≈ Saturday, December 24, 2005
Pretty much as expected
Originally possted Friday at 11:48 p.m., updated at 8:37 a.m.)(9) Washington 54, Lehigh 37 -- The good news? Lehigh's defense held the nation's highest scoring offense over 40 points below its average. The reality? The Mountain Hawks still got beat by almost 20.
This excerpt from the pretty well sums it up:
Maryland 81, American 55 -- What everyone wants to know from this one is "How did Pauli do?"
According to the he showed some rust:
AU has two more non-conference games for Joneliunas to regain a little game feel before league play starts.
This excerpt from the pretty well sums it up:
The in-your-face Huskies turned every Lehigh possession into a pained effort to get off a decent shot. And few went in. The Mountain Hawks made just seven of 29 shots in the first half -- only one beyond 5 feet -- to fall behind by 19.Washington had averaged 95.8 points per game coming in. Lehigh's 37 were the fewest points allowed by the Huskies since 1970.
Maryland 81, American 55 -- What everyone wants to know from this one is "How did Pauli do?"
According to the he showed some rust:
In his first game with the Eagles, 6-11 center Paulius Joneliunas missed his first six shots and finished with two points and two rebounds in 21 minutes. Joneliunas sat out a year after transferring from South Carolina in the middle of last season.A game like this is not exactly the one you might schedule if you were tuning up.
AU has two more non-conference games for Joneliunas to regain a little game feel before league play starts.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Oh, to dream at Christmas
Someday Santa might bring us a league of Giant Killers. For now, it seems we are stuck with Bucknell and the seven dwarfs.
Two teams will get a chance to grab a little of the Bison's spotlight if they can upset ranked opponents tonight. It won't be easy. Lehigh is on the West Coast to face the Washington team that spanked American already this season while the Eagles are in nearby College Park for a holiday date with the Maryland Terps.
Prohibitive underdogs in both games? You betcha. But hey, isn't this a season for miracles?
Patriot League scoreboards
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AMERICAN at No. 17 Maryland (Comcast Mid-Atlantic) 8 p.m.: Want a sign of how little respect American gets in its own backyard? Check out the game previews in the , the and . Aside from a brief mention of Paulius Joneliunas in the Sun, there's barley a mention of American, other than to say that is who Maryland is playing. The two Washington papers don't mention a single AU player by name.
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LEHIGH at No. 11 Washington (FSN Northwest) 8 p.m.: Note the time change. Some schedules said 10 p.m. (Eastern), but it was switched to accomodate Fox Sports Net Northwest. Washington looking for its , which opened in 1927. Lehigh is still without Joe Knight, while an already strong Washington welcomes back , a 6-foot-8 forward who returns from shoulder surgery.
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Two teams will get a chance to grab a little of the Bison's spotlight if they can upset ranked opponents tonight. It won't be easy. Lehigh is on the West Coast to face the Washington team that spanked American already this season while the Eagles are in nearby College Park for a holiday date with the Maryland Terps.
Prohibitive underdogs in both games? You betcha. But hey, isn't this a season for miracles?
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AMERICAN at No. 17 Maryland (Comcast Mid-Atlantic) 8 p.m.: Want a sign of how little respect American gets in its own backyard? Check out the game previews in the , the and . Aside from a brief mention of Paulius Joneliunas in the Sun, there's barley a mention of American, other than to say that is who Maryland is playing. The two Washington papers don't mention a single AU player by name.
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LEHIGH at No. 11 Washington (FSN Northwest) 8 p.m.: Note the time change. Some schedules said 10 p.m. (Eastern), but it was switched to accomodate Fox Sports Net Northwest. Washington looking for its , which opened in 1927. Lehigh is still without Joe Knight, while an already strong Washington welcomes back , a 6-foot-8 forward who returns from shoulder surgery.
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Psychic Kelli network
(Originally posted Thursday, 10:50 p.m., updated at 8:49 a.m.)
Navy 73, Brown 64 -- After the Bucknell-Saint Joe's game Wednesday night, we had a chance to chat with former Bucknell sports info assistant Kelli Sheesley, who now works at Navy, about the Midshipmen's woes. Kelli told us if they could get Greg Sprink going, it would be a real boost for the Mids.
One night later, this is the lead to the :
Sprink scored 31 of his 34 in the second half, prompting Brown coach Glen Miller to tell :
Navy 73, Brown 64 -- After the Bucknell-Saint Joe's game Wednesday night, we had a chance to chat with former Bucknell sports info assistant Kelli Sheesley, who now works at Navy, about the Midshipmen's woes. Kelli told us if they could get Greg Sprink going, it would be a real boost for the Mids.
One night later, this is the lead to the :
Greg Sprink scored a career-high 34 points and tied a school record by hitting nine 3-point shots as Navy erased a 16-point second-half deficit for a 73-64 victory over Brown on Thursday night.Note to Jim Crews: start working on the full court pressure package.
Sprink scored 31 of his 34 in the second half, prompting Brown coach Glen Miller to tell :
"We should be able to make adjustments. He was in a zone. You can't just be near him with your hands down and think he's guarded. It's not good enough to be close."That inability to make adjusments might explain why Miller's team is 2-7. Best learn to make them soon coach or it will be back to directing the for you.
Quick readaround
Tom Housenick, Bucknell beat writer for The Daily Item in his weekly college hoops column:
Forget the WWLIS. Forget "The Season". Bucknell's Kevin Bettencourt has a big time media appearnace before all that. No, the senior guard will not be Kyle's Podcast guest. But almost as big. He will be a guest Saturday morning on on in Beverly, Mass. from 7-8 a.m.
Best we can tell there is no audio stream, but if someone in the area wants to record it, digitalize it, and figure out a way to get it to us, we'll be glad to post the audio files on the site.
Vegotsky came to campus with a great jump shot and a loaded gun. He scored more than 2,000 points at Pennsbury High, using his offensive skills to win games.In other Bucknell-related news . . .
