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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
March Madness starts in February this year. Here is a look at tonight's first round Patriot League playoff contests:
No. 6 Army at No. 3 Lehigh 7 p.m. (matchup) -- Looking for tonight's upset special? here's your game. Army (14-15, 4-10) comes in losers of eight of its last nine, the only win in that span coming at home against last place Lafayette. After a strong start filled with promise, including a 3-2 start to the conference season, the Black Knights seemed to slide into the abyss.
So what makes anybody think a team that has won just twice on the road all season can pull off an upset against a Lehigh team that was 9-3 this season in Stabler?
For starters, there is Army's win in the first meeting between the two. The Black Knights held Jose Olivero to 7 points in that one. In other words, they know first hand that if you shut down Olivero, Lehigh is beatable.
Of course they also know what happens when Olivero does go off. Lehigh's all-league senior put up 30 on Army when they met earlier this month in Stabler.
In a strange way, that ought to give Army some confidence. Even with Olivero combining with freshman point guard Marquis Hall for 50 points in that game, the Black Knights kept it close much of the way before falling by 11. The Black Knights (2-16 all time in the league tournament) come in knowing that if they can just limit Olivero to somewhere around his 16.6 ppg average, they should have a shot at winning their third-ever tournament game and at advancing for the first time since 1996.
At that point, Lehigh's only home setbacks all season had come on a disputed call in the final seconds of a 1-point loss to Columbia and in a 5-point loss to Navy three days before Army came to town.
That Navy loss put a crack in the Mountain Hawks' air of home invincibility. It was shattered in the last week of the season, with Bucknell and Holy Cross both coming into Stabler to pick up wins. Add a Feb. 18 loss at last place Lafayette to the mix and you have a reeling team that comes into the post season having lost three in a row.
Here is an interesting stat to ponder as you consider the possibilities of tonight's game: In a nine-game stretch beginning with a loss at Bucknell Jan. 23, Lehigh has shot
36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range. That bodes well for a low scoring, defense minded team like Army.
One thing that has changed since the two teams last met is the return of 6-10 senior Jason Mgebroff to the Lehigh lineup. If Mgebroff can regain his form of earlier in the season, before the stress fracture that left him out of action for 13 games, he could be a huge presence against an Army team that is not real strong in the post. There has been no sign of that Mgebroff in the four games since he has returned, though. In those four, Mgebroff has scored a total of 8 points, 5 coming in an overtime win at Colgate.
Army men face Lehigh in quarterfinals tonight (Times Herald-Record)
No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 Holy Cross 7 p.m. (matchup) -- The Leopards put a scare in the Crusaders back in their conference opener in Easton. That might give Lafayette some confidence, but it also is likely to help make certain Holy Cross doesn't look past the last-place Leopards. No top seed has ever lost in the first round of the league tournament, and it is not likely to happen tonight. Note: The game can be heard on Sirius satellite radio on channel 140.
HC takes first step to the dance (Telegram & Gazette)
No. 7 Navy at No. 2 Bucknell 7 p.m. (matchup) -- There are a lot of streaks on the line for Bucknell, which is looking to win 13 in a row for the first time under Pat Flannery. The Bison have won 33 straight Patriot League games in Sojka Pavilion, six straight league tournament games and have won five straight games against Navy.
There is also a streak the Bison are looking to end. They are 0-3 all time against the Midshipmen in PL Tournament games.
If Navy's shots are falling and Bucknell's are not, this could be close. That was the situation when the two met in Sojka earlier this season. With Navy making eight treys while Bucknell hit just two, the Mids kept it tight throughout before falling 59-51.
Since then, though, Bucknell has won 13 out of 14 while Navy has gone 4-9. Even though three of those wins came in the last six games, the Mids' resurgent season should end tonight.
Worth noting: There are tickets available for this one. They can be purchased online or at the Langone Center box office up until 5 p.m. or at the door at Sojka beginning at 5.
No. 5 Colgate at No. 4 American, 7:30 p.m. (matchup) -- Watch out for the AU Eagles, who come into the tournament on a roll, winners of their last four in a row. American started the season strong, winning seven of their first nine. As losses began to pile up, Jeff Jones began tinkering with his lineup in an effort to reverse that trend.
It didn't work, but late in the season Jones smartened up and went back to the lineup that had been successful early and AU put together a surge that secured a homecourt game in the first round.
Since joining the league, American has never lost in the first round of the tournament. The Eagles won both regular season games against the Raiders, who limp into the postseason losers of four of their last five.
The loser gets out its golf clubs. The winner gets a bus ride to Worcester. Hard to say which is the better deal. Note: You can listen to this one on Sirius 143.
American dreaming (The Washington Moonie)
BONUS LINK:
The Sports Network Patriot League Tournament preview
Tournament schedule and team capsules (Times Herald-Record)
Talent gap narrowing in Patriot League (Jake Felix in the Sun-Gazette)
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No. 6 Army at No. 3 Lehigh 7 p.m. (matchup) -- Looking for tonight's upset special? here's your game. Army (14-15, 4-10) comes in losers of eight of its last nine, the only win in that span coming at home against last place Lafayette. After a strong start filled with promise, including a 3-2 start to the conference season, the Black Knights seemed to slide into the abyss.
So what makes anybody think a team that has won just twice on the road all season can pull off an upset against a Lehigh team that was 9-3 this season in Stabler?
For starters, there is Army's win in the first meeting between the two. The Black Knights held Jose Olivero to 7 points in that one. In other words, they know first hand that if you shut down Olivero, Lehigh is beatable.
Of course they also know what happens when Olivero does go off. Lehigh's all-league senior put up 30 on Army when they met earlier this month in Stabler.
In a strange way, that ought to give Army some confidence. Even with Olivero combining with freshman point guard Marquis Hall for 50 points in that game, the Black Knights kept it close much of the way before falling by 11. The Black Knights (2-16 all time in the league tournament) come in knowing that if they can just limit Olivero to somewhere around his 16.6 ppg average, they should have a shot at winning their third-ever tournament game and at advancing for the first time since 1996.
At that point, Lehigh's only home setbacks all season had come on a disputed call in the final seconds of a 1-point loss to Columbia and in a 5-point loss to Navy three days before Army came to town.
That Navy loss put a crack in the Mountain Hawks' air of home invincibility. It was shattered in the last week of the season, with Bucknell and Holy Cross both coming into Stabler to pick up wins. Add a Feb. 18 loss at last place Lafayette to the mix and you have a reeling team that comes into the post season having lost three in a row.
Here is an interesting stat to ponder as you consider the possibilities of tonight's game: In a nine-game stretch beginning with a loss at Bucknell Jan. 23, Lehigh has shot
36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range. That bodes well for a low scoring, defense minded team like Army.
One thing that has changed since the two teams last met is the return of 6-10 senior Jason Mgebroff to the Lehigh lineup. If Mgebroff can regain his form of earlier in the season, before the stress fracture that left him out of action for 13 games, he could be a huge presence against an Army team that is not real strong in the post. There has been no sign of that Mgebroff in the four games since he has returned, though. In those four, Mgebroff has scored a total of 8 points, 5 coming in an overtime win at Colgate.
No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 Holy Cross 7 p.m. (matchup) -- The Leopards put a scare in the Crusaders back in their conference opener in Easton. That might give Lafayette some confidence, but it also is likely to help make certain Holy Cross doesn't look past the last-place Leopards. No top seed has ever lost in the first round of the league tournament, and it is not likely to happen tonight. Note: The game can be heard on Sirius satellite radio on channel 140.
No. 7 Navy at No. 2 Bucknell 7 p.m. (matchup) -- There are a lot of streaks on the line for Bucknell, which is looking to win 13 in a row for the first time under Pat Flannery. The Bison have won 33 straight Patriot League games in Sojka Pavilion, six straight league tournament games and have won five straight games against Navy.
There is also a streak the Bison are looking to end. They are 0-3 all time against the Midshipmen in PL Tournament games.
If Navy's shots are falling and Bucknell's are not, this could be close. That was the situation when the two met in Sojka earlier this season. With Navy making eight treys while Bucknell hit just two, the Mids kept it tight throughout before falling 59-51.
Since then, though, Bucknell has won 13 out of 14 while Navy has gone 4-9. Even though three of those wins came in the last six games, the Mids' resurgent season should end tonight.
Worth noting: There are tickets available for this one. They can be purchased online or at the Langone Center box office up until 5 p.m. or at the door at Sojka beginning at 5.
No. 5 Colgate at No. 4 American, 7:30 p.m. (matchup) -- Watch out for the AU Eagles, who come into the tournament on a roll, winners of their last four in a row. American started the season strong, winning seven of their first nine. As losses began to pile up, Jeff Jones began tinkering with his lineup in an effort to reverse that trend.
It didn't work, but late in the season Jones smartened up and went back to the lineup that had been successful early and AU put together a surge that secured a homecourt game in the first round.
Since joining the league, American has never lost in the first round of the tournament. The Eagles won both regular season games against the Raiders, who limp into the postseason losers of four of their last five.
The loser gets out its golf clubs. The winner gets a bus ride to Worcester. Hard to say which is the better deal. Note: You can listen to this one on Sirius 143.
BONUS LINK:
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The Patriot League announced its all-league honors yesterday. Today it is our turn to introduce the 2007 version of our annual All-Hoop Time team.
The first year we picked an All-Hoop Time team, we explained the selection process like this:
The process produces a lineup quite different than the one selected by the coaches and SIDs, who tend to vote for the best five players, regardless of position. In a guard-heavy league like the Patriot, that process tends to come up with a list of good players, but a group that would be short, pardon the pun, on size and frontcourt types.
Our objective is to put together a team, not a list. We approach the selection process like a general manager approaches a draft, looking to put together all the components it takes to make a whole team.
Players selected to the All-Hoop Time team previous seasons are designated by (HT and the year they were picked). Members of the 2005 all-rookie team are designated by (HTR 05) (Note: we did not pick an all rookie team last season because we didn't feel there were five worthy choices)
Our starters are the first players listed at each position. The remaining picks are listed by position in no particular order.
2007 All-Hoop Time Team
CENTERS:
Chris McNaughton 6-11 Sr. Bucknell (HT 05, 06) -- A three-time first team All-Hoop Time pick, McNaughton is simply the toughest player in the league to try to stop one on one. His 11.5 points per game ranked 11th in the league. His 5.9 rebounds ranked fourth and he was second in the league in field goal percentage at 55.7. Those numbers all suffer somewhat from McNaughton's slow start. Down the stretch he has been as good as he has been in his impressive career, helping carry the Bison to a share of the league title despite losing Donald Brown for most of the second half of conference play. You can't help but wonder what kind of numbers he might have put up if the officials called the game the same for him as they do for some of the league's top scoring guards. While the smaller guys go to the line for handchecks 20 feet from the basket, McNaughton spends most offensive possessions being mugged as the stripes let 'em play in the post
Tim Clifford 6-10 Jr. Holy Cross (HT 06, HTR 05) -- A Hoop Time All-Rookie pick in 05 and a All-HT choice last season, Clifford is the heir apparent to McNaughton as the league's top center. The Big Purple Dog, who suffers many of the same indignities as McNaughton, averaged 11.3 points per game while leading the league in blocks (1.8 per game). His 4.5 rebounds per game ranks 12th in the league, his 82.5 percent free throw shooting sixth. He also is in the top 10 in field goal percentage (No. 8 -- 46.5 percent).
POWER FORWARDS:
Donald Brown, 6-6 Sr. Bucknell (HT 06) -- Last year's Sixth Man of the Year was having an incredible season when he suffered a broken hand in Bucknell's Jan. 25 win at Colgate. Despite missing seven games down the stretch, Brown still led the league in rebounds (6.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (58.2 percent) and ranked fourth in steals with 1.67 per game. His 11.8 points per game ranks No. 9 in the conference. His injury apparently cost him a spot on the league's officials first team All-Patriot squad. Simply put, that vote was a travesty. Name five better players in the league? If you've been watching, you won't be able to name more than two, three tops.
Darren Mastropaolo, 6-9 Jr., Bucknell (HTR 05, HT 06) -- Sent to the bench to make room for D. Brown at the four in Bucknell's starting lineup, Mastropaolo never complained. He just kept on doing the stuff he has done since he got to Bucknell -- setting screens, taking charges, defending the heck out of the post. Stat freaks complained when he was named to the team last season. We'll hear from them again this year. Interestingly, no coach has ever criticized Mastropaolo's choice. The luxury of having the league's two best guys at the position is why Bucknell kept winning after Brown got hurt.
Brayden Billbe, 6-10 Sr. American (HT 06) -- A repeat choice, Billbe gives you good size inside. His 7.6 points per game don't impress, but the 46.4 percent shooter (9th in the league) probably has the best short range jumper of any four man in the league. The fact that he pulls down 5.8 rebounds (5th in the league) and blocks a shot now and then (0.87 per game, No. 3 in the league) doesn't hurt
SMALL FORWARDS:
Keith Simmons, 6-5 Sr. Holy Cross (HT 05, 06) -- Simmons overcame last season's cramping problems to become the top player in the league as a senior. He was so much better than the rest of the league, even McNaughton's mother would have felt honor bound to name him on her ballot if she got a Player of the Year vote. The league's top scorer at 17.5 ppg, Simmons also ranks in the top five in rebounds (6.0 rpg, 3rd), field goal percentage (49.6 percent, 5th), steals (2.47 per, 2nd) and offensive rebounds (2.47 per, 1st). Simmons is also in the top 10 in free throw percentage, blocked shots and defensive rebounds. Without him, no way Holy Cross shares the regular season title. They might not even have finished second.
Greg Sprink, 6-5 Jr. Navy -- What's not to like about a 6-5 guy who averaged 17.2 points per game (2nd in the league) despite every Navy opponent game-planning to stop him. It's one thing to put up those numbers when you have guys like Torey Thomas and Tim Clifford to keep the defense honest. Sprink had no such luxury. He played on a team with no true post player and a fleet of solid, but unspectacular guards. Spink was in the top 10 in rebounding, field goal percentage and three-pointers made and ranked No. 2 in free throw percentage (86.2 percent).
