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Friday, February 09, 2007
Bucknell's 2006 record as the only team to go unbeaten in Patriot League will stand at least one full season after the Bison knocked off Holy Cross.
BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
According to the popular urban legend, every year, when the last unbeaten NFL team suffers a loss, the members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins gather together to celebrate with a bottle of champagne.
It doesn't really happen; the members of the only team to go through an entire NFL season unblemished is far too spread out for such a gathering to take place. But it makes a good story.
There are no such tales about last season's Bucknell basketball team. None are likely to start, either. Not with half of the team still under 21 and the four graduated seniors from the only team to go unbeaten in Patriot League play scattered to the wind. Charles Lee is playing professionally in Israel. Kevin Bettencourt teaches school in Massachusetts. Reserve forward Holland Mack is coaching a high school freshman team in Jersey. Tarik Viaer-McClymont is out there waiting for us to put him on a T-shirt.
It would be little surprise if the players from last season's Bison team were burning up the Internet with a few congratulatory e-mails after they knocked Holy Cross from the ranks of the league unbeaten with a 48-45 win in a Sojka Pavilion dogfight. The loss ends the Crusaders' 12-game win streak and their dreams of matching Bucknell's 17-0 2006 record and creates a tie between the two for first place in the conference standings. It could also mean HC seniors Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons end their outstanding carers never having won a game in Sojka, where Bucknell (16-8, 10-1) has now won 32 straight Patriot League games.
What it does not mean is that the Crusaders (19-7 overall, 10-1 Patriot) will have to make another trip to Lewisburg this season. Even though almost everybody who follows the conference expects these two to play a rubber match in the March 9 conference final. If both win out in their three remaining league games, that would put that game in Worcester, assuming both make it to the finals. If both finish 13-1 in league play, Holy Cross, which won the first meeting back on Jan. 12 in the Hart Center, has the tiebreaker edge due to an insurmountable edge in the RPI.
"We still have our fate in our hands," said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard.
"We just have to get the next three games in conference and come back home," said Thomas, who finished with 12 points and four steals, but had an uncharacteristic five turnovers and shot just 3 for 12 from the field, including a miss on an open three from the left corner that could have sent the game into overtime
"That felt real good coming out of my hand. I should have connected on that. Big shots, you've got to make them in big games," Thomas said.
Thomas was not the only guy who struggled to make shots. Holy Cross finished the night 14 of 41 (34.1 percent) from the field. Bucknell was not a lot better, making 17 of 43 (39.5 percent).
"I knew this would be a defensive struggle," said Willard "It was not a pretty basketball game."
That was not all Willard knew ahead of time. He's no psychic, but he knew what play Bucknell was going to run when they inbounded the ball out of a timeout, up 43-42, with 11 seconds on the shot clock, 1:11 left in the game. During the timeout, Willard told his team to expect Bucknell to run a play designed to get junior John Griffin a three-point look in the corner.
"We worked on that play 30 minutes in the walk-through today," said Willard.
"That was a bad defensive adjustment. We knew the play and we didn't get the stop," added Thomas.
Knowing it was coming and stopping it proved to be two different things. Bucknell point guard Abe Badmus skipped the ball over the Holy Cross defense, his pass barely getting over the outstretched hand of Keith Simmons, who was caught between Griffin and another Bucknell shooter on the arc. It was Griffin's only three-pointer of the night, coming after he missed his first five. He never hesitated.
"It came to my hands. My immediate reaction was to shoot the ball," Griffin said.
Had the reaction been a nano second after he caught it, Simmons probably would have deposited the ball in the second row of the seats. The 6-5 senior Simmons recovered quickly; Griffin got the shot off quicker, just barely clearing the leaping Simmons before finding the bottom of the net for a 46-42 Bucknell lead.
"They made the play they had to," said Willard. "That three was a dagger."
Bucknell stretched the lead to 48-42 on a pair of Badmus free throws with 38 seconds left. But the Bison were 0 for 4 at the line the rest of the way, leaving the door open for Holy Cross to try to come back. The Crusaders got a foot in the door when Simmons hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left, but Thomas' mis at the buzzer left them outside, looking in.
Simmon's finished with 15 points to lead all scorers, but the leading candidate for tghe league's player of the year honors was blanketed by Bucknell's Badmus the second half. With Badmus all but inside Simmons' jersey, the league's top scorer only managed to get off three shots in the second half. That late three was the only one he made.
Nine of Simmons points came in the first half; seven during a 12-2 Holy Cross run to open the game. The Crusaders rode that cushion to a 27-22 lead at the half, but managed only four field goals and 18 points total after the break.
Sophomore Justin Castleberry was the only Bucknell player in double figures, coming off the bench to score 10 points. Senior Center Chris McNaughton added 9 and had a game-high 10 rebounds, getting Holy Cross' big men in foul trouble in the process. Forward Alex Vander Baan fouled out and center Tim Clifford finished with 4 fouls. Clifford had just one rebound, a big reason Bucknell held a 29-24 edge on the boards.
Holy Cross will look to bounce back Wednesday when it visits the Naval Academy.
Bucknell is at home against Lafayette Wednesday, then closes the league season on the road at Lehigh and Army.
Box score | Postgame audio (HC players Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, HC coach Ralph Willard, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, players John Griffin, Chris McNaughton and Abe Badmus) | Pottsville REPUBLICAN | Daily Item | Patriot-News | Sun Gazette | Morning Call | Boston Herald
BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
According to the popular urban legend, every year, when the last unbeaten NFL team suffers a loss, the members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins gather together to celebrate with a bottle of champagne.
It doesn't really happen; the members of the only team to go through an entire NFL season unblemished is far too spread out for such a gathering to take place. But it makes a good story.
There are no such tales about last season's Bucknell basketball team. None are likely to start, either. Not with half of the team still under 21 and the four graduated seniors from the only team to go unbeaten in Patriot League play scattered to the wind. Charles Lee is playing professionally in Israel. Kevin Bettencourt teaches school in Massachusetts. Reserve forward Holland Mack is coaching a high school freshman team in Jersey. Tarik Viaer-McClymont is out there waiting for us to put him on a T-shirt.
It would be little surprise if the players from last season's Bison team were burning up the Internet with a few congratulatory e-mails after they knocked Holy Cross from the ranks of the league unbeaten with a 48-45 win in a Sojka Pavilion dogfight. The loss ends the Crusaders' 12-game win streak and their dreams of matching Bucknell's 17-0 2006 record and creates a tie between the two for first place in the conference standings. It could also mean HC seniors Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons end their outstanding carers never having won a game in Sojka, where Bucknell (16-8, 10-1) has now won 32 straight Patriot League games.
What it does not mean is that the Crusaders (19-7 overall, 10-1 Patriot) will have to make another trip to Lewisburg this season. Even though almost everybody who follows the conference expects these two to play a rubber match in the March 9 conference final. If both win out in their three remaining league games, that would put that game in Worcester, assuming both make it to the finals. If both finish 13-1 in league play, Holy Cross, which won the first meeting back on Jan. 12 in the Hart Center, has the tiebreaker edge due to an insurmountable edge in the RPI.
"We still have our fate in our hands," said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard.
"We just have to get the next three games in conference and come back home," said Thomas, who finished with 12 points and four steals, but had an uncharacteristic five turnovers and shot just 3 for 12 from the field, including a miss on an open three from the left corner that could have sent the game into overtime
"That felt real good coming out of my hand. I should have connected on that. Big shots, you've got to make them in big games," Thomas said.
Thomas was not the only guy who struggled to make shots. Holy Cross finished the night 14 of 41 (34.1 percent) from the field. Bucknell was not a lot better, making 17 of 43 (39.5 percent).
"I knew this would be a defensive struggle," said Willard "It was not a pretty basketball game."
That was not all Willard knew ahead of time. He's no psychic, but he knew what play Bucknell was going to run when they inbounded the ball out of a timeout, up 43-42, with 11 seconds on the shot clock, 1:11 left in the game. During the timeout, Willard told his team to expect Bucknell to run a play designed to get junior John Griffin a three-point look in the corner.
"We worked on that play 30 minutes in the walk-through today," said Willard.
"That was a bad defensive adjustment. We knew the play and we didn't get the stop," added Thomas.
Knowing it was coming and stopping it proved to be two different things. Bucknell point guard Abe Badmus skipped the ball over the Holy Cross defense, his pass barely getting over the outstretched hand of Keith Simmons, who was caught between Griffin and another Bucknell shooter on the arc. It was Griffin's only three-pointer of the night, coming after he missed his first five. He never hesitated.
"It came to my hands. My immediate reaction was to shoot the ball," Griffin said.
Had the reaction been a nano second after he caught it, Simmons probably would have deposited the ball in the second row of the seats. The 6-5 senior Simmons recovered quickly; Griffin got the shot off quicker, just barely clearing the leaping Simmons before finding the bottom of the net for a 46-42 Bucknell lead.
"They made the play they had to," said Willard. "That three was a dagger."
Bucknell stretched the lead to 48-42 on a pair of Badmus free throws with 38 seconds left. But the Bison were 0 for 4 at the line the rest of the way, leaving the door open for Holy Cross to try to come back. The Crusaders got a foot in the door when Simmons hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left, but Thomas' mis at the buzzer left them outside, looking in.
Simmon's finished with 15 points to lead all scorers, but the leading candidate for tghe league's player of the year honors was blanketed by Bucknell's Badmus the second half. With Badmus all but inside Simmons' jersey, the league's top scorer only managed to get off three shots in the second half. That late three was the only one he made.
Nine of Simmons points came in the first half; seven during a 12-2 Holy Cross run to open the game. The Crusaders rode that cushion to a 27-22 lead at the half, but managed only four field goals and 18 points total after the break.
Sophomore Justin Castleberry was the only Bucknell player in double figures, coming off the bench to score 10 points. Senior Center Chris McNaughton added 9 and had a game-high 10 rebounds, getting Holy Cross' big men in foul trouble in the process. Forward Alex Vander Baan fouled out and center Tim Clifford finished with 4 fouls. Clifford had just one rebound, a big reason Bucknell held a 29-24 edge on the boards.
Holy Cross will look to bounce back Wednesday when it visits the Naval Academy.
Bucknell is at home against Lafayette Wednesday, then closes the league season on the road at Lehigh and Army.
Box score | Postgame audio (HC players Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, HC coach Ralph Willard, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, players John Griffin, Chris McNaughton and Abe Badmus) | Pottsville REPUBLICAN | Daily Item | Patriot-News | Sun Gazette | Morning Call | Boston Herald
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