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Friday, January 12, 2007
From the Hart (BU-HC gameblog)
No gameblog was planned tonight, but we will file notes as the situation warrants the notes seem to be turning into one.

PREGAME

  • With about an hour to tip, Holy Cross sophomore Lawrence Dixon walked on to the Hart Center floor in uniform, wearing a brace on his left knee. Dixon shook hands with high school teammate Justin Castleberry of Bucknell, then joined the Crusaders warming up at the other end of the floor. There is no mention in the HC game notes, but it looks as if he could give it a go.

    The 6-5 swingman also dressed for the Army game Tuesday but did not play. We will try to track down an update on his status for tonight before the game. HC radio guy Bob Fouracre said he does not expect him to play, citing a report from the HC trainer a few days ago. But Fouracre said he had not gotten an update since then

    Dixon has not played since the loss at Duke on Dec. 6 due to lingering problems with that knee, which was surgically repaired in the preseason.

  • 20 minutes until tip -- DIXON UPDATE: Ralph Willard says Dixon will not play. He had a cortisone shot in his knee, but it did not "take" Ralph said. He could be available for one or two possessions if HC "absolutely needs him" Willard said, but that is not likely.

  • Three minutes til tip -- a decent, but not great crowd on hand. The lower level fairly full, upper level has lots of empty seats. A small, but so far loud bunch of students at the end by the HC bench greeted the Bison with the traditional "Bucknell Sucks" chant when they retook the floor just prior to the player intros.

    The HC pep band ought to make Bucknell feel right at home. Very similar in size and sound to the Bucknell band. The cheerleaders advantage goes to Bucknell by a margin of 14-4. Also a decent number of orange clad BU fans on hand, including a fan bus from Lewisburg.

  • First timeout at 15:49 -- HC up 5-0. Bucknell 0 for 3 with three turnovers so far. HC missed its first two and had two TOs on its first four possessions, then Torey Thomas hit a three and Simmons followed with a leaner after a BU turnover.

    Abe Badmus picked up his first personal at the 17:25 mark. Only other foul just happened, Kyle Cruze giving Griffin a break by fouling him while shooting a shot that had no chance of making over the hands of Tim Clifford. Griffin made one of two.

  • Bucknell's first subs they go big with Brown to the three and Mastropaolo and McNaughton up front.

  • Doherty checks in and drains a three for an 8-1 lead. At the other end, Tim Clifford gets his first foul, sending Donald brown to the line where he hit both shots. Shortly thereafter Chris McNaughton gets his first foul, battling Simmons, for a rebound. Simmons makes both shots.

  • Bucknell's first FG a Justin Castleberry foul line banker at the 13:09 mark. Doherty hits a three at the other end, followed by a Castleberry three for Bucknell. With 12:32 to go in the half it is 13-8, HC up by 5.

  • Badmus gets his second foul at the 12:17 mark, trying to help on Clifford after Mastropaolo had to come out to cut off Simmons after he beat Vegotsky off a screen up top.

  • Forget the earlier crowd comments. Late arrivals have Hart nearly full. Not SRO, but not many seats left.

  • Both teams will play the last 8:26 of the half without their starting centers. McNaughton got his second personal at the 9:08 mark on an offensive hook call that was questionable at best. Clifford's second a little more obvious trying to stop a Brown dunk.

    One official, Fran Connolly (we'll check the spelling of that last name) has been absolutely horrible so far -- both ways as the B*** S*** chants after Cruze's second foul attest.

  • Without a stats monitor or live stats to check, it's just a guess. But HC has to be shooting awfully well. At least it seems that way. Simmons in double figures already after a long NBA range three, Doherty with two treys for 6 points and Thomas has 5. Castleberry helping Bucknell's offense with 7 (and a chance to make it 8 on an and-one with 2:45 to go in the half (HC 27, Bucknell 22)

    HC 31, BUCKNELL 25 -- HALFTIME

    A halftime box confirms those suspicions. HC shot 12 of 25 (48 percent) in the first half -- 5 of 9 from the arc. Bucknell was 8 for 18 (44.4 percent), 3 of 9 (33.3 percent) on threes. Bucknell 6 of 7 at the foul line, HC 2 for 2.

    Bucknell with 8 first half turnovers; Holy Cross just 5. Rebounds are even 10-10.

    Simmons leads all scorers with 10 on 3 for 7 shooting -- 2 of 3 at the arc. Eric Meister with 6 points off the bench a pleasant surprise for HC with Clifford in foul trouble.

    For Bucknell, Brown and Castleberry each with 8. Griffin is 1 for 5 from the field. McNaughton has not taken a shot in the 8 minutes he played before getting his second foul.

    Clifford 0 for 3 for HC.