Kyle Neptune, 6-6 Sr. Lehigh -- A rugged defender with good size who averages 9.4 points per game, rebounds (4.8 per game, 8th in the league) and shoots threes at a 41.9 percent clip. We'll take him.
SHOOTING GUARDS:
Jarrell Brown, 6-2 Jr. Army (HT 06) -- Last year Player of the Year Charles Lee called Jarrell Brown the toughest guy to guard in the league. After Saturday's Bucknell-Army game, Abe Badmus echoed those comments. Brown has a knack for getting open, which is not hurt any by Jim Crews' scheme, which often seems to have the other four guys on the floor setting screens for Brown. His 17.1 ppg was No. 3 in the league, his 2.86 threes per game ranked first. He was fifth in 3-point percentage (41.5 percent) and in the top 15 in field goal percentage overall.
Andre Ingram 6-3 Sr. American (HT 05, 06) -- Fifth in the league in scoring at 15 ppg, Ingram ranked second in three per game (2.54 per) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.8 percent). Also ranked in the top 10 in steals (1.29 per game, No. 8 in the league) and his 82.6 percent foul shooting was fifth best in the conference.
Jose Olivero, Sr, Lehigh -- The league's No. 4 scorer at 16.6 ppg, Olivero also ranks in the top 15 in assists, free throw shooting, steals and three-pointers made.
Matt Bell, 6-0 Sr. Army -- A 14.9 ppg scorer (6th in the league), Bell shoots the three better than anyone else in the conference (51.2 percent). He also ranks in the top 10 in field goal percentage, assists and free throw shooting.
POINT GUARDS:
Torey Thomas, 5-11 Sr. Holy Cross (HT 05, 06) -- Despite a nagging knee problem that hampered him much of the season, Thomas was still Holy Cross' iron man, averaging better than 37 minutes per game. Watch him and you'd never have thought he was playing hurt. Thomas' 13.8 ppg average was eighth best in the league, his 4.77 assists ranked second. Thomas led the league in steals (2.8 per game)and was third in assist to turnover ratio (1.21). His 40.7 percent shooting from three-point range ranked sixth best in the conference. Perhaps the most impressive Thomas stat was his 4.7 rebounds per game (No. 11 in the league), not bad for a guy Ralph Willard says is actually closer to 5-9 than the 5-11 they list him at in the programs.
Abe Badmus, 6-0 Sr., Bucknell (HT 05, 06) -- Anybody who doubts the defensive abilities of the guy they call "The Glove" ought to watch film of the second half of the second Holy Cross-Bucknell game when he shut down Simmons. Or watch the BU at Lehigh game, where Olivero was a non-factor largely because of Badmus' defense. What some might find surprising is that Badmus was the best 3-point shooter in the league in conference games, knocking them down at a 51.7 percent rate. Ranked in the top five in assist to turnover ratio and assists, and the top 10 in steals and free throw percentage, too.
Derrick Mercer, 5-9 Soph., American -- Our rookie of the year last season, Mercer was one of the last cuts from last year's team. We wrote then "His day will come." We'll use that line this year on Lehigh's freshman sensation Marquis Hall, the guy Mercer beat out for this spot. Mercer got the nod due to his league leading 4.79 assists per game. No doubt he could have scored more than his 9.6 ppg had that been his role. Mercer, who is even smaller than Thomas, is a fearless penetrator who seems right at home wheeling and dealing among the big guys in the paint. His 49.1 percent field goal shooting (6th in the league) is impressive, especially for a guard.
Last cuts:
Marquis Hall, 5-11 Fr., Lehigh -- Victim of a numbers game at the point. Hall's day will come.
John Griffin, 6-1 Jr. Guard, Bucknell -- A true combo guard able to play both backcourt spots, Griffin averaged 10.5 points per game and is becoming another in a long line of outstanding defenders at BU. Griffin's free throw shooting and knack for hitting pressure shots makes him tough to leave off the roster.
Jon Simon, 5-11 Sr. Colgate -- Another outstanding guard in a league full of them
Alex Vander Baan, 6-8 Soph., Holy Cross -- Sixth in the league in rebounding, Vander Baan is solid in the Mastropaolo mode -- doing all the little things for the Crusaders. It was tempting to pick Billbe as a third center and Vander Baan as the third power forward, but Billbe is not good with his back to the basket. Ultimately the decision was to add a fourth off guard (Bell) instead, because as Emmett Davis could tell you, you can never have too many shooters.
