara's huge 38-25 rebounding edge. The Purple Eagles had 14 offensive boards, and a 17-2 edge in second chance points. Add those points to Niagara's 24 made free throws and you see how they stayed in the game despite their horrid shooting.
The win was Bucknell's third straight on the road and gives the Bison their first 4-0 start since 1983, when Charlie Woolum's team opened with six straight wins en route to a 24-5 season that ended with an overtime loss to Rider in the East Coast Conference finals.
Bucknell 66, Niagara 63: Trailing 40-31 at the half, the Bison held Niagara to 13.6 percent (3-22) shooting in the second half while shooting 61 percent at their own end. The win broke Niagara's 18-game home win streak.
The Bison overcame the halftime deficit by holding Niagara without a field goal the first 11 minutes of the second half, outscoring the Purple Eagles 21-4 in that span.
Bucknell managed to hold off the Purple Eagles at the end, despite being without Chris McNaughton and Donald Brown, who both fouled out. The Bison's foul woes kept Niagara in the game. The Purple Eagles were 16-21 at the line in the second half, 24-32 for the game.
McNaughton played only 23 minutes due to foul problems, finishing with 12 points. Charles Lee led Bucknell with 17 points. Kevin Bettencourt also in double figures with 13 points.
The Bucknell bench outscored Niagara's reserves 15-0. Surprisingly, though, Bucknell did not go any deeper than Niagara, playing only eight guys, the fewest Pat Flannery has used all season. Freshmen Jason Vegotsky and Josh Linthicum, who each saw action in the first three games, were DNPs against Niagara.
Curiously, even with McNaughton in foul trouble, sophomore Darren Mastropaolo saw only 13 minutes of action, less than a minute of the coming in the second half. Mastropaolo had two personals in the first half, and picked up a third almost as soon as he stepped on the floor midway through the second.
Down the stretch, though, Flannery went with 6-7 Tarik Viaer-McClymont when McNaughton was in foul trouble and after he fouled out. And when Brown was in the same situation as McNaughton, Flannery went small a number of times, with 6-3 Charles Lee at the four and Abe Badmus, bettencourt and John Griffin in a three-guard backcourt.
The smaller lineup paid off on offense and defense in the second half, but it also contributed to Niagara's huge 38-25 rebounding edge. The Purple Eagles had 14 offensive boards, and a 17-2 edge in second chance points. Add those points to Niagara's 24 made free throws and you see how they stayed in the game despite their horrid shooting.
The win was Bucknell's third straight on the road and gives the Bison their first 4-0 start since 1983, when Charlie Woolum's team opened with six straight wins en route to a 24-5 season that ended with an overtime loss to Rider in the East Coast Conference finals.
Two games on tap
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HOLY CROSS at Siena 7 p.m.: A good matchup for Holy Cross (2-3), whose frontline has been struggling thus far. Siena's tallest starter is 6-7 and only one other player taller than 6-4 has seen action in all three games for the Saints (1-2). Antoine Jordan, a 6-4 senior guard is the team's leading scorer (20 ppg) also the leading rebounder (7.3.rpg). Kojo Mensah, a 6-1 sophomore guard, is second in both scoring and rebounding at 16.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Also averaging in double figures for Siena are (13.3 ppg), a power forward with a guard's range on his jumper, and 5-9 sophomore Tay Fisher (10.7 ppg). Like Holy Cross, the are not very deep, though. Only three other players have scored for Siena.
For Holy Cross, the silver lining in Monday's loss to Vermont was Keith Simmons managing to go the whole game without cramping up. On the other hand, Kevin Hamilton was running a 103-degree fever on Tuesday and was undergoing tests for bronchitis. His status is not mentioned in the Holy Cross game notes.
An interesting sidebar to tonight's game story, the HC-Siena matchup will pit Fisher and Simmons for the first time in their college careers.
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St. Peter's at LAFAYETTE 7 p.m.: If someone had told you a week or two ago that Lafayette would be shooting for four straight wins, chances are you'd have looked into staging an intervention. Yet here they are, going for number four in a row at home against winless St. Peter's.
Hard to believe, but one of Fran O'Hanlon's biggest concerns going into this game might be the possibility of his team coming in overconfident. It is a real concern. Yes, the Peacocks are 0-4, but look at their schedule. The losses have come to No. 11 Florida, an Oakland team that was in the NCAA tournament last season, and Big East members Pittsburgh and Seton Hall.
St. Peter's is led by senior guard 5-9 , the two-time national scoring leader who is averaging 20 ppg. Clark is not the only guy averaging in double figures for the Peacocks; 6-4 sophomore Raul Orta is averaging 15.3 ppg and 6-7 forward Todd Sowell is scoring 10.8 ppg and pulling down a team-high 8.3 rpg
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005
From the desktop of Ralph Willard
Great stuff, as usual, from the Holy Cross coach's today. At the risk of repeating ourselves, this site ought to be on every Patriot League fan's favorites list.
In today's post, Ralph talks about the Vermont game, including why three starters sat at the beginning of that contest and the officiating of that loss.
always gives interesting insite into the mind of a coach. If only more coaches were so open and willing to communicate their thoughts.
In today's post, Ralph talks about the Vermont game, including why three starters sat at the beginning of that contest and the officiating of that loss.
always gives interesting insite into the mind of a coach. If only more coaches were so open and willing to communicate their thoughts.
'Pards, Gate give PL lead over Ivies
(Originally posted Tuesday night, updated at 7:03 a.m.)