    SECOND HALF

  • Tough start for BU, great start for HC ... Brown's reverse layup blocked by Simmons, triggering a break that Thomas finishes with a three. At the other end, Clifford has all hand, no ball on a McNaughton jumper, but no call.

  • Clifford with back to back buckets stretching the HC lead to 38-27. McNaughton with his third at the other end, apparently an illegal screen call. A few minutes later, Clifford a moving screen on Badmus in front of the same official, no call.

    Don't get this wrong -- the officials are not why Bucknell is behind. But they have been terribly inconsistent.

  • Clifford's third an equally horrible moving screen call that looked more like a hold on Brown trying to get past him. Another call by Connolly (the ones in the immediate previous post were a different official). Clifford and McNaughton both with three personals. Clifford with 4 points, McNaughton just the one blocked/hacked miss. us far the two big men have really not been a factor. 15:58 to play, HC 38, BU 27

  • 15:38 McNaughton finally scores -- but misses the and-one on Vander Baan's third foul.

  • Painfully obvious that Vegotsky cannot guard Simmons, but aside from a few minutes of the first half, Flannery has not gone for the obvious switch of playing Brown on Simmons, with Mastropaolo and McNaughton together up front. Every time Vegotsky, or anyone else for BU, gets beaten on dribble penetration, even if Simmons (or Thomas) miss, with the Bison bigs needing to come help, the offensive putback is there for HC. 13:04 to go -- HC 40, BU 35

  • Another mystery call gives brown a three-point play, The blocking call on Doherty seemed well before the shot, but the officials counted the bucket and sent him to the line. No wonder the HC kids chant BS.

  • Clifford asserting himself more in the second half, a turnaround J from 8 feet gives him 8. McNaughton at the other end for his second bucket after a shotless first half.

    11:58 to play -- HC 42, BU 38

  • Does Flannery have a laptop over there? We no sooner post about the Brown-McN-Mast lineup than he goes that way. It is a shorterm look though, when Brown gets his third personal shortly after.

  • Bucknell closed to within 4 at 42-38, but Hc responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. HC 50, BU 40 9:47 to go.

  • Brown's fourth personal on a Clifford putback. Again after an offensive board when McNaughton comes to help on dribble penetration. The inability of Bucknell to stop Simmons and Thomas off the dribble is the difference in this game. HC 53, BU 43 7:33 to play

  • Stranger things have happened, but a Bucknell comeback would be a shocker at this point. Holy Cross simply exposes all the Bison's weaknesses ... their zone is taking away Bucknell's inside game and the Bison are not (and have not much of the season) shooting well enough to take advantage of the zone -- especially with Thomas and Simmons pressuring the shooters in the matchup. With the ball pressure, Bucknell can't even find its interior guys to try to go inside. At the other end, the same guys -- Simmons and Thomas, are too quick for the Bucknell duo of Griffin and Vegotsky. 7:16 to play, HC 57, BU 43

  • 6:40 to go, McNaughton on Simmons on the perimeter gets his fourth personal. Simmons makes both -- he is now 12 for 12 at the line -- 20 points.

  • Bucknell takes advantage of two turnovers for a quick four points, the last two on a Brown dunk. Willard calls a quick To try stopping it before it gets going. HC up 59-50 with 4:22 to play.

  • These clowns in stripes even miss the call when someone grabs a jersey so blatant it can be seen from the top row of the bleachers. Not mentioning who on who because they have at least been consistently bad both ways. But these guys stink on ice.

  • Brown fouls out after nobody boxes out Vander Baan when Thomas misses the second of two missed free throws with 2:53 to play. Brown went for the block and got all arm. A call so obvious these guys could not miss it.

  • Vander Baan makes the second of two, at the other end, Behan sets a nice screen for Vegotsky, who hits a three to make it 60-53, HC, with 2:44 remaining.

  • After team fouls were 6-6 with around 11 and a half minutes to go. Since then, HC has not picked up a foul. Bucknell is well over the 10-foul limit.

  • No sooner do we say this one seems out of reach, than Bucknell makes some stops, HC misses some free throws and suddenly it is HC 61, BU 58 with 1:12 to go.

  • Beginning to think if we say it is dark out, the sun will rise. Clifford with his fourth with 57.9 to go, Castleberry hits two for a one point game.

  • Bodies flying ... whistles swallowed. What a night.

  • It is impossible to describe the last 40 seconds without seeming to whine about the officiating from a Bucknell standpoint. Bottom line is, the refs may have hurt their comeback effort with horrid calls, but Holy Cross's outstanding play put bucknell in the position of needing a comeback. For the first 16 minutes, The 'Saders built a big lead and were able to hang on from there.

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    • Published at 5:59 PM by Hoop Time.
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