Matt Betley, 6-4 Sr. Lafayette -- You wish you could find a spot for a guy like Betley, a slow-footed guard who moved to the four because Fran O'Hanlon had no other options and managed to hold his own, especially on offense, where he averaged 10.9 points per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field -- fourth best in the league. Also ranked seventh in rebounding, but he is only the fifth best power forward in the league at best.
Other honors:
Coach of the Year: Jim Crews, Army -- Picked by a lot of folks to finish last in the conference, Army won 14 games, finishing the season one game below .500. If not for two losses to Colgate by a total of 6 points -- including a 2-point OT loss -- the Black Knights would have finished even higher in the standings. They also took Holy Cross to overtime and played Bucknell to the final minute in a 5-point loss Saturday. Army's 14 wins were its most since the 1986-87 season and were just one less than the team won total in the past three seasons.
Player of the Year: Keith Simmons, Holy Cross -- It wasn't even close. Simmons was the league's best player all season long.
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Lehigh -- As Simmons was to the rest of the league, Hall was to the rest of the freshmen. No other rookies even came close to matching his performance. The latest in a long line of outstanding Lehigh guards, Hall stepped in to the starting job and played like a veteran, averaging 11 points and 4.23 assists (3rd in the league) per game. Hall was also in the top 5 in assists to turnover ratio (1.72) and in the top 10 in steals (1.47 per game). 3-point shooting (38.3 percent) and threes per game (1.63 per). He shot 42.5 percent from the field, 12th best in the league.
Sixth Man of the Year: Jarrell Brown, Army -- Most of what we mentioned above, Brown did coming off the bench. Crews said he was just more comfortable in that role, and hey, if it works, don't fix it.
All-Rookie Team:
Center -- Chris Walker, Army (the only legitimate freshman post player in the league this season)
Power forward -- Eric Meister, Holy Cross and Zahir Carrington, Lehigh (tie) (Meister is more of a banger, Carrington has more finesse, both have the potential to be very good)
Small forward -- Stephen Tyree, Bucknell (his emergence was one of the keys to the Bison turnaround)
Shooting guard -- Trey Stanton, Navy (yes, he is 6-10, but he plays the perimeter, not the post)
Point guard -- Hall, Lehigh
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The first year we picked an All-Hoop Time team, we explained the selection process like this:
Here is how our team has been selected. We began by choosing the starting five we'd most like to put on the floor. That meant paying attention to positions. No four guard lineups allowed. We then proceeded to fill out the rest of our 15-man roster. Again, we looked for balance. Depth at all positions was essential.We followed that same process last year and again this season.
The process produces a lineup quite different than the one selected by the coaches and SIDs, who tend to vote for the best five players, regardless of position. In a guard-heavy league like the Patriot, that process tends to come up with a list of good players, but a group that would be short, pardon the pun, on size and frontcourt types.
Our objective is to put together a team, not a list. We approach the selection process like a general manager approaches a draft, looking to put together all the components it takes to make a whole team.
Players selected to the All-Hoop Time team previous seasons are designated by (HT and the year they were picked). Members of the 2005 all-rookie team are designated by (HTR 05) (Note: we did not pick an all rookie team last season because we didn't feel there were five worthy choices)
Our starters are the first players listed at each position. The remaining picks are listed by position in no particular order.
2007 All-Hoop Time Team
CENTERS:
Chris McNaughton 6-11 Sr. Bucknell (HT 05, 06) -- A three-time first team All-Hoop Time pick, McNaughton is simply the toughest player in the league to try to stop one on one. His 11.5 points per game ranked 11th in the league. His 5.9 rebounds ranked fourth and he was second in the league in field goal percentage at 55.7. Those numbers all suffer somewhat from McNaughton's slow start. Down the stretch he has been as good as he has been in his impressive career, helping carry the Bison to a share of the league title despite losing Donald Brown for most of the second half of conference play. You can't help but wonder what kind of numbers he might have put up if the officials called the game the same for him as they do for some of the league's top scoring guards. While the smaller guys go to the line for handchecks 20 feet from the basket, McNaughton spends most offensive possessions being mugged as the stripes let 'em play in the post
Tim Clifford 6-10 Jr. Holy Cross (HT 06, HTR 05) -- A Hoop Time All-Rookie pick in 05 and a All-HT choice last season, Clifford is the heir apparent to McNaughton as the league's top center. The Big Purple Dog, who suffers many of the same indignities as McNaughton, averaged 11.3 points per game while leading the league in blocks (1.8 per game). His 4.5 rebounds per game ranks 12th in the league, his 82.5 percent free throw shooting sixth. He also is in the top 10 in field goal percentage (No. 8 -- 46.5 percent).
POWER FORWARDS:
Donald Brown, 6-6 Sr. Bucknell (HT 06) -- Last year's Sixth Man of the Year was having an incredible season when he suffered a broken hand in Bucknell's Jan. 25 win at Colgate. Despite missing seven games down the stretch, Brown still led the league in rebounds (6.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (58.2 percent) and ranked fourth in steals with 1.67 per game. His 11.8 points per game ranks No. 9 in the conference. His injury apparently cost him a spot on the league's officials first team All-Patriot squad. Simply put, that vote was a travesty. Name five better players in the league? If you've been watching, you won't be able to name more than two, three tops.
Darren Mastropaolo, 6-9 Jr., Bucknell (HTR 05, HT 06) -- Sent to the bench to make room for D. Brown at the four in Bucknell's starting lineup, Mastropaolo never complained. He just kept on doing the stuff he has done since he got to Bucknell -- setting screens, taking charges, defending the heck out of the post. Stat freaks complained when he was named to the team last season. We'll hear from them again this year. Interestingly, no coach has ever criticized Mastropaolo's choice. The luxury of having the league's two best guys at the position is why Bucknell kept winning after Brown got hurt.
Brayden Billbe, 6-10 Sr. American (HT 06) -- A repeat choice, Billbe gives you good size inside. His 7.6 points per game don't impress, but the 46.4 percent shooter (9th in the league) probably has the best short range jumper of any four man in the league. The fact that he pulls down 5.8 rebounds (5th in the league) and blocks a shot now and then (0.87 per game, No. 3 in the league) doesn't hurt
SMALL FORWARDS:
Keith Simmons, 6-5 Sr. Holy Cross (HT 05, 06) -- Simmons overcame last season's cramping problems to become the top player in the league as a senior. He was so much better than the rest of the league, even McNaughton's mother would have felt honor bound to name him on her ballot if she got a Player of the Year vote. The league's top scorer at 17.5 ppg, Simmons also ranks in the top five in rebounds (6.0 rpg, 3rd), field goal percentage (49.6 percent, 5th), steals (2.47 per, 2nd) and offensive rebounds (2.47 per, 1st). Simmons is also in the top 10 in free throw percentage, blocked shots and defensive rebounds. Without him, no way Holy Cross shares the regular season title. They might not even have finished second.
Greg Sprink, 6-5 Jr. Navy -- What's not to like about a 6-5 guy who averaged 17.2 points per game (2nd in the league) despite every Navy opponent game-planning to stop him. It's one thing to put up those numbers when you have guys like Torey Thomas and Tim Clifford to keep the defense honest. Sprink had no such luxury. He played on a team with no true post player and a fleet of solid, but unspectacular guards. Spink was in the top 10 in rebounding, field goal percentage and three-pointers made and ranked No. 2 in free throw percentage (86.2 percent).
Kyle Neptune, 6-6 Sr. Lehigh -- A rugged defender with good size who averages 9.4 points per game, rebounds (4.8 per game, 8th in the league) and shoots threes at a 41.9 percent clip. We'll take him.
SHOOTING GUARDS:
Jarrell Brown, 6-2 Jr. Army (HT 06) -- Last year Player of the Year Charles Lee called Jarrell Brown the toughest guy to guard in the league. After Saturday's Bucknell-Army game, Abe Badmus echoed those comments. Brown has a knack for getting open, which is not hurt any by Jim Crews' scheme, which often seems to have the other four guys on the floor setting screens for Brown. His 17.1 ppg was No. 3 in the league, his 2.86 threes per game ranked first. He was fifth in 3-point percentage (41.5 percent) and in the top 15 in field goal percentage overall.
Andre Ingram 6-3 Sr. American (HT 05, 06) -- Fifth in the league in scoring at 15 ppg, Ingram ranked second in three per game (2.54 per) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.8 percent). Also ranked in the top 10 in steals (1.29 per game, No. 8 in the league) and his 82.6 percent foul shooting was fifth best in the conference.
Jose Olivero, Sr, Lehigh -- The league's No. 4 scorer at 16.6 ppg, Olivero also ranks in the top 15 in assists, free throw shooting, steals and three-pointers made.
Matt Bell, 6-0 Sr. Army -- A 14.9 ppg scorer (6th in the league), Bell shoots the three better than anyone else in the conference (51.2 percent). He also ranks in the top 10 in field goal percentage, assists and free throw shooting.
POINT GUARDS:
Torey Thomas, 5-11 Sr. Holy Cross (HT 05, 06) -- Despite a nagging knee problem that hampered him much of the season, Thomas was still Holy Cross' iron man, averaging better than 37 minutes per game. Watch him and you'd never have thought he was playing hurt. Thomas' 13.8 ppg average was eighth best in the league, his 4.77 assists ranked second. Thomas led the league in steals (2.8 per game)and was third in assist to turnover ratio (1.21). His 40.7 percent shooting from three-point range ranked sixth best in the conference. Perhaps the most impressive Thomas stat was his 4.7 rebounds per game (No. 11 in the league), not bad for a guy Ralph Willard says is actually closer to 5-9 than the 5-11 they list him at in the programs.
Abe Badmus, 6-0 Sr., Bucknell (HT 05, 06) -- Anybody who doubts the defensive abilities of the guy they call "The Glove" ought to watch film of the second half of the second Holy Cross-Bucknell game when he shut down Simmons. Or watch the BU at Lehigh game, where Olivero was a non-factor largely because of Badmus' defense. What some might find surprising is that Badmus was the best 3-point shooter in the league in conference games, knocking them down at a 51.7 percent rate. Ranked in the top five in assist to turnover ratio and assists, and the top 10 in steals and free throw percentage, too.
Derrick Mercer, 5-9 Soph., American -- Our rookie of the year last season, Mercer was one of the last cuts from last year's team. We wrote then "His day will come." We'll use that line this year on Lehigh's freshman sensation Marquis Hall, the guy Mercer beat out for this spot. Mercer got the nod due to his league leading 4.79 assists per game. No doubt he could have scored more than his 9.6 ppg had that been his role. Mercer, who is even smaller than Thomas, is a fearless penetrator who seems right at home wheeling and dealing among the big guys in the paint. His 49.1 percent field goal shooting (6th in the league) is impressive, especially for a guard.
Last cuts:
Marquis Hall, 5-11 Fr., Lehigh -- Victim of a numbers game at the point. Hall's day will come.
John Griffin, 6-1 Jr. Guard, Bucknell -- A true combo guard able to play both backcourt spots, Griffin averaged 10.5 points per game and is becoming another in a long line of outstanding defenders at BU. Griffin's free throw shooting and knack for hitting pressure shots makes him tough to leave off the roster.
Jon Simon, 5-11 Sr. Colgate -- Another outstanding guard in a league full of them
Alex Vander Baan, 6-8 Soph., Holy Cross -- Sixth in the league in rebounding, Vander Baan is solid in the Mastropaolo mode -- doing all the little things for the Crusaders. It was tempting to pick Billbe as a third center and Vander Baan as the third power forward, but Billbe is not good with his back to the basket. Ultimately the decision was to add a fourth off guard (Bell) instead, because as Emmett Davis could tell you, you can never have too many shooters.
Matt Betley, 6-4 Sr. Lafayette -- You wish you could find a spot for a guy like Betley, a slow-footed guard who moved to the four because Fran O'Hanlon had no other options and managed to hold his own, especially on offense, where he averaged 10.9 points per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field -- fourth best in the league. Also ranked seventh in rebounding, but he is only the fifth best power forward in the league at best.
Other honors:
Coach of the Year: Jim Crews, Army -- Picked by a lot of folks to finish last in the conference, Army won 14 games, finishing the season one game below .500. If not for two losses to Colgate by a total of 6 points -- including a 2-point OT loss -- the Black Knights would have finished even higher in the standings. They also took Holy Cross to overtime and played Bucknell to the final minute in a 5-point loss Saturday. Army's 14 wins were its most since the 1986-87 season and were just one less than the team won total in the past three seasons.
Player of the Year: Keith Simmons, Holy Cross -- It wasn't even close. Simmons was the league's best player all season long.
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Lehigh -- As Simmons was to the rest of the league, Hall was to the rest of the freshmen. No other rookies even came close to matching his performance. The latest in a long line of outstanding Lehigh guards, Hall stepped in to the starting job and played like a veteran, averaging 11 points and 4.23 assists (3rd in the league) per game. Hall was also in the top 5 in assists to turnover ratio (1.72) and in the top 10 in steals (1.47 per game). 3-point shooting (38.3 percent) and threes per game (1.63 per). He shot 42.5 percent from the field, 12th best in the league.
Sixth Man of the Year: Jarrell Brown, Army -- Most of what we mentioned above, Brown did coming off the bench. Crews said he was just more comfortable in that role, and hey, if it works, don't fix it.
All-Rookie Team:
Center -- Chris Walker, Army (the only legitimate freshman post player in the league this season)
Power forward -- Eric Meister, Holy Cross and Zahir Carrington, Lehigh (tie) (Meister is more of a banger, Carrington has more finesse, both have the potential to be very good)
Small forward -- Stephen Tyree, Bucknell (his emergence was one of the keys to the Bison turnaround)
Shooting guard -- Trey Stanton, Navy (yes, he is 6-10, but he plays the perimeter, not the post)
Point guard -- Hall, Lehigh
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A little light reading to help you pass time at work while you count down the minutes to Wednesday's playoff openers.