At Bucknell, you play defense or you might as well sell your bench seat and pocket the profits.
Forget the WWLIS. Forget "The Season". Bucknell's Kevin Bettencourt has a big time media appearnace before all that. No, the senior guard will not be Kyle's Podcast guest. But almost as big. He will be a guest Saturday morning on on in Beverly, Mass. from 7-8 a.m.
Best we can tell there is no audio stream, but if someone in the area wants to record it, digitalize it, and figure out a way to get it to us, we'll be glad to post the audio files on the site.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Two seasons
One season is beginning, another is apparently over.
ABOUT TO START: Filming of the Bucknell Bison for footage to be used in ESPN's The Season series.
A school official confirmed that a WWLIS' camera crew will be accompanying the Bison on their road trip to the Bay Area for the Cable Car Classic next week.
Bucknell is expected to be the focus of the first two shows of the series when it airs. No word yet on what other schools might be included or any air date.
Sources say an announcement from Bucknell will be made after ESPN makes an official release.
ABOUT OVER: It looks as if Bucknell forward John Clark will not play this season and his career might well be over due to his ongoing struggles with foot problems.
Clark was not in Lewisburg for Wednesday night's game with Saint Joe's, having already headed hoime for the holidays. Clark is expected to seek a second opinion, but the odds appear against him playing again.
Clark's injury cut last season short for the 6-7 junior from Tulsa, Okla. Clark started 13 games last season, including all 11 of the Bison's midseason win streak that included wins at Saint Joe's and Pittsburgh. Clark managed to appear in 31 of the Bison's 33 games, but was limited to spot minutes down the stretch.
It had been hoped that the foot problems would heal with rest during the offseason. In August, when that had not happened, Clark underwent surgery. During the preseason, there was talk of a January return, with Clark himself expressing confidence he would be back even sooner.
Once workouts began in earnest, though, Clark's foot problems resurfaced.
Bison coach Pat Flannery said Clark no longer comes to practice every day, but remains close to his teammates and still has a locker in the team locker room. Clark continues to work out and atttempting to rehab the foot, but has been hobbled by the injury.
Flannery said Clark can take all the time he wants to make a decision on whether or not to keep trying for a comeback.
The loss of Clark, one of Bucknell's first group of scholarship players, is softened by the emergence of sophomore Darren Mastropaolo at the four spot. But a healthy Clark would be a nice addition to the lineup, even if he were able to only provide limited minutes off the bench.
Clark played in 60 games his first two seasons, starting 17 as a freshman and 13 last season.
ABOUT TO START: Filming of the Bucknell Bison for footage to be used in ESPN's The Season series.
A school official confirmed that a WWLIS' camera crew will be accompanying the Bison on their road trip to the Bay Area for the Cable Car Classic next week.
Bucknell is expected to be the focus of the first two shows of the series when it airs. No word yet on what other schools might be included or any air date.
Sources say an announcement from Bucknell will be made after ESPN makes an official release.
ABOUT OVER: It looks as if Bucknell forward John Clark will not play this season and his career might well be over due to his ongoing struggles with foot problems.
Clark was not in Lewisburg for Wednesday night's game with Saint Joe's, having already headed hoime for the holidays. Clark is expected to seek a second opinion, but the odds appear against him playing again.
Clark's injury cut last season short for the 6-7 junior from Tulsa, Okla. Clark started 13 games last season, including all 11 of the Bison's midseason win streak that included wins at Saint Joe's and Pittsburgh. Clark managed to appear in 31 of the Bison's 33 games, but was limited to spot minutes down the stretch.
It had been hoped that the foot problems would heal with rest during the offseason. In August, when that had not happened, Clark underwent surgery. During the preseason, there was talk of a January return, with Clark himself expressing confidence he would be back even sooner.
Once workouts began in earnest, though, Clark's foot problems resurfaced.
Bison coach Pat Flannery said Clark no longer comes to practice every day, but remains close to his teammates and still has a locker in the team locker room. Clark continues to work out and atttempting to rehab the foot, but has been hobbled by the injury.
Flannery said Clark can take all the time he wants to make a decision on whether or not to keep trying for a comeback.
The loss of Clark, one of Bucknell's first group of scholarship players, is softened by the emergence of sophomore Darren Mastropaolo at the four spot. But a healthy Clark would be a nice addition to the lineup, even if he were able to only provide limited minutes off the bench.
Clark played in 60 games his first two seasons, starting 17 as a freshman and 13 last season.
Navy needs a win
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NAVY at Brown 6 p.m.:This is pretty much a must win if the Patriot League is to claim the season series with the Ivies. With six games between the two leagues remaining, two of which involve Army and one that has Lafayette at Ivy favorite Penn, the Patriots almost need to win the other three, which starts with this this one. Even then they will likely need Army to upset Brown or Dartmouth to bring home the beautiful Hoop Time-Basketball U. Challenge (virtual) trophy, since the Ivies would keep the trophy they won last season if the series ends tied.
Navy certainly should stand a good chance of doing its part when it visits the Brown bears this evening. Brown comes in at 2-6 following a home loss Tuesday to a 3-8 Maryland-Eastern Shore team.
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Graduation rates released
The latest NCAA graduation rates data has been released.
PL MENS' HOOPS GRAD. RATES
School Pct.
American 38
Army 96
Bucknell 100
Colgate 90
Holy Cross 100
Lafayette 82
Lehigh 87
Navy 97
The study looked at the rate of graduation for players entering school from 1995-98. The used a new formula that removes student-athletes who leave a school in good academic standing from the equation.
American wants to be sure folks understand this was from a period before the Eagles entered the Patriot League and before Jeff Jones was named head coach there. Since then, they claim in , significant progress has been made.
PL MENS' HOOPS GRAD. RATES
School Pct.
American 38
Army 96
Bucknell 100
Colgate 90
Holy Cross 100
Lafayette 82
Lehigh 87
Navy 97
The study looked at the rate of graduation for players entering school from 1995-98. The used a new formula that removes student-athletes who leave a school in good academic standing from the equation.