Lafayette 57, Cornell 43: Look out naysayers. Fran O'Hanlon's Leopards are 3-2 and just wins over Penn and Harvard away from claiming the Ivy League crown. Or at least they would be if they played Harvard (Lafayette is at Penn Jan. 16).
How this success will translate against scholarship schools is anybody's guess, but with back-to-back wins over Princeton and Cornell, Lafayette has shown one thing for sure: The 'Pards can D it up. Lafayette limited Cornell to 17 first half points, 43 for the game, and just 30 percent shooting from the floor. This just two days after doing a similar number on Princeton.
Yes, this is the same team that gave up 80 points to Division III Alvernia. Go figure.
Bilal Abdullah again was in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Paul Cummins had 12 off the bench to lead Lafayette. Nobody in double figures for Cornell.
Combined with Colgates double OT win over Dartmouth, the Patriot League has taken the lead in the season series with the Ivy League.
Our old friend Corky Blake said it best in his in the Express-Times:
Connecticut 68, Army 54: A sluggish start for No. 3 UConn allowed Army to hang around. But the Black Knights simply lacked the firepower to take advantage of the Huskies off night. UConn outscored Army 30-8 in the paint. The Huskies outrebounded the Black Knights 41-26 and scored 31 points off 19 Army turnovers.
A quick synopsis from the goes something like this:
Colgate 65, Dartmouth 64 (2 OT): From the :
Loyola (Md.) 68, American 60: Down 20 at the half, AU battled back to get within one, but could not quite dig themselves out of the hole they dug themselves into in the first half.
Lina Lekavicius, Derrick Mercer and Arvydas Eitutavicius each finsihed with 14 for AU. Andre Ingram was held to 6.
Lehigh 67, Eastern 48: Kyle Neptune scored 18 points on six-of-nine shooting. Jason Mgebroff added a season-high 10 points, while freshman Greg Page was also in double figures against Division III Eastern with a career-best 10 points.
Lafayette 57, Cornell 43: Look out naysayers. Fran O'Hanlon's Leopards are 3-2 and just wins over Penn and Harvard away from claiming the Ivy League crown. Or at least they would be if they played Harvard (Lafayette is at Penn Jan. 16).
How this success will translate against scholarship schools is anybody's guess, but with back-to-back wins over Princeton and Cornell, Lafayette has shown one thing for sure: The 'Pards can D it up. Lafayette limited Cornell to 17 first half points, 43 for the game, and just 30 percent shooting from the floor. This just two days after doing a similar number on Princeton.
Yes, this is the same team that gave up 80 points to Division III Alvernia. Go figure.
Bilal Abdullah again was in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Paul Cummins had 12 off the bench to lead Lafayette. Nobody in double figures for Cornell.
Combined with Colgates double OT win over Dartmouth, the Patriot League has taken the lead in the season series with the Ivy League.
Our old friend Corky Blake said it best in his in the Express-Times:
The undersized Leopards (3-2), win or lose, will be fun to watch this winter.
Connecticut 68, Army 54: A sluggish start for No. 3 UConn allowed Army to hang around. But the Black Knights simply lacked the firepower to take advantage of the Huskies off night. UConn outscored Army 30-8 in the paint. The Huskies outrebounded the Black Knights 41-26 and scored 31 points off 19 Army turnovers.
A quick synopsis from the goes something like this:
Frankly, UConn played like it was still five time zones away in Hawaii where it captured the Maui Invitational.Jarell Brown led Army with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 4 treys.
"We out-talented Army. But they outworked us," Calhoun said. "We were loggy (lethargic). Army grinded the game down. And we played along by making bad decision after bad decision after bad decision."
The Cadets (2-3) were skinny but disciplined Lilliputians on the court, milking the 35-second shot clock each and every possession. Army actually led 22-16 with 6:50 remaining in the first half.
Colgate 65, Dartmouth 64 (2 OT): From the :
Jon Simon scored 16 points and made a 16-foot jumper with less than a second left in double overtime to give Colgate a 65-64 win over Dartmouth Tuesday night.Kendall Chones returned to the Colgate lineup and scored 8 points in 31 minutes of action. Also, Marc Daniels, the 6-9 center that Emmitt Davis raved about in the preseason, has apparently lost his starting job after averaging around 3 rebounds and 2 points per game as a starter in the 'Gate's first five contests.
Alvin Reed, Kyle Chones and Kyle Roemer each scored 11 points for the Raiders (3-3).
Loyola (Md.) 68, American 60: Down 20 at the half, AU battled back to get within one, but could not quite dig themselves out of the hole they dug themselves into in the first half.
Lina Lekavicius, Derrick Mercer and Arvydas Eitutavicius each finsihed with 14 for AU. Andre Ingram was held to 6.
Lehigh 67, Eastern 48: Kyle Neptune scored 18 points on six-of-nine shooting. Jason Mgebroff added a season-high 10 points, while freshman Greg Page was also in double figures against Division III Eastern with a career-best 10 points.
Bison look to avoid fall
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BUCKNELL at Niagara 7 p.m.: This is no gimme for the Bison. Niagara, who like Bucknell appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season, has an 18 game win streak in the Gallagher Center. Granted, this is a very different Purple Eagles team, one that graduated three starters, including guard Alvin Cruz, who had 21 points against the Bison in last year's 76-74 BU win at Sojka, and forward Juan Mendez, who had 18. But forward J.R. Duffy, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds against BU last season, is back. Four of Niagara's five starters are averaging in double figures, led by swingman Charron Fisher, a 6-3 sophomore who is averaging 20 ppg while shooting 54.5 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Lorenzo Miles is close behind at 17.7 ppg. Clif Brown, a 6-7 junior is averaging 14 ppg and Duffy is chipping in 10.7 ppg. The fifth starter, 6-6 senior James Mathis, is averaging 9.7 ppg.
Depth, though, is a problem for Niagara. Only two other players have scored for the Purple Eagles and between them they are averaging about 5 combined points per game.
Turnovers have also been a concern for Niagara, Through three games they have 43 turnovers and only 27 assists. Shooting has also been a concern. The Purple Eagles are shooting only 41.6 percent as a team. Neither of those stats bode well against Bucknell's defense.
One strength for Niagara has been free throw shooting. The Purple Eagles have been to the line 23 times more than their opponents (84-61) and have been taking full advantage, shooting 81 percent from the stripe.
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Perceptions have changed
Check out the headline of the in today's Los Angeles Daily News:
Just another little sign of how Bucknell's stature has changed in the past 11 months.
Bucknell-bound senior leads Chaminade boys' basketball team to victoryA year ago, the Daily News would probably have written "Chaminade's Evans leads ..." Not enough folks in L.A. would have recognized Bucknell for it to be a significant descriptor. It might have been mentioned in the story that Evans is signed with the Bison, but in a headline? In L.A.? Highly doubtful.
Just another little sign of how Bucknell's stature has changed in the past 11 months.
Join the revolution
From Jake Curtis in the San Francisco Chronicle, on the rise of the Mid-Majors in college hoops.
Bucknell is mong the schools figuring prominently in Curtis' piece:
Bucknell is mong the schools figuring prominently in Curtis' piece:
Obviously, the gap between the major conferences and the less publicized conferences is narrowing, and in the case of Bucknell, essentially has disappeared. The Bison have the same starting five that beat Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March and also beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh early last season when the Panthers were ranked No. 10. Syracuse was well aware of how good Bucknell is, but lost nonetheless.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
HC falls in Vermont
(Originally posted Monday at 9:32 p.m., updated at 7:38 a.m.)
Holy Cross shook up its lineup but could not shake out a win at Vermont.
Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon started in place of Kevin Hamilton and Torey Thomas at the guard spots, with Colin Cunningham instead of Alex Vander Baan at one of the forwards.
According to the story in the , Willard sat the three starters because of an unspecified attitude problem during a film session Monday:
.All three players did see action off of the bench. The loss could hardly be blamed on their not starting.
It was the Crusaders big men who were a problem. Kevin Hyland and Alex Vander Baan both fouled out and Tim Clifford had three personals in the first half. All while trying to slow Vermont junior center Martin Klimes, who finished with 22 points to lead all scorers.
Willard told the T&G:
Holy Cross battled back, cutting it to 67-64 with 16 seconds to go, but could get no closer.
HC's defense was better in the second half, holding Vermont to 36 percent shooting. But the way Vermont dominated the glass, it hardly mattered. Klimes finished with 9 boards. Forward Chris Holm chipped in with an 11-points, 11-rebounds double-double. As a team, Vermont outrebounded HC 40-22.
Guard Mike Trimboli was also a headache for HC, scoring 21 points, most of which came from the foul line.
Keith Simmons led Holy Cross with 18 points. Hamilton chipped in with 14. Doherty was 4-for-4 from the arc for 12 points.
Holy Cross shook up its lineup but could not shake out a win at Vermont.
Pat Doherty and Lawrence Dixon started in place of Kevin Hamilton and Torey Thomas at the guard spots, with Colin Cunningham instead of Alex Vander Baan at one of the forwards.
According to the story in the , Willard sat the three starters because of an unspecified attitude problem during a film session Monday:
"This was not a disciplinary action," Willard noted. "We do certain things in this program at a particular attitude level, and they weren't at their level at (Monday's) film session. Nobody was late and nobody missed anything. The attention to detail wasn't being done."Ironically, the situation happened a day before a in which Torey talked about the need for him to play a leadershiprole on this year's team.
.All three players did see action off of the bench. The loss could hardly be blamed on their not starting.
It was the Crusaders big men who were a problem. Kevin Hyland and Alex Vander Baan both fouled out and Tim Clifford had three personals in the first half. All while trying to slow Vermont junior center Martin Klimes, who finished with 22 points to lead all scorers.
Willard told the T&G:
"We got into foul trouble right away and their 43 free throws to our 13 -- that's quite a disparity," Crusader head coach Ralph Willard said. "The rebound edge hurt us, too, but the free throws determined the game."Vermont shot 53 percent from the floor in the first half, building a 34-36 lead. The Crusaders came back to take the lead briefly in the second half, then Vermont went on a 12-0 run to take control.
Holy Cross battled back, cutting it to 67-64 with 16 seconds to go, but could get no closer.
HC's defense was better in the second half, holding Vermont to 36 percent shooting. But the way Vermont dominated the glass, it hardly mattered. Klimes finished with 9 boards. Forward Chris Holm chipped in with an 11-points, 11-rebounds double-double. As a team, Vermont outrebounded HC 40-22.
Guard Mike Trimboli was also a headache for HC, scoring 21 points, most of which came from the foul line.
Keith Simmons led Holy Cross with 18 points. Hamilton chipped in with 14. Doherty was 4-for-4 from the arc for 12 points.
Five teams in action tonight
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Dartmouth at COLGATE 7 p.m.: Dartmouth comes in 1-1 with a win over UC Davis, a loss to Boston College. Coached by Terry Dunn, former Penn State coach Jerry Dunn's twin brother, Dartmounth has eight freshmen on its 17 man roster, but only one, guard DeVon Mosley, sees significant minutes. Junior guard Leon Pattman (6-2) does not start, but he leads Dartmouth in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). 6-3 senior Mike Lang is also in double figures, averaging 12.5 ppg with 7-of-11 shooting from the arc thus far. No other Dartmouth player has more than 2 treys. Colgate's Kendall Chones, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury, is not listed as a starter in the Raiders' game notes. He is listed with the reserves, with no further update on his availability. With him, the 'Gate ought to win this one at home. Without Kendall Chones, its a pick 'em sort of game.
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AMERICAN at Loyola (Md.) 9 p.m.:A late start for Comcast Sports Net (Mid-Atlantic) for a game against American's most-played rivalry. In the 79 years AU has had a team, it has played Loyola 77 times. AU comes in winless in three starts. Loyola is 2-0 with wins over Towson and UMBC. Senior guard Andre COllins (6-0) leads Loyola, averaging 21.5 ppg.
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ARMY at Connecticut 7 p.m.: A matchup of one of the worst teams in Division I and one of the best. How great is the divide between these two programs? If Army loses by less than 25 points it would be an upset. As the points out, "The undersized Black Knights have nearly matched their win total from last year, when they went 3-24. But the good news for Army ends there."
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Cornell at LAFAYETTE 7 p.m.: Leopards look to make it three-in-a-row when Ivy upstarts Cornell come to town. Cornell already has a win over a Kendall Chones-less Colgate and looks to make it 2-0 vs. Patriot League teams. Familiarity is the theme. The 2-3 Big Red are coached by Steve Donahue, who was an assistant to Fran O'Hanlon at Monsignor Bonner HS during the 1987-88 campaign, helping guide Bonner to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship. Both men later served as assistant coaches at Penn under Fran Dunphy. Cornell sophomore Khaliq Gant and Lafayette sophomore Bilal Abdullah were teammates Marion-Tabor Academy.
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Eastern at LEHIGH 7 p.m.: D-3 Eastern comes in 3-0 after winning the first-ever men's game played at Immaculata College. The Eagles have nobody on the roster over 6-6. The other two Eastern wins came over Valley Forge Christian and Maryland Bible, proving there are cupcakes at every level. This time, though, Eastern gets to be on the other side of that equation.
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Vitale gives Flannery props
In his , Dick Vitale proclaims:
COACH OF THE WEEK: Pat Flannery, Bucknell
Last season, he led the Bison to upsets over Pittsburgh and Kansas. This season, an experienced Bucknell team went into the Carrier Dome and stunned Jim Boeheim's ranked Orange. Bucknell didn't have any letdown when it beat Yale to end the week, 87-60.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Katz meows
From this afternoon's with hoops guru Andy Katz:
As for the undefeated Bison at Duke in January, I am sure a network showing that game nationally would love that maybe even more than the Bucknell fans. Not sure it is very realiztic, though. Time, of course, will tell.
Dave, Washington DC: Can you give Syracuse some respect for playing Bucknell. A mid-major that others are scared to play and we learned why. I don't want to have ESPN call Syracuse's schedule a cupcake schedule when they play the top mid majors in the country that others are afraid of.Memo to Andy: The Villanova game is the middle of a two-for-one deal, with the Bison returning to Villanova next year. That deal was done before Bucknell started knocking off people last season. It does not hurt, either, that Nova coach Jay Wright is a BU alum.
Andy Katz: (4:19 PM ET ) Syracuse has done a tremendous job this season of scheduling traditionally tough mid-major teams (UTEP, Kent State and TCU are on the schedule too although they have struggled at times this season). Bucknell got a few teams to bite this season with Villanova playing the Bison at home and Saint Joseph's returning a game. Duke could get an undefeated Bucknell on Jan. 2.
As for the undefeated Bison at Duke in January, I am sure a network showing that game nationally would love that maybe even more than the Bucknell fans. Not sure it is very realiztic, though. Time, of course, will tell.
In the polls
The top 4 stay the same in the latest , but No. 5 is Bucknell, up three spots from its preseason No. 8 ranking.
Holy Cross still is among "others receiving votes" with 8. No other Patriot League teams received votes.
Bucknell also picked up significant votes in the latest AP and ESPN-Coaches Top 25 polls.
In the , the Bison are fourth among the "others receiving votes" with 73 votes. In a display of everything wrong with these polls, Syracuse, who Bucknell beat on its own floor last week, still is getting twice as many (175) votes as Bucknell. Syracuse fell from the top 25 to the top of the "others receiving" list in this week's poll.
Not on , though. Jerry Brewer of the Louisville Courier-Journal had BU at No. 24, Syrcause at 25.
In the latest , the Bison received 22 points, one behind North Carolina. That ranks unofficially No. 32 in that poll. Again, curiously, Syracuse is ahead of Bucknell, ranked No. 24 with 94 points.
Holy Cross still is among "others receiving votes" with 8. No other Patriot League teams received votes.
Bucknell also picked up significant votes in the latest AP and ESPN-Coaches Top 25 polls.
In the , the Bison are fourth among the "others receiving votes" with 73 votes. In a display of everything wrong with these polls, Syracuse, who Bucknell beat on its own floor last week, still is getting twice as many (175) votes as Bucknell. Syracuse fell from the top 25 to the top of the "others receiving" list in this week's poll.
Not on , though. Jerry Brewer of the Louisville Courier-Journal had BU at No. 24, Syrcause at 25.
In the latest , the Bison received 22 points, one behind North Carolina. That ranks unofficially No. 32 in that poll. Again, curiously, Syracuse is ahead of Bucknell, ranked No. 24 with 94 points.
'Saders head north to UVM
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HOLY CROSS at Vermont 7 p.m.: What a difference a year makes. T.J. Sorrentine is playing in Italy. Supposed NBA sure thing Taylor Coppenrath is playing in Greece. Charismatic coach Tom Brennan is now x-ing and o-ing on ESPN. It's a very different scene in Burlington, where new coach Mike Lonergan and a bunch of youngsters have struggled to a 1-3 start. The Catamounts have no seniors. Two redshirt juniors are the only non freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
Don't let the record fool yoiu, though. While they are no match for last year's team that went to the second round of the NCAA TOurnament, Vermont is still no slouch. The three losses were to three pretty fair teams: Harvard (65-57), which already has a win over HC; Providence (87-77); and Nevada (77-62). The Catamounts beat Wagner (a team that was 2-0 with a win over American) in their last outing.
According to the scouting report in the >:
Freshman guard Mike Trimboli leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.3 points per game, in addition to handing out a team-best 26 assists. Junior center Martin Klimes has averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds so far this year, while sophomore guard Ryan Schneider has added 12.8 points and 6.0 boards per game.The Catamounts have decent size and should test Holy Cross' weakness upfront.
If Kevin Hamilton is anywhere near 100 percent, Holy Cross should have a decent shot at picking up the road win. If Hamilton is still hobbled, expect another long night for the Crusaders.
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'Pards carry the flag
Another tough night for league teams, with Lehigh getting spanked at Villanova and Air Force continuing its domination of Navy. Only Lafayette managed to save face for the league, knocking off Princeton to provide an unexpected boost in the league's season series with the Ivies.
Lafayette 57, Princeton 46 -- Lafayette holds Princeton to 13 points in the first half and goes on to knock off the Tigers 57-46, raising the inevitable question: Is Princeton that bad or is Lafayette much better than expected? Ted Detmer, a 6-7 sophomore, had a big game for the 'Pards, 10 points, 8 boards, 4 steals. Bilal Abdullah, another soph, led Lafayette with 15 points. Abdullah also pulled 7 rebounds. Senior Andrei Capusan (6-7) also reached double figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Detmer, Capusan and Abdullah were a combined 14-for-19 from the field. The rest of the Leopards: 7-for-27.
Villanova 84, Lehigh 47 --Allan Ray hit 8 threes, Randy Foye added 5 more. This is what happens to teams when Villanova shoots like that. All told, a school record 17 threes for Nova.
Potential good news for Lehigh: freshman John Gourlay had 8 points. Jose Olivero (15) was the only Lehigh player to score more.
Air Force 64, Navy 55 -- Backup center John Frye, a 6-foot-10 junior from Fredericksburg, who had played all of 29 minutes in his first two seasons at Air Force, started for the first time and scored 26 points to lead the Fly Boys, whose seniors have never lost to Navy.
Fry, who had just 20 points in his career entering the game, filled in for injured center Nick Welch, who is out for the season.
Another tough night for Navy's Matt Fannin, who is out of the starting lineup for the Mids. Fannin played just 13 minutes, fouling out with 7 points. Guards Corey Johnson and Kaleo Kina eachhad 14 points for the Mids.
Lafayette 57, Princeton 46 -- Lafayette holds Princeton to 13 points in the first half and goes on to knock off the Tigers 57-46, raising the inevitable question: Is Princeton that bad or is Lafayette much better than expected? Ted Detmer, a 6-7 sophomore, had a big game for the 'Pards, 10 points, 8 boards, 4 steals. Bilal Abdullah, another soph, led Lafayette with 15 points. Abdullah also pulled 7 rebounds. Senior Andrei Capusan (6-7) also reached double figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Detmer, Capusan and Abdullah were a combined 14-for-19 from the field. The rest of the Leopards: 7-for-27.
Villanova 84, Lehigh 47 --Allan Ray hit 8 threes, Randy Foye added 5 more. This is what happens to teams when Villanova shoots like that. All told, a school record 17 threes for Nova.
Potential good news for Lehigh: freshman John Gourlay had 8 points. Jose Olivero (15) was the only Lehigh player to score more.
Air Force 64, Navy 55 -- Backup center John Frye, a 6-foot-10 junior from Fredericksburg, who had played all of 29 minutes in his first two seasons at Air Force, started for the first time and scored 26 points to lead the Fly Boys, whose seniors have never lost to Navy.
Fry, who had just 20 points in his career entering the game, filled in for injured center Nick Welch, who is out for the season.
Another tough night for Navy's Matt Fannin, who is out of the starting lineup for the Mids. Fannin played just 13 minutes, fouling out with 7 points. Guards Corey Johnson and Kaleo Kina eachhad 14 points for the Mids.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Three games today
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Air Force at NAVY 9 p.m.: The 9 p.m. start is for College Sports Television, which because it has junior college volleyball at 1 p.m, water polo at 6 p.m. and a bunch of Total Access and On the Road psuedo documentary shows between the end of the water polo match and the start of the Air Force-Navy game. (We trust there is no need for us to repeat last year's rant about how CSTV is like the Wayne's World of sports). Air Force, under is 3-1, with wins over Miami of the ACC, Northern Arizona and two Division II teams. The lone loss came at Washington. With 6-8 senior center Nick Welch out of action following knee surgery, Bzdelik's seven-man rotation has just one player over 6-5. Air Force has won the last three meetings of the two, but Navy won the last time the two met in Annapolis (86-46 in Nov. 2003).
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LAFAYETTE at Princeton 3 p.m.: Last year Princeton surviived for a 40-38 win in Easton. Just goes to show, you never know. This is not your father's Princeton team, but the Tigers, fresh off a 10-point win at Lehigh, should have more than enough to win this catfight with the Leopards.
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LEHIGH at No. 4 Villanova 7:30 p.m.: For what it is worth, the two have a common opponent in Stony Brook. Villanova, at home, beat Seahwaks 78-35; Lehigh won 58-54 at Stony Brook. Even with Joe Knight, this is uphill for Lehigh. Without him, ugly might be a kind description of the expected outcome.
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Bison in a blowout
(Originally posted: Saturday, 10:27 p.m.)
Pat Flannery wanted to make sure his team would not suffer from a letdown after its big upset of Syracuse Tuesday night. With Ivy League middle-of-the-packer Yale coming to town, the last thing the Bucknell coach wanted was for the Bison to be complacent about the threat the Bulldogs posed.
After all, in each of the past two seasons, Yale has been a tough game for the Bison. Two years ago, Yale came into Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion and snuck away with a one-point win. Last year the Bison returned the favor in New Haven, but not until after being pushed to overtime.
"We said this is a great game to gauge how much better we have gotten," said Flannery.
If Bucknell's 87-60 win tonight really is a measuring stick, then the Bison are much, much better.
The Bison jumped out to a 16-2 lead early, and save a brief stretch of about four minutes in the middle of the first half, they were dominant throughout.
During that four minute stretch, with some unusual combinations on the floor due to a combination of foul trouble the disciplinary benching of starting point guard Abe Badmus and sixth-man Donald Brown, the Bison struggled on offense and lost focus on defense. After making 7 of its first 10 shots, Bucknell went scoreless for a 4:01 stretch, during which it turned the ball over 4 times and missed both shots it took.
At the other end, a Yale team that had made just three of its first 11 shots, knocked down 5 out of 6, put together a 17-2 run and momentarily stunned the 2,950 fans in Sojka Pavilion by taking a 19-18 lead.
That, though, pretty much accounted for the Yale highlight film. Bucknell took the lead back on a Chris McNaughton jumper its next trip down the floor and never trailed. The Bison knocked down 11 of their next 14 shots while going almost 10 minutes without a turnover. At the other end, the defense picked up, too, holding Yale to one field goal the final 8:47 of the half.
At the break it was 47-32 Bucknell. An 8-1 run to start the second half built the margin to 55-33 and the Bison never led by less than 16 after that.
"We had a couple of hiccups, but I like what we did," Flannery said.
What was not to like. Except for that short first half stretch, much of which happened with at least one of Bucknell's three freshmen on the floor, the Bison dominated every phase of the game.
The Bison scored inside (Chris McNaughton 7-for-7, 15 points, Charles Lee 12 points) and they scored outside, hitting 10 three-pointers, including 4 by Kevin Bettencourt, who finished with a team-high 17 points, 3 by sophomore John Griffin and a pair by Badmus, who was 2-for-2 from the arc and finished with 12 points to give Bucknell four guys in double figures.
Bucknell shot 68 percent in the first half (19-28) and 60 percent in the second (15-25), making three quarters in a row the team has shot 60 percent or better.
"We re pretty confident. We are shooting the ball real well. We really are in a rhythm," Bettencourt said.
Credit much of that shooting show to good ball movement. The Bison seemed to always make the extra pass to find the open man, piling up 24 assists in the process, including 8 by Bettencourt and 5 by Badmus, neither of whom had a turnover. Bucknell's 87 points was its biggest output this season. Making the total particularly impressive was the way the Bison scored most of those points off half court offense.
"These guys are learning they can be really good when they concentrate and play smart and hard. We made the extra pass tonight and got a lot of easy looks . . . We are really tough to guard when we are unselfish," Flannery said.
On defense they held Yale to 16-48 from the floor (33 percent) and forced 19 turnovers.
"Our defense was outstanding other than that one stretch when we put a lot of young guys in," said Flannery.
Eric Flato led Yale with 12 points, but that showing was offset some by his 5 turnovers (0 assists). Ross Morin and Travis Pinick each added 11 off the bench for Yale.
The Bison now head on the road, traveling to Niagara Wednesday before flying to Chicago to face DePaul on Saturday, The Bison will return to Sojka Dec. 6 to host the No. 4 ranked Villanova Wildcats.
Pat Flannery wanted to make sure his team would not suffer from a letdown after its big upset of Syracuse Tuesday night. With Ivy League middle-of-the-packer Yale coming to town, the last thing the Bucknell coach wanted was for the Bison to be complacent about the threat the Bulldogs posed.
After all, in each of the past two seasons, Yale has been a tough game for the Bison. Two years ago, Yale came into Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion and snuck away with a one-point win. Last year the Bison returned the favor in New Haven, but not until after being pushed to overtime.
"We said this is a great game to gauge how much better we have gotten," said Flannery.
If Bucknell's 87-60 win tonight really is a measuring stick, then the Bison are much, much better.
The Bison jumped out to a 16-2 lead early, and save a brief stretch of about four minutes in the middle of the first half, they were dominant throughout.
During that four minute stretch, with some unusual combinations on the floor due to a combination of foul trouble the disciplinary benching of starting point guard Abe Badmus and sixth-man Donald Brown, the Bison struggled on offense and lost focus on defense. After making 7 of its first 10 shots, Bucknell went scoreless for a 4:01 stretch, during which it turned the ball over 4 times and missed both shots it took.
At the other end, a Yale team that had made just three of its first 11 shots, knocked down 5 out of 6, put together a 17-2 run and momentarily stunned the 2,950 fans in Sojka Pavilion by taking a 19-18 lead.
That, though, pretty much accounted for the Yale highlight film. Bucknell took the lead back on a Chris McNaughton jumper its next trip down the floor and never trailed. The Bison knocked down 11 of their next 14 shots while going almost 10 minutes without a turnover. At the other end, the defense picked up, too, holding Yale to one field goal the final 8:47 of the half.
At the break it was 47-32 Bucknell. An 8-1 run to start the second half built the margin to 55-33 and the Bison never led by less than 16 after that.
"We had a couple of hiccups, but I like what we did," Flannery said.
What was not to like. Except for that short first half stretch, much of which happened with at least one of Bucknell's three freshmen on the floor, the Bison dominated every phase of the game.
The Bison scored inside (Chris McNaughton 7-for-7, 15 points, Charles Lee 12 points) and they scored outside, hitting 10 three-pointers, including 4 by Kevin Bettencourt, who finished with a team-high 17 points, 3 by sophomore John Griffin and a pair by Badmus, who was 2-for-2 from the arc and finished with 12 points to give Bucknell four guys in double figures.
Bucknell shot 68 percent in the first half (19-28) and 60 percent in the second (15-25), making three quarters in a row the team has shot 60 percent or better.
"We re pretty confident. We are shooting the ball real well. We really are in a rhythm," Bettencourt said.
Credit much of that shooting show to good ball movement. The Bison seemed to always make the extra pass to find the open man, piling up 24 assists in the process, including 8 by Bettencourt and 5 by Badmus, neither of whom had a turnover. Bucknell's 87 points was its biggest output this season. Making the total particularly impressive was the way the Bison scored most of those points off half court offense.
"These guys are learning they can be really good when they concentrate and play smart and hard. We made the extra pass tonight and got a lot of easy looks . . . We are really tough to guard when we are unselfish," Flannery said.
On defense they held Yale to 16-48 from the floor (33 percent) and forced 19 turnovers.
"Our defense was outstanding other than that one stretch when we put a lot of young guys in," said Flannery.
Eric Flato led Yale with 12 points, but that showing was offset some by his 5 turnovers (0 assists). Ross Morin and Travis Pinick each added 11 off the bench for Yale.
The Bison now head on the road, traveling to Niagara Wednesday before flying to Chicago to face DePaul on Saturday, The Bison will return to Sojka Dec. 6 to host the No. 4 ranked Villanova Wildcats.
Hoop Time notebook
(Originally posted 1:29 a.m.)
Quick hits and trivial tidbits from Bucknell's impressive home opener:
QUICK DRAW – Bucknell has scored first in each of its three games so far. The same guy has scored the first basket in all three, Charles Lee.
Lee scored off the break after a John Griffin steal to start Bucknell’s 16-2 early run against Yale. The 6-3 senior swingman finished with 12 points while grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds. Lee also had three assists without a turnover.
Lee’s 12-point night is his season low. He scored 18 in the win over Syracuse and 13 at Rider.
ONE OF A DOZEN – Bucknell’s Kevin Bettencourt moved into 12th place on Bucknell’s all-time scoring list with his 17-point showing against Yale. Bettencourt entered the game with 1,199 points, 14th all-time at BU. His new total of 1,216 pushes him past Joe Steiner (1,200) and Lorry Hathaway (1,208).
Next spot on the list, No. 11, belongs to Chris Simpson (1229). Bettencourt still needs 111 to reach the school’s top 10 and 302 for top 5 status. AL Leslie’s school record 1,973 seems safe. Bettencourt would need to average over 27 ppg to catch Leslie. That calculation assumes 28 more games, meaning a trip to the finals of the league and at least one postseason game of some sort.
GERMAN MARKSMANSHIP: If he keeps shooting the way he has to start the season, Chris McNaughton will easily set a school record for field goal percentage. Through three games, McNaughton, who was 7-for-7 against Yale, is shooting 2-for-26 from the field. That is just a tick under 77 percent.
The school single season record belongs to Patrick King, who shot 67 percent his junior year. King also is ahead of McNaughton on the school’s career list, but McNaughton has narrowed the gap thus far. King shot 63.8 percent over his Bison career. Entering the season, McNaughton’s career mark stood at 62.6 percent. With his hot start, McNaughton has raised that to 63.3 percent.
King, who had German, as well as British and American citizenship, played professionally for several years in Germany and now works as an agent there.
CAMEOS: With Abe Badmus and Donald Brown each sitting out the first 10 minutes of the game as punishment for what Pat Flannery referred to as an “academic priorities matter,” and Darren Mastropaolo and Tarik Viaer-McClymont in early foul trouble, Flannery was forced to go deeper into his bench in the first half than he had in the first two games.
Freshman point guard Justin Castleberry saw the first action of his college career, playing five minutes, four in the first half. Josh Linthicum played a season-high seven minutes and Bucknell’s third freshman, Jason Vegotsky, who has been advertised as a sniper, finally knocked down his first three-pointer after going 0-4 outside the arc, 0-5 overall. Vegotsky, who played just four minutes at Syracuse after logging 13 minutes at Rider, played 11 minutes.
The two guys at the far end of Flannery’s bench, 6-5 senior Holland Mack and 6-3 sophomore Rob Thomas, each saw their first two minutes of action this season.
BISON CHIPS: Bucknell has now won 12 straight home games . . . The Bison have not lost in Sojka in over a year. . . . the last Sojka setback was Nov. 222, 2004, a 70-65 defeat at the hands of St. Francis, Pa. . . . the 3-0 start is Bucknell’s first since 1999-2000 and only the school’s second 3-0 start since 1983-84 . . . Bucknell’s usual backcourt starters-- Bettencourt, Lee and Badmus – combined for 41 points, 16 assists, 0 turnovers against Yale . . . For his career, Lee is averaging a 13.3-points, 10.3-rebounds double-double against Yale . . . McNaughton is nearly as good, averaging 12.3 points and 8 rebounds
Quick hits and trivial tidbits from Bucknell's impressive home opener:
QUICK DRAW – Bucknell has scored first in each of its three games so far. The same guy has scored the first basket in all three, Charles Lee.
Lee scored off the break after a John Griffin steal to start Bucknell’s 16-2 early run against Yale. The 6-3 senior swingman finished with 12 points while grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds. Lee also had three assists without a turnover.
Lee’s 12-point night is his season low. He scored 18 in the win over Syracuse and 13 at Rider.
ONE OF A DOZEN – Bucknell’s Kevin Bettencourt moved into 12th place on Bucknell’s all-time scoring list with his 17-point showing against Yale. Bettencourt entered the game with 1,199 points, 14th all-time at BU. His new total of 1,216 pushes him past Joe Steiner (1,200) and Lorry Hathaway (1,208).
Next spot on the list, No. 11, belongs to Chris Simpson (1229). Bettencourt still needs 111 to reach the school’s top 10 and 302 for top 5 status. AL Leslie’s school record 1,973 seems safe. Bettencourt would need to average over 27 ppg to catch Leslie. That calculation assumes 28 more games, meaning a trip to the finals of the league and at least one postseason game of some sort.
GERMAN MARKSMANSHIP: If he keeps shooting the way he has to start the season, Chris McNaughton will easily set a school record for field goal percentage. Through three games, McNaughton, who was 7-for-7 against Yale, is shooting 2-for-26 from the field. That is just a tick under 77 percent.
The school single season record belongs to Patrick King, who shot 67 percent his junior year. King also is ahead of McNaughton on the school’s career list, but McNaughton has narrowed the gap thus far. King shot 63.8 percent over his Bison career. Entering the season, McNaughton’s career mark stood at 62.6 percent. With his hot start, McNaughton has raised that to 63.3 percent.
King, who had German, as well as British and American citizenship, played professionally for several years in Germany and now works as an agent there.
CAMEOS: With Abe Badmus and Donald Brown each sitting out the first 10 minutes of the game as punishment for what Pat Flannery referred to as an “academic priorities matter,” and Darren Mastropaolo and Tarik Viaer-McClymont in early foul trouble, Flannery was forced to go deeper into his bench in the first half than he had in the first two games.
Freshman point guard Justin Castleberry saw the first action of his college career, playing five minutes, four in the first half. Josh Linthicum played a season-high seven minutes and Bucknell’s third freshman, Jason Vegotsky, who has been advertised as a sniper, finally knocked down his first three-pointer after going 0-4 outside the arc, 0-5 overall. Vegotsky, who played just four minutes at Syracuse after logging 13 minutes at Rider, played 11 minutes.
The two guys at the far end of Flannery’s bench, 6-5 senior Holland Mack and 6-3 sophomore Rob Thomas, each saw their first two minutes of action this season.
BISON CHIPS: Bucknell has now won 12 straight home games . . . The Bison have not lost in Sojka in over a year. . . . the last Sojka setback was Nov. 222, 2004, a 70-65 defeat at the hands of St. Francis, Pa. . . . the 3-0 start is Bucknell’s first since 1999-2000 and only the school’s second 3-0 start since 1983-84 . . . Bucknell’s usual backcourt starters-- Bettencourt, Lee and Badmus – combined for 41 points, 16 assists, 0 turnovers against Yale . . . For his career, Lee is averaging a 13.3-points, 10.3-rebounds double-double against Yale . . . McNaughton is nearly as good, averaging 12.3 points and 8 rebounds
Elsewhere, another tough day
The Citadel 70, Army 68 (OT): Matt Bell's 26 points and five assists are wasted in a classic example of a team that expects to lose finding a way to live down to those expectations. Army squandered a 10-point lead in the final four minutes of regulation. At home, no less. Army missed six straight foul shots in the last 1:30 of regulation and had two good looks in the final four seconds of regulation. Overall, Army shot just 16 of 28 from the line.
LaSalle 75, American 63: Steven Smith lights up AU with 31 points, 13 rebounds. Andre Ingram held to 3-10 from the field, 8 points.
Philadelphia Inquirer |
New Hampshire 60, Colgate 52: Kendall Chones still out. Colgate is not the same team without him. Kyle Roemer (17) the only Raider in double figures. UNH shot 55 percent in the first half, building a 10-point lead at the break and the 'Gate could not recover.
©2005 Hoop Time. All rights reserved.
LaSalle 75, American 63: Steven Smith lights up AU with 31 points, 13 rebounds. Andre Ingram held to 3-10 from the field, 8 points.
New Hampshire 60, Colgate 52: Kendall Chones still out. Colgate is not the same team without him. Kyle Roemer (17) the only Raider in double figures. UNH shot 55 percent in the first half, building a 10-point lead at the break and the 'Gate could not recover.