Wanted: A consistent effort (Express-Times) Corky Blake looks at the tournament prospects of the league's Lehigh Valley contingent.
Bison streak into Patriot League tourney (AP) Genaro Armas previews the Bucknell-Navy matchup. Take the comments on Donald Brown's return with a grain of salt. Pat Flannery seemed to be bluffing during the conference call when he said the Bison won't know if Brown can play Wednesday until they saw him practice for the first time on Monday. Armas was not there Saturday after the BU-Army game when Brown told Tom Housenick of the Daily Item and I that he had returned to practice, already had some contact with the hand he had broken, and was ready to play when the tournament gets underway.
Net Dreams & Local Teams (Times Herald-Record) -- Talk about a newspaper that just doesn't get the reality of the times. The Times Herald-Record seems to cling to some notion that they can sell more papers by imitating the down-Hudson big boys like the NY Post and The Daily News and covering the heck out of the New York city pro scene. In an era when the mantra in the industry is local, local, local, their solution to declining circulation has been a cutback on their local college sports coverage. They don't even staff most Army games anymore. In this case, rather than allow Ken McMillan to write a story just about the Patriot League, they lump it all in one package with women's stuff, local jucos, Marist -- 10 teams at all. Anyhow, there is enough good Patriot League stuff in the story to make it well worth a click, even if you have to wade through the SUNY-Orange coverage to find it.
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Labels: Army, BU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy
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Monday, February 26, 2007
Bucknell and Holy Cross both moved up in this week's Mid-Major Top 25.
The Crusaders are No. 16 in the latest version of CollegeInsider.com's rankings, drawing 282 points, up from 233 points and a No. 17 rank last week.
Bucknell jumps from No. 25 to No. 21, garnering 139 points, up from 63 a week ago.
Once again, no votes for any league teams in either of the two major top 25 polls.
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The Crusaders are No. 16 in the latest version of CollegeInsider.com's rankings, drawing 282 points, up from 233 points and a No. 17 rank last week.
Bucknell jumps from No. 25 to No. 21, garnering 139 points, up from 63 a week ago.
Once again, no votes for any league teams in either of the two major top 25 polls.
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The league's coaches all were on the phones Monday for a pre-tournament media conference call. Listen to the comments of all eight, or just your favorite team's. Just go to the Hoop Time audio page.
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The Patriot League has announced its individual honors for the 2006-2007 season, with Holy Cross sweeping the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Player or the Year: Keith Simmons, HC
Defensive Player of the Year: Torey Thomas, HC
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Lehigh
Coach of the Year: Ralph Willard, HC
All-Rookie:
Hall, Lehigh
Zahir Carrington, Lehigh
Trey Stanton, Navy
Marcus Nelson, Army
Eric Meister, HC
All-Patriot League:
FIRST TEAM
Simmons, HC
Thomas, HC
Chris McNaughton, Bucknell
Andre Ingram, American
Jose Olivero, Lehigh
SECOND TEAM
Donald Brown, Bucknell
Greg Sprink, Navy
Tim Clifford, HC
Jarrell Brown, Army
Jon Simon, Colgate
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Player or the Year: Keith Simmons, HC
Defensive Player of the Year: Torey Thomas, HC
Rookie of the Year: Marquis Hall, Lehigh
Coach of the Year: Ralph Willard, HC
All-Rookie:
Hall, Lehigh
Zahir Carrington, Lehigh
Trey Stanton, Navy
Marcus Nelson, Army
Eric Meister, HC
All-Patriot League:
FIRST TEAM
Simmons, HC
Thomas, HC
Chris McNaughton, Bucknell
Andre Ingram, American
Jose Olivero, Lehigh
SECOND TEAM
Donald Brown, Bucknell
Greg Sprink, Navy
Tim Clifford, HC
Jarrell Brown, Army
Jon Simon, Colgate
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Sunday, February 25, 2007
An impressive defensive display in the second half gave the Crusaders a win over Lehigh Sunday, clinching the top seed for the playoffs.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Trailing by six points early in the second half, its offense sputtering and its dream of hosting the Patriot League Tournament final in danger of turning into the prospect of a nightmare bus ride for the title game, Holy Cross did what it does best Sunday afternoon. It played defense.
Holding Lehigh scoreless for a stretch of almost 13 minutes, the Crusaders rallied for a 62-50 win, clinching the regular season league title and securing that coveted home court advantage should it reach the only game that really matters in the one-bid conference.
Technically, the Crusaders (22-8 overall, 13-1 Patriot) share the regular season crown with two-time defending champion Bucknell, which also finished 13-1 in league play. The two teams split their regular season series, a sign of just how important that home court might be in the final. Holy Cross will have that edge if it makes it that far thanks to a better RPI rating than the Bison, