Co-Conspirators
• Mid Majority• Basketball U
• Blue Ribbon
• Yoco Hoops
• Ken Pomeroy
• College Hoops Net
• Coach Ralph
• Hoops Junkie
• ACC Basketblog
• Hawkeye Hoops
Talk Hoops
• Basketball U. boards• Army board
• Bucknell Board
• Colgate Board
• HC Hoops Board
• Lafayette Board
• Lehigh Board
• PL Hoops Board
Official Sites
• Patriot League men• American
• Army
• Bucknell
• Colgate
• Holy Cross
• Lafayette
• Lehigh
• Navy
Monday, November 19, 2007
Originally posted Sun. 8:32 p.m., links added at 6:51 a.m.)
Bison come up short in latest effort to slay a giant, falling 70-64 at Villanova.
BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
OF HOOP TIME
Pat Flannery and Jay Wright were teammates at Bucknell in the 1970s. The two former Bison guards go way back. But don't expect Wright to invite his old buddy to bring his team back to the ski lodge on the Main Line anytime soon. Ditto for any Villanova trips to Lewisburg in the foreseeable future.
After all, Wright coaches a big time basketball power in a big time basketball conference, and big time boys don't like to schedule teams from small time conferences when those small time teams don't understand the show up, pick up your check and go away protocol that comes with games between teams from the Patriot League and the Big East.
So after Flannery's Bison scared the hell out of Wright's No. 24 Wildcats, this will be the last time the old friends meet up on the court for a long while.
"We had everything we could handle tonight," said Wright after his team escaped with a 70-64 win.
Both Wright and Flannery pointed to their friendship as a reason to not renew the series. Unlike, say Al Skinner's decision to drop Holy Cross from Boston College's schedule, both say it is a mutual decision.
"Jay is one of my best friends and we can't talk basketball anymore," said Flannery, who misses being able to talk Xs and Os and bounce ideas off Wright."
"I don't like it. It's really not enjoyable for us," said Wright, shaking his head no when asked if the series would continue.
But have no doubt, if the two were not friends, Flannery would still have a tough time getting Wright to return his phone calls after this one. Especially since Bucknell's performance came with a rotation that included one senior and three freshman on the floor together for long stretches of the game.
By us, Wright meant Flannery and himself. He might also have meant the Villanova fans, who squirmed nervously in their seats until the final moments. Not until Shane Clark hit a pair of free throws to make it a 70-62 game did the Villanova student section summon the confidence to start into the "it's all over chant." By then there were only 17.4 seconds left on the clock.
Students as places like Villanova are used to spending most of the second half singing "Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey" when non-conference visitors come to town, save for those occasional made for TV matchups. Yet here was Bucknell up by 8 at the half and by as many as 9 early in the second half, thanks to a combination of a matchup zone that gave Nova more fits than a Rubic's Cube and a record-setting Bucknell showing from the three-point arc.
The Bison hit 15 threes, breaking a record that had stood since 1993 (14 vs. Loyola of Md.). Leading the way was John Griffin, the team's lone senior, who went 6 for 10 from the arc, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
It didn't surpise Wright, but it did impress him.
"Griffin was just outstanding. He hit some tough shots," said Wright. "He is an impressive kid. We did everything we could to stop him from touching the ball."
Another person not surprised was Griffin's old high school teammate, Villanova's 6-5 Reggie Redding.
"He carried us in high school," said Redding, who became St. Joe's Prep's all-time leading scorer after Griffin graduated. Wright put the bigger Redding on Griffin in the second half, and gave him some help.
Griffin hit five of his treys in the first half, when his 17 points were a big key to Bucklnell building a 35-27 halftime lead. In the second half, when the 'Nova defense paid him a little more attention, he shifted into passing gear, dishing off three of his four assists after the intermission.
Not that he stopped looking for his shot. About the only time Villanova left him open (and then just barely) in the second half came with 3:41 to play, after the Wildcats had clawed out to a 57-54 lead. Griffin promptly buried the three to tie it.
Then came the second of two pivotal stretches in the second half. After Villanova went back up on a three by Scottie Reynolds (18 points). Bucknell twice had a chance to gain possession down by three. The first time, after a Nova miss, Stephen Tyree was bumped out of bounds as he tried to chase down a loose ball near midcourt. The refs swallowed the whistle and Nova got the ball back.
On the ensuing play, Reynolds missed a layup and Bucknell freshman Todd O'Brien swatted the loose ball towards the left corner. Tyree, who appeared to think the ball was off a Villanova player, left the ball go out of bounds, giving the Wildcats yet another chance.
The third time was the charm for Nova, with Reynolds cashing in on a strong move to the hole, taking advantage of O'Brien, who was playing with four fouls. When Patrick Behan missed an open three at the other end, and Villanova answered with a Dante Cunningham dunk for a 64-57 lead with 1:01 to play, all Bucknell could do the rest of the way was hope Villanova would miss free throws.