American wants to be sure folks understand this was from a period before the Eagles entered the Patriot League and before Jeff Jones was named head coach there. Since then, they claim in , significant progress has been made.
Bison D up Saint Joe's
(Originally posted 10:02 p.m., updated with links at 8:23 a.m.)
Phil Martelli wanted to blame finals.
"Right after exams it is always a difficult challenge," said the Saint Joseph's coach after his Hawks finished on the short end of a 63-61 final at Bucknell Wednesday night.
To be fair to the Hawks, Martelli was speaking the truth. Saint Joe's had not played since losing to Ohio State back on Dec. 10. But it was Bucknell's defense that was the difference in this one.
Chet Stachitas' face wasn't buried in a book when the nation's leading three-point shooter went 2-for-11 from the arc (3-14 overall) against Bucknell. And those were not his finance notes that caused that kind of showing from a guy who came in hitting 63 percent from the arc. Those were Charles Lee's hands.
"If he was going to shoot it, he was going to shoot it," said Lee. "But I wanted to be there in his face."
Lee was not the only one in somebody from Saint Joe's face. The Hawks came in ranked seventh in the nation in 3-point shooting, hitting at a clip of better than 43 percent. They went home with that percentage lowered a little after a 5-for-22 night. Overall, Saint Joe's shot 36.2 percent from the field.
When Stachitas hit his first three of the game, it gave Saint Joe's a 13-8 lead with 13:14 to go in the first half. By the time the Hawks scored again, eight-and-a-half minutes later, Bucknell had put up 16 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead. Stahcitas himself did not score again until he hit a three just before the break. His only other bucket came on a layup with 7:18 to play.
It's the kind of defense Bucknell hs played throughout its 8-1 start, its best since the 1956-57 season. Saint Joe's was the seventh opponent in Bucknell's last eight games to shoot under 40 percent. Only Villanova, which shot an even 50 percent against BU, has shot better than 44 percent against the Bison, who ranked 12th in the nation in field goal percentage defense coming in.
"The matchups gave us all kinds of problems. Fifty-one points and you are not going to win any Division 1 games," said Martelli.
"Our defense was outstanding," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, stating the obvious.
The offense was not too bad either. Shooting the ball well outside (7-12, 58.3 percent from the arc) and inside (21-39, 53.8 percent overall), the Bison showed great balance, Four players finished in double figures, led by Kevin Bettencourt, who finished with 17. Charles Lee chipped in 14, Chris McNaughton 12 and John Griffin added 10 off the bench.
The only blemish from a Bucknell point of view was the Bison's weak free throw shooting that kept Saint Joe's in the game until late. The Bison were 14-28 from the stripe, a stat that was buoyed by a 9-14 showing in the final 1:05 of the game.
Bettencourt shrugged it off though.
"We missed free throws, that happens. We hit them when we needed them," he said.
Ahmad Nivins, a 6-9 freshman out of St. Anthony's in Jersey City, led the Hawks with 17 points. Stahcitas finished with 12.
The win came in front of a crowd of 4,252 fans, the second largest in school history.
Hoop Time Gameblog
Phil Martelli wanted to blame finals.
"Right after exams it is always a difficult challenge," said the Saint Joseph's coach after his Hawks finished on the short end of a 63-61 final at Bucknell Wednesday night.
To be fair to the Hawks, Martelli was speaking the truth. Saint Joe's had not played since losing to Ohio State back on Dec. 10. But it was Bucknell's defense that was the difference in this one.
Chet Stachitas' face wasn't buried in a book when the nation's leading three-point shooter went 2-for-11 from the arc (3-14 overall) against Bucknell. And those were not his finance notes that caused that kind of showing from a guy who came in hitting 63 percent from the arc. Those were Charles Lee's hands.
"If he was going to shoot it, he was going to shoot it," said Lee. "But I wanted to be there in his face."
Lee was not the only one in somebody from Saint Joe's face. The Hawks came in ranked seventh in the nation in 3-point shooting, hitting at a clip of better than 43 percent. They went home with that percentage lowered a little after a 5-for-22 night. Overall, Saint Joe's shot 36.2 percent from the field.
When Stachitas hit his first three of the game, it gave Saint Joe's a 13-8 lead with 13:14 to go in the first half. By the time the Hawks scored again, eight-and-a-half minutes later, Bucknell had put up 16 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead. Stahcitas himself did not score again until he hit a three just before the break. His only other bucket came on a layup with 7:18 to play.
It's the kind of defense Bucknell hs played throughout its 8-1 start, its best since the 1956-57 season. Saint Joe's was the seventh opponent in Bucknell's last eight games to shoot under 40 percent. Only Villanova, which shot an even 50 percent against BU, has shot better than 44 percent against the Bison, who ranked 12th in the nation in field goal percentage defense coming in.
"The matchups gave us all kinds of problems. Fifty-one points and you are not going to win any Division 1 games," said Martelli.
"Our defense was outstanding," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, stating the obvious.
The offense was not too bad either. Shooting the ball well outside (7-12, 58.3 percent from the arc) and inside (21-39, 53.8 percent overall), the Bison showed great balance, Four players finished in double figures, led by Kevin Bettencourt, who finished with 17. Charles Lee chipped in 14, Chris McNaughton 12 and John Griffin added 10 off the bench.
The only blemish from a Bucknell point of view was the Bison's weak free throw shooting that kept Saint Joe's in the game until late. The Bison were 14-28 from the stripe, a stat that was buoyed by a 9-14 showing in the final 1:05 of the game.
Bettencourt shrugged it off though.
"We missed free throws, that happens. We hit them when we needed them," he said.
Ahmad Nivins, a 6-9 freshman out of St. Anthony's in Jersey City, led the Hawks with 17 points. Stahcitas finished with 12.
The win came in front of a crowd of 4,252 fans, the second largest in school history.
Mississippi St. 76, Holy Cross 75
(Originally posted Wednesday, 7:12 p.m., updated at 8:21 a.m.)
From the :
But the shorthanded Crusaders could not hold on. Mississippi State cut it to 1 on a Walter Sharpe slam and a Jamont Gordon runner off a HC turnover in the backcourt. Then the Bulldogs won it on Edmondson's trey after Alex Vander Baan missed one of two free throws with 11 seconds left.
Notable from a quick glance at the box score:
Clifford gets a start (goes 1-6, 4 reb 2 blcoks, 3 TO
Simmons played only 16 minutes due to leg cramps (T&G story says he did not play at all the second half)
Hamilton 27 points, 3 steals, 6 assists with only 1 turnover
Vander Baan 21 with 9 boards
Points in the paint-MSU 42,HC 28
Bench points-MSU 35,HC 7
MSU went 11 players deep. HC played 8 guys, three of them freshmen
From the :
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Jamall Edmondson made a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to give Mississippi State a 76-75 victory over Holy Cross in the third-place game at the San Juan Shootout on Wednesday.A tough loss for a team that does not usually lose in this sort of situation. The Crusaders were up 9 with three minutes to go, up 5 with 29 seconds left. Against a Ralph Willard defense, that usually is a cue to the bus driver.
But the shorthanded Crusaders could not hold on. Mississippi State cut it to 1 on a Walter Sharpe slam and a Jamont Gordon runner off a HC turnover in the backcourt. Then the Bulldogs won it on Edmondson's trey after Alex Vander Baan missed one of two free throws with 11 seconds left.
Notable from a quick glance at the box score:
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Bucknell 61, St. Joe's 51 (Final)
They were actually scalping tickets outside of Sojka Pavilion tonight. Staff freebies selling for 10 bucks.
If I were to guess, I'd venture much of the crowd is local kids who go to school elsewhere. The crowd is almost as heavily weighted with college age faces as the Villanova game, but there is far less orange.
Bucknell is on a 13-0 run right now.
The refs are definitely letting them play tonight. With 6 minutes to go in the half, both teams have just three team fouls.
Griffin trey makes it a 16-0 run.
Saint Joe's finally scored. Bucknell responded with 5 unanswered points.
Stachitas makes a late three. He is now 2-7, 2-6 from 3-point range.
Bucknell shooting 57 percent at the break. St. Joe's 35 percent.
Seven guys have scored for balanced Bucknell. Bettencourt (10) leads them.
Nobody in double figures for Saint Joe's.
Big difference is Bucknell's inside-outside balance. Outscoring Saint Joe's 10-2 in the paint.
Bucknell 32, St. Joe's 21 (Halftime)
St. Joes no field goals 0-2 3 turnovers so far in second half.
You knew St. Joe's would make a run at some point. This is that point. The Hawks have outscored BU 11-2 over the past 4-plus minutes to pull within 7.
Forget the "let 'em play" stuff. Bison have 7 team fouls and St. Joe's is already shooting 1 and 1. Badmus on the bench with four fouls. Hawks have only 2 team fouls.
McNaughton with 6 of Bucknell's last 8. All from 10-12 feet out. Bucknell's lead back in double digits at 47-36.
Stachitas now 3-11, 2-8 from 3-point range with 3 to play.
Badmus fouls out with 1:07 to play, Bucknell up 10, 54-44.
Four Bison in double figures.
Lee 14
McNaughton 12
Griffin 10
Bettencourt 15
The final much closer than the game itself thanks to Bucknell's horrendour free throw shooting (14-28)
If I were to guess, I'd venture much of the crowd is local kids who go to school elsewhere. The crowd is almost as heavily weighted with college age faces as the Villanova game, but there is far less orange.
Bucknell is on a 13-0 run right now.
The refs are definitely letting them play tonight. With 6 minutes to go in the half, both teams have just three team fouls.
Griffin trey makes it a 16-0 run.
Saint Joe's finally scored. Bucknell responded with 5 unanswered points.
Stachitas makes a late three. He is now 2-7, 2-6 from 3-point range.
Bucknell shooting 57 percent at the break. St. Joe's 35 percent.
Seven guys have scored for balanced Bucknell. Bettencourt (10) leads them.
Nobody in double figures for Saint Joe's.
Big difference is Bucknell's inside-outside balance. Outscoring Saint Joe's 10-2 in the paint.
Bucknell 32, St. Joe's 21 (Halftime)
St. Joes no field goals 0-2 3 turnovers so far in second half.
You knew St. Joe's would make a run at some point. This is that point. The Hawks have outscored BU 11-2 over the past 4-plus minutes to pull within 7.
Forget the "let 'em play" stuff. Bison have 7 team fouls and St. Joe's is already shooting 1 and 1. Badmus on the bench with four fouls. Hawks have only 2 team fouls.
McNaughton with 6 of Bucknell's last 8. All from 10-12 feet out. Bucknell's lead back in double digits at 47-36.
Stachitas now 3-11, 2-8 from 3-point range with 3 to play.
Badmus fouls out with 1:07 to play, Bucknell up 10, 54-44.
Four Bison in double figures.
Lee 14
McNaughton 12
Griffin 10
Bettencourt 15
The final much closer than the game itself thanks to Bucknell's horrendour free throw shooting (14-28)
Bison-St. Joe's tops slate
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Saint Joseph's at BUCKNELL 7 p.m.: Bucknell's emergence as a mid major power began with a win at Saint Joseph's last season. The Hawks come in at 4-2, with a win over Kansas among the wins. The others were less impressive, coming against Lafayette, Fairfield and Drexel. Saint Joe's losses have come at Davidson in overtime, and at home to Ohio State. A win would give Bucknell an 8-1 start for the first time since 1956-57. To get that win, Bucknell will have to stop the Hawks' three-point shooters, especially leading scorer Chet Stachitas, a 6-5 swingman who is hitting 63 percent of his shots from the arc. Overall, the Hawks shoot 43 percent from 3-point range.