That didn't happen enough for the Bison to recover. Especially not since Villanova got an offensive rebound after one of the two free throws they missed (out of eight) in the final 43 seconds.
"In the end, we had a little bit bigger, better athletes. That is what it came down to -- a couple of offensive rebounds and a couple loose balls," said Wright.
The bigger was as much a factor as the better, especially late in the second half after the first of those two pivotal stretches we mentioned. That came midway through the final half, when Bucknell picked up five team fouls in a span of 1:02. With 10:36 to go, Bucknell was up by 5 (48-43), with nobody in foul trouble and the team fouls stood at four aside. By the time the clock ticked down to 9:33, Villanova was in the bonus, team fouls stood at eight for Bucknell and five for 'Nova, the Bison lead (thanks to four straight Villanova free throws) was down to one and both Bucknell's big men, Josh Linthicum and Todd O'brien, were in foul trouble with three each.
At that point, Villanova's seemed to smell blood. The Wildcats became more aggressive inside, attacking the heart of Bucknell's 2-3 zone and in short order, Linthicum and O'Brien had picked up their fourth personals, leaving the Bison without any effective size in the post.
"They took over inside there in that stretch," said Flannery. "I looked up with 10 minutes to go and they were already in the one-and-one."
With Linthicum or O'Brien on the floor and able to play aggressive defense, Villanova always had to reckon with a 6-11 presence when it went to the hole. With those two in foul trouble, Flannery actually had to go with 6-8 forward Patrick Behan in the post for a while, with nobody else taller than 6-4 on the floor.
"At least you had a body out there, somebody standing in front of them (before Linthicum and O'Brien's foul trouble)," said Flannery. "When they went in there and we couldn't keep the ball out, it really changed the tempo of the game."
In the end, it was Villanova's size that mattered. The Wildcats shot just 43.6 percent (24-55) for the game and made only 6 three-pointers on 22 attempts. But they outrebounded Bucknell 43-26, including 20 offensive rebounds to 17 defensive rebounds for the Bison. Villanova had 25 second chance points, 28 points in the paint (to 10 for BU) and went to the foul line 26 times, making 16 while the Bison shot only 9 free throws (5 made) all night.
Box score | Postgame audio | Ticker | AP | Soft Pretzel Logic (Philly.com blog) | Philly Daily News | Philly Inquirer | Patriot-News | Sports Network | Daily Item | Sun Gazette
Bison come up short in latest effort to slay a giant, falling 70-64 at Villanova.
BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
OF HOOP TIME
Pat Flannery and Jay Wright were teammates at Bucknell in the 1970s. The two former Bison guards go way back. But don't expect Wright to invite his old buddy to bring his team back to the ski lodge on the Main Line anytime soon. Ditto for any Villanova trips to Lewisburg in the foreseeable future.
After all, Wright coaches a big time basketball power in a big time basketball conference, and big time boys don't like to schedule teams from small time conferences when those small time teams don't understand the show up, pick up your check and go away protocol that comes with games between teams from the Patriot League and the Big East.
So after Flannery's Bison scared the hell out of Wright's No. 24 Wildcats, this will be the last time the old friends meet up on the court for a long while.
"We had everything we could handle tonight," said Wright after his team escaped with a 70-64 win.
Both Wright and Flannery pointed to their friendship as a reason to not renew the series. Unlike, say Al Skinner's decision to drop Holy Cross from Boston College's schedule, both say it is a mutual decision.
"Jay is one of my best friends and we can't talk basketball anymore," said Flannery, who misses being able to talk Xs and Os and bounce ideas off Wright."
"I don't like it. It's really not enjoyable for us," said Wright, shaking his head no when asked if the series would continue.
But have no doubt, if the two were not friends, Flannery would still have a tough time getting Wright to return his phone calls after this one. Especially since Bucknell's performance came with a rotation that included one senior and three freshman on the floor together for long stretches of the game.
By us, Wright meant Flannery and himself. He might also have meant the Villanova fans, who squirmed nervously in their seats until the final moments. Not until Shane Clark hit a pair of free throws to make it a 70-62 game did the Villanova student section summon the confidence to start into the "it's all over chant." By then there were only 17.4 seconds left on the clock.
Students as places like Villanova are used to spending most of the second half singing "Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey" when non-conference visitors come to town, save for those occasional made for TV matchups. Yet here was Bucknell up by 8 at the half and by as many as 9 early in the second half, thanks to a combination of a matchup zone that gave Nova more fits than a Rubic's Cube and a record-setting Bucknell showing from the three-point arc.
The Bison hit 15 threes, breaking a record that had stood since 1993 (14 vs. Loyola of Md.). Leading the way was John Griffin, the team's lone senior, who went 6 for 10 from the arc, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
It didn't surpise Wright, but it did impress him.
"Griffin was just outstanding. He hit some tough shots," said Wright. "He is an impressive kid. We did everything we could to stop him from touching the ball."
Another person not surprised was Griffin's old high school teammate, Villanova's 6-5 Reggie Redding.
"He carried us in high school," said Redding, who became St. Joe's Prep's all-time leading scorer after Griffin graduated. Wright put the bigger Redding on Griffin in the second half, and gave him some help.
Griffin hit five of his treys in the first half, when his 17 points were a big key to Bucklnell building a 35-27 halftime lead. In the second half, when the 'Nova defense paid him a little more attention, he shifted into passing gear, dishing off three of his four assists after the intermission.
Not that he stopped looking for his shot. About the only time Villanova left him open (and then just barely) in the second half came with 3:41 to play, after the Wildcats had clawed out to a 57-54 lead. Griffin promptly buried the three to tie it.
Then came the second of two pivotal stretches in the second half. After Villanova went back up on a three by Scottie Reynolds (18 points). Bucknell twice had a chance to gain possession down by three. The first time, after a Nova miss, Stephen Tyree was bumped out of bounds as he tried to chase down a loose ball near midcourt. The refs swallowed the whistle and Nova got the ball back.
On the ensuing play, Reynolds missed a layup and Bucknell freshman Todd O'Brien swatted the loose ball towards the left corner. Tyree, who appeared to think the ball was off a Villanova player, left the ball go out of bounds, giving the Wildcats yet another chance.
The third time was the charm for Nova, with Reynolds cashing in on a strong move to the hole, taking advantage of O'Brien, who was playing with four fouls. When Patrick Behan missed an open three at the other end, and Villanova answered with a Dante Cunningham dunk for a 64-57 lead with 1:01 to play, all Bucknell could do the rest of the way was hope Villanova would miss free throws.
That didn't happen enough for the Bison to recover. Especially not since Villanova got an offensive rebound after one of the two free throws they missed (out of eight) in the final 43 seconds.
"In the end, we had a little bit bigger, better athletes. That is what it came down to -- a couple of offensive rebounds and a couple loose balls," said Wright.
The bigger was as much a factor as the better, especially late in the second half after the first of those two pivotal stretches we mentioned. That came midway through the final half, when Bucknell picked up five team fouls in a span of 1:02. With 10:36 to go, Bucknell was up by 5 (48-43), with nobody in foul trouble and the team fouls stood at four aside. By the time the clock ticked down to 9:33, Villanova was in the bonus, team fouls stood at eight for Bucknell and five for 'Nova, the Bison lead (thanks to four straight Villanova free throws) was down to one and both Bucknell's big men, Josh Linthicum and Todd O'brien, were in foul trouble with three each.
At that point, Villanova's seemed to smell blood. The Wildcats became more aggressive inside, attacking the heart of Bucknell's 2-3 zone and in short order, Linthicum and O'Brien had picked up their fourth personals, leaving the Bison without any effective size in the post.
"They took over inside there in that stretch," said Flannery. "I looked up with 10 minutes to go and they were already in the one-and-one."
With Linthicum or O'Brien on the floor and able to play aggressive defense, Villanova always had to reckon with a 6-11 presence when it went to the hole. With those two in foul trouble, Flannery actually had to go with 6-8 forward Patrick Behan in the post for a while, with nobody else taller than 6-4 on the floor.
"At least you had a body out there, somebody standing in front of them (before Linthicum and O'Brien's foul trouble)," said Flannery. "When they went in there and we couldn't keep the ball out, it really changed the tempo of the game."
In the end, it was Villanova's size that mattered. The Wildcats shot just 43.6 percent (24-55) for the game and made only 6 three-pointers on 22 attempts. But they outrebounded Bucknell 43-26, including 20 offensive rebounds to 17 defensive rebounds for the Bison. Villanova had 25 second chance points, 28 points in the paint (to 10 for BU) and went to the foul line 26 times, making 16 while the Bison shot only 9 free throws (5 made) all night.
Box score | Postgame audio | Ticker | AP | Soft Pretzel Logic (Philly.com blog) | Philly Daily News | Philly Inquirer | Patriot-News | Sports Network | Daily Item | Sun Gazette
Help Hoop Time
Recent Items
• American back to .500• Bucknell-Villanova halftime report
• Afternoon delights dot Sunday schedule
• Holy Cross stays unbeaten
• Lehigh wins to go over .500
• 4-0 long time coming for Colgate
• Navy will want to forget the Alamo(dome)
• Holy Cross at Hampton heads 4-game slate
• Roemer leads Colgate into final
• Army embarrassed at home
Archive
• Nov. 2004-Oct. 2005• November 2005
• December 2005
• January 2006
• February 2006
• March 2006
• April 2006
• May 2006
• June 2006
• July 2006
• August 2006
• September 2006
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006
• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• June 2007
• July 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
Feeds
©2006 Hoop Time. All rights reserved.