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HOLY CROSS vs. Mississippi St. 2 p.m.: The Bulldogs saw a five-game win streak end in the semis with a loss to Akron. Although MSU is 8-3 on the season, that record could be deceptive. Seven of those games were played in Starkville.
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Tough night all around
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Clemson 71, Holy Cross 48 -- Clemson shot 56.7 percent in the second half to break open what was a one-point (25-24) game at the half.
One day after his 38 point performance that earned him Ken Pomeroy's line of the night and Kyle Whelliston's Mid-Majority Baller of the Day honors, Kevin Hamilton was held to 13 points by Clemson. It was not like Hamilton had an off night. He shot 50 percent from the field (4-8, including 3-4 from 3-point range). Clemson just did not let him have many open looks.
"He didn't get shots. I thought that that was important that he didn't get into rhythm early," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell told .
Clemson forced 21 HC turnovers, converting them into 25 points and the Tigers outscored HC in the paint 32-24.
HC's Keith Simmons was limited to 11 minutes of action due to cramps.
Harvard 68, Colgate 59 -- Here we go again. Remember all the whining we heard from Emmitt Davis last season when other teams would shoot more free throws than the Raiders? Last night, after getting dominated inside by Harvard, there's Davis telling the :
"They get 30 makes to our 14 attempts so that’s a big part of the game . . ."At the risk of sounding redundant, Emmitt, you are not going to get to the foul line until you develop an inside game. Jump shooters don't shoot a lot of free throws.
Want to look at the real reasons Colgate lost, check out rebounding, where Harvard held a 43-24 edge. Sure having three guys foul out does not help. But explain how, in a game where the whistle is going against you, how does Kendall Chones only pick up 2 personals? Does that, combined with the fact the also only had 2 rebounds suggests a lack of aggressiveness?
And who was guarding Harvard freshman Drew Housman, who had a career-high 21 points against Colgate? Was it the same person who tried to guard Joe Knight in the tournament last season?
Yale 73, Navy 70 -- The Mids led by 10 at the half and were up 63-58 with 6:12 to play before Yale went on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. Navy still had a chance when Yale freshman Chris Andrews missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12.5 to play. After the miss Andrews stole the ball from Navy's David Hooper. Andrews was fouled immediately and made one of two, leaving the Mids with a chance to force OT. But Andrews came up with another steal to seal the win for the Elis.
Cornell 74, Army 39 -- It was over by the time they went to the locker rooms at halftime in Ithaca, with Cornell up by 22, 38-16. Army shot 18 percent in the first half, 29.5 percent for the game. Usually dependable Matt Bell held to 4 points on 1-6 shooting.
Defensively, Army had no blocks and only 1 steal while Cornell was busy shooting 52 percent from the field.
Lafayette 72, Dickinson 52 -- Nobody covered this one, but we did find a and we missed yesterday about why Fran O'Hanlon schedules games with Division 3 teams. We can't even link to the box score, since Lafayette's site shows a Lafayette-Siena soccer box when you click on the link.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Patriot-Ivy battles highlight slate
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Three Patriot-Ivy matchups give the Patriot League a chance to clinch no worse than a tie in the series if they can sweep tonight. With six more interleague matchups on the schedule following tonight, the Patriots would be up by 6 games in the series with a sweep.
A week or two ago, you'd look at tonight's matchups and say a Patriot sweep was impossible. But Cornell already has lost to Lafayette and looked absolutely pitiful against Bucknell. For Army to beat the Big Red in Ithaca would be an upset, but certainly not a shocker.
ARMY at Cornell 4 p.m.: Army looking to be at .500 at the holidays for the first time under Jim Crews. If Cornell spends the night shooting jumpers with no inside game the way they played at Bucknell, the Cadets could do it. After all, last year Cornell only beat Army by 7, Granted, that was at West Point. But Army is much improved this season.
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COLGATE at Harvard 7 p.m.: An interesting matchup between two of the better teams in the two leagues. The Crimson are 7-3 with a two-game win streak that includes a victory over a good Albany team Saturday in a game they played without seven-footer Brian Cusworth and junior Jim Goffredo (14.3 ppg, 4th in the Ivy). Harvard opened the season with five straight wins, beating Vermont and Holy Cross in that stretch. That was followed by a three-game skid that was capped by a loss at Lehigh.
Goffredo, whose string of 63 consecutive games played ended Saturday when an staph infection kept him out of the lineup, is expected to be back in the starting lineup, according to the . Cusworth is not expected back until January.
Colgate is 5-5, and has yet to win on the road. The Raiders early season injury woes appear to be abating. Kendall Chones and Marc Daniels are both listed as expected starters. Their presence inside should be a plus for Colgate.
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NAVY at Yale 7 p.m.: Navy made a during finals, moving freshman Kaleo Kina from the two, replacing fellow plebe Clif Colbert, who had been filling in since Corey Johnson was injured. Colbert, who had done a decent job, is now on the wing.
Yale is 4-4, coming off a win over Hampton on Saturday. The Elis got a boost from the addition of 6-10 senior center Dominick Martin, a transfer from Princeton who scored 14 off the bench in his first game back after .
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HOLY CROSS vs. Clemson, 12 noon: The unbeaten (9-0) Clemson Tigers will pose a challange for the Crusaders, who would love to have another 38-point show by Kevin Hamilton but will settle for holding the Tigers below 40 percent from the field like they did against Tennessee-Chattanooga.
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Dickinson at LAFAYETTE, 7 p.m.: Dickinson is a 3-5 Division 3 team that plays a 4-guard lineup most of the time.
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Bucknell 76, Haverford 44
(Originally posted Monday, 10:02 p.m., updated with links at 7:17 a.m.}
Listening to a little on the Bison Sports Network broadcast, it sounded like an uninspired walk-through sort of effort from a team coming off a big win over Cornell with a showdown with Saint Joe's on the horizon.
From the on the BU Web site:
Listening to a little on the Bison Sports Network broadcast, it sounded like an uninspired walk-through sort of effort from a team coming off a big win over Cornell with a showdown with Saint Joe's on the horizon.
From the on the BU Web site:
Chris McNaughton and Jason Vegotsky scored 14 points each to lead Bucknell to its second straight 30-plus point victory, 76-44 over Haverford on Monday night at Sojka Pavilion. Kevin Bettencourt added 11 points and five assists for the Bison, who improved to 7-1 on the season.
Holy Cross 82, UT-C 65
(Originally posted Monday, 1:53 p.m., updated with links at 7:03 a.m.}
It is 82 and partly cloudy in Puerto Rico this afternoon, but that is not why Ralph Willard is smiling.
Kevin Hamilton poured in a career-high 38 points for the Crusaders, who won their third in a row, romping past Tennessee-Chattanooga and into the semifinals of the San Juan Shootout. Torey Thomas and Alex Vander Baan with 11 each for HC.
Crusaders shot 51 percent and held UT-C to 39 percent.
Holy Cross will meet unbeaten Clemson (9-0) in Tuesday's second round. Clemson advanced with a over the host school, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
It is 82 and partly cloudy in Puerto Rico this afternoon, but that is not why Ralph Willard is smiling.
Kevin Hamilton poured in a career-high 38 points for the Crusaders, who won their third in a row, romping past Tennessee-Chattanooga and into the semifinals of the San Juan Shootout. Torey Thomas and Alex Vander Baan with 11 each for HC.
Crusaders shot 51 percent and held UT-C to 39 percent.
Holy Cross will meet unbeaten Clemson (9-0) in Tuesday's second round. Clemson advanced with a over the host school, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Life is unfair
Jimmy Carter said that once. Lots of others have echoed that sentiment.
Couldn't blame the Bucknell Bison if they felt a little that way when they look at some of the numbers out today. After beating Cornell by 44 points Saturday, the Bison have actually fallen 4 places in the RPI, according to . Bucknell is now ninth. They were fifth entering play Saturday.
(NOTE: According to an anonymous e-mailer, the Bison actually dropped to 12 after beating Cornell, then moved back up to 9 when Syracuse and Yale picked up Ws)
In the latest , the Bison are now seventh among teams listed in the "others receiving votes" category. we won't repeat last week's rant about the polls. But we would welcome e-mails from anyone who can explain just what the heck Syracuse has done to deserve more than twice as many votes as a team that spanked them on their own floor?
In the , Buckneell remains No. 3, behind Gonzaga and Northern Iowa. Bucknell's potential Cable Car Classic opponent, Santa Clara, is in the others receiving category of the MM poll.
In the , the Bison fourth among others receiving with 58 points. Unofficially that puts them seven spots behind No. 22 Wake Forest. We mention the Demon Deacons only because they lost at home last week to the same DePaul team that Bucknell beat on DePaul's floor.
Go figure.
Couldn't blame the Bucknell Bison if they felt a little that way when they look at some of the numbers out today. After beating Cornell by 44 points Saturday, the Bison have actually fallen 4 places in the RPI, according to . Bucknell is now ninth. They were fifth entering play Saturday.
(NOTE: According to an anonymous e-mailer, the Bison actually dropped to 12 after beating Cornell, then moved back up to 9 when Syracuse and Yale picked up Ws)
In the latest , the Bison are now seventh among teams listed in the "others receiving votes" category. we won't repeat last week's rant about the polls. But we would welcome e-mails from anyone who can explain just what the heck Syracuse has done to deserve more than twice as many votes as a team that spanked them on their own floor?
In the , Buckneell remains No. 3, behind Gonzaga and Northern Iowa. Bucknell's potential Cable Car Classic opponent, Santa Clara, is in the others receiving category of the MM poll.
In the , the Bison fourth among others receiving with 58 points. Unofficially that puts them seven spots behind No. 22 Wake Forest. We mention the Demon Deacons only because they lost at home last week to the same DePaul team that Bucknell beat on DePaul's floor.
Go figure.
Two games on tap
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HOLY CROSS vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga, 12 noon: You might see Tennessee-Chattanooga's mascot and wonder what the heck does a bird in a railroader's outfit have to do with "Moccasins." The answer: not a thing. Like Lehigh, the school went through a mascot identity crisis in the 90s. Apparently back in the 1920s, Moccasins was a reference to the snake known as a Water Moccasin. That later morphed into what we used to call an Indian theme (now better known as Native American theme), which by the mid-90s was causing considerable hand-wringing by forward-thinking, politically correct administrators who could see the recent NCAA ban on such images looming on the horizon. Thus the that designed Lehigh's (among many others) new look was brought in to help solve the perceived problem.
The solution did not involve changing names like it did at Lehigh, but the change was nearly as drastic:
Adopting the State Bird of Tennessee (the Mockingbird) as the core of the new identity, while incorporating the strong regional imagery of the “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” and Chattanooga’s vast railroad history, SME Design created a strong and very unique athletics identity for UTC.Loosely translated that means, SME designed stuff that will helps us sell more T-shirts.
You might wonder why all this information in what is supposed to be a basketball game preview. Two reasons: We enjoy opportunities to poke fun at poilitical correctness and we are tired of writing about how banged up Holy Cross' roster is right now. You want to read about that, or get a scouting report on the Mocs, go to , he already did that. NOTE: There will be no HC radio from the tournament. We have posted a link to the UT-C broadcast for today's game. Most of charge for their Webcasts, so unless HC meets Liberty along the way, you will need to fork over some cash to hear the other games from the San Juan Shootout.
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Haverford at BUCKNELL 7 p.m.: It is easy to poke at some schools when they schedule Division 3 teams. Given Bucknell's non-conference schedule this season, nobody will take any shots at the Bison for bringing the 3-4 Fords, who beat perennial D-3 power F&M in their last game before a nine-day break for finals.
Coming back from that kind of layoff is tough enough without having to do so against a team like Bucknell in a place like Sojka Pavilion with a roster that includes two guys over 6-5, only one of which sees many minutes.
The Fords are shooting 40 percent from the field as a team against D-3 opposition. It is almost scary to think how low that number could be tonight, though with Saint Joe's coming to Lewisburg Wednesday, Pat Flannery won't play his first 7 or 8 guys more than he has to. Expect the starters to break a sweat, then take a seat and watch some of the youngsters break their personal career bests.
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Dickinson at LAFAYETTE, TUESDAY - 7 p.m.: The league Web site says this game is tonight. Once again, the schedule on the league site is wrong.
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
Clark could be done
After posting a report about Bucknell showing recruiting interest in 6-7 forward Tyrone Nash from Woodmere, N.Y., e-mailers have asked how Bucknell, which has already for next season, can add another player given the Bison's limit of three scholarships per year and 10 overall.
According to Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, the Bison may sign a fourth recruit for next season due to the ongoing injury problems of junior forward John Clark.
Clark, who in the preseason expressed hopes of returning to action in January, had August surgery to repair an injured foot that cost him most of the second half of last season. Clark has yet to return to practice and Flannery says it is possible Clark's injuries may end his career.
If Clark is unable to play, that would free one of Bucknell's scholarships, allowing the Bison to offer a fourth this year.
According to Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, the Bison may sign a fourth recruit for next season due to the ongoing injury problems of junior forward John Clark.
Clark, who in the preseason expressed hopes of returning to action in January, had August surgery to repair an injured foot that cost him most of the second half of last season. Clark has yet to return to practice and Flannery says it is possible Clark's injuries may end his career.
If Clark is unable to play, that would free one of Bucknell's scholarships, allowing the Bison to offer a fourth this year.
Mids only game in town
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Washington College at NAVY 3 p.m.: Navy's opponent is the Washington College Shoremen, not the Huskies of the University of Washington. The difference, of course, is huge. The Huskies are 9-0 and ranked No. 11 or No. 10 in the country, depending which poll you look at. The Shoremen are a 5-4 Division 3 team from the Centennial Conference.
Sounds easy, right? Except it was Gettysburg, another Centennial team, that knocked off Navy last season in what was easily the most embarrassing loss suffered by a Patriot League team last season. And the Shoremen, on a four-game win streak, are probably better than Gettysburg was.
That should not matter. But it has to be mentioned.
A note for fans in the Annapolis area, the over the air radio broadcast will be tape delayed at 8 p.m., but the Webcast will be live. Of course if you live close enough to Annapolis to pick up WNAV and have nothing better to do this afternoon than to listen to the Mids against a Division 3 school on your computer, then maybe you ought to get off the couch and head over to Alumni Hall in person.
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Woe is Ralph
The injury bug continues to plague Holy Cross, reports Ralph Willard in :
Right now, our basketball team has limited options, especially defensively, due to our health situation. Coming into the year I thought this would be a group that would run well in transition and be able to extend the defense. Right now we can't extend the defense, except in desperate situations and we almost have to think about being real patient and maybe even shortening the game in situations because it looks like at least three guys will have to be playing 35 plus minutes.Ralph's post also includes a scouting report on Tennessee-Chattanooga, the Crusaders' first round foe in the San Juan Shootout.
An easy afternoon run for BU
(Originally posted 4:11 p.m. Saturday, updated with links 10:21 a.m.)
There were two big questions about Bucknell heading into Saturday afternoon's Sojka Pavilion matinee with Cornell: how might the Bison react after suffering their first loss of the season against Villanova and how rusty might the Bison look following an 11-day layoff after that game to study for and take finals.
Both questions were pretty obvious well before halftime, when Bucknell went on a 20-0 that sparked what eventually became a 83-39 win over the Ivy League visitors from Ithaca. Matter of fact, about the only question left after intermission was would Bucknell win by more than 50 points to set a new school margin of victory record.
They didn't; the biggest margin the reserves who played the last five or six minutes could muster was 47.
Nobody in orange and blue seemed bothered.
The Bison treated the Big Red like a piece of red carpet. They played the game like it was a variety show, with taking turns showcasing their talents.
The opening act was a duet with Chris McNaughton singing lead and Kevin Bettencourt chipping in on harmony. The pair combined for Bucknell's first 15 points, the last five -- a little 5-foot jumper off a lightning quick spin dribble by McNaughton and a Bettencourt three off a screen -- igniting the 20-0 run that was the high point of the show.
Then it was freshman Jason Vegotsky's turn. Vegotsky came into the game having made just 1-of-8 shots on the season. Pat Flannery's practice reviews, though, had been raves all season. Just wait till you see this kid get going, Flannery had been telling anyone who asked. After seeing the 6-2 guard from Pennsbury High School score 9 straight points during that run, folks know what Flannery was talking about.
"He's a great shooter," said Flannery, who quickly made it clear that was not why Vegotsky was on the floor at the time.
"He came in in the first half and played (Lenny) Collins well defensively. That got him on the floor to score some points," Flannery said.
Vegotsky started his spurt with two quick treys, then added an old-fashioned 3-point play after he was fouled while making a little baseline runner after beating his man off the dribble.
"When the first one went down, it gave me that confidence that if I got my shot it was going down," said Vegotsky, who was 4-for-4 in the half, 4-for-5 for the game.
Late in the half it was Abe Badmus stealing the offensive spotlight. Badmus jump-started a 12-0 run at the end of the half by hitting for 7 of his 11 points in that stretch. The 6-0 Chicagoan started it by scoring back-to-back buckets, one of which he turned into a 3-point play at the foul line. After Vegotsky made a nifty feed to Tarik Viaer-McClymont for a slam, Badmus got to the line for two more free throws.
"Abe is always Abe. He is just so exciting and so explosive," Flannery said after reviewing a final box that showed Bucknell's junior point guard with 11 points, 3 steals, 6 assists and just one turnover.
Vegotsky capped the run and the half with another trey that made it 51-17 at the break.
Cornell opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Collins to cut Bucknell's lead to 31. The Big Red never got closer.
How could they with Bucknell shooting the way it did and Colgate shooting the way it didn't. The Bison did not match their 20-29 (69 percent) pace from the first half in the second. But a 50-percent (9-18) half, combined with 13-19 free throw shooting and a defense that held Cornell under 30 percent both halves, it was more than enough.
"What we do really well right now is sharing the ball. We make the extra pass and get pretty good shots," said McNaughton, who finished with 12 points, hitting 5-of-6 in 20 minutes of work. Bettencourt was the fourth Bison in double figures, finishing with 11 points and 5 assists.
"We have been a pretty good defensive team up to this point," said Cornell coach Stevce Donahue. "They exposed us."
Flannery was more pleased with the defense, which held Cornell to its lowest point total in 97 games, dating back to a Feburary 2001 loss to Princeton. Bucknell has now held Cornell under 30 percent from the field two years in a row, surpassing last season's 29.4 percent effort by limiting Cornell to 13-of-49 (26.5 percent) in the game. Collins was the only Cornell player to reach double figures (12 points) and it took him 15 shots (4-15) to do it.
"We didn't give them any easy baskets," said Flannery.
It was Cornell's first loss by more than 40 points since a 1996 loss at Kansas and the widest margin of victory in the 41-game series, which dates back to 1900.
There were two big questions about Bucknell heading into Saturday afternoon's Sojka Pavilion matinee with Cornell: how might the Bison react after suffering their first loss of the season against Villanova and how rusty might the Bison look following an 11-day layoff after that game to study for and take finals.
Both questions were pretty obvious well before halftime, when Bucknell went on a 20-0 that sparked what eventually became a 83-39 win over the Ivy League visitors from Ithaca. Matter of fact, about the only question left after intermission was would Bucknell win by more than 50 points to set a new school margin of victory record.
They didn't; the biggest margin the reserves who played the last five or six minutes could muster was 47.
Nobody in orange and blue seemed bothered.
The Bison treated the Big Red like a piece of red carpet. They played the game like it was a variety show, with taking turns showcasing their talents.
The opening act was a duet with Chris McNaughton singing lead and Kevin Bettencourt chipping in on harmony. The pair combined for Bucknell's first 15 points, the last five -- a little 5-foot jumper off a lightning quick spin dribble by McNaughton and a Bettencourt three off a screen -- igniting the 20-0 run that was the high point of the show.
Then it was freshman Jason Vegotsky's turn. Vegotsky came into the game having made just 1-of-8 shots on the season. Pat Flannery's practice reviews, though, had been raves all season. Just wait till you see this kid get going, Flannery had been telling anyone who asked. After seeing the 6-2 guard from Pennsbury High School score 9 straight points during that run, folks know what Flannery was talking about.
"He's a great shooter," said Flannery, who quickly made it clear that was not why Vegotsky was on the floor at the time.
"He came in in the first half and played (Lenny) Collins well defensively. That got him on the floor to score some points," Flannery said.
Vegotsky started his spurt with two quick treys, then added an old-fashioned 3-point play after he was fouled while making a little baseline runner after beating his man off the dribble.
"When the first one went down, it gave me that confidence that if I got my shot it was going down," said Vegotsky, who was 4-for-4 in the half, 4-for-5 for the game.
Late in the half it was Abe Badmus stealing the offensive spotlight. Badmus jump-started a 12-0 run at the end of the half by hitting for 7 of his 11 points in that stretch. The 6-0 Chicagoan started it by scoring back-to-back buckets, one of which he turned into a 3-point play at the foul line. After Vegotsky made a nifty feed to Tarik Viaer-McClymont for a slam, Badmus got to the line for two more free throws.
"Abe is always Abe. He is just so exciting and so explosive," Flannery said after reviewing a final box that showed Bucknell's junior point guard with 11 points, 3 steals, 6 assists and just one turnover.
Vegotsky capped the run and the half with another trey that made it 51-17 at the break.
Cornell opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Collins to cut Bucknell's lead to 31. The Big Red never got closer.
How could they with Bucknell shooting the way it did and Colgate shooting the way it didn't. The Bison did not match their 20-29 (69 percent) pace from the first half in the second. But a 50-percent (9-18) half, combined with 13-19 free throw shooting and a defense that held Cornell under 30 percent both halves, it was more than enough.
"What we do really well right now is sharing the ball. We make the extra pass and get pretty good shots," said McNaughton, who finished with 12 points, hitting 5-of-6 in 20 minutes of work. Bettencourt was the fourth Bison in double figures, finishing with 11 points and 5 assists.
"We have been a pretty good defensive team up to this point," said Cornell coach Stevce Donahue. "They exposed us."
Flannery was more pleased with the defense, which held Cornell to its lowest point total in 97 games, dating back to a Feburary 2001 loss to Princeton. Bucknell has now held Cornell under 30 percent from the field two years in a row, surpassing last season's 29.4 percent effort by limiting Cornell to 13-of-49 (26.5 percent) in the game. Collins was the only Cornell player to reach double figures (12 points) and it took him 15 shots (4-15) to do it.
"We didn't give them any easy baskets," said Flannery.
It was Cornell's first loss by more than 40 points since a 1996 loss at Kansas and the widest margin of victory in the 41-game series, which dates back to 1900.
Army, 'Gate down D3s
(Orignally posted 4:03 p.m. Saturday, updated 10:19 a.m.)
Army 53, SUNY Maritime 36 -- After leading by just one at the half, Army shot 48 percent and held Maritime to 17 percent in the second half.
Colgate 72, Hobart 47 -- From the :
©2005 Hoop Time. All rights reserved.
Army 53, SUNY Maritime 36 -- After leading by just one at the half, Army shot 48 percent and held Maritime to 17 percent in the second half.
Colgate 72, Hobart 47 -- From the :
Jon Simon and Kyle Roemer each scored 10 points to lead Colgate to a 72-47 victory over Hobart on Saturday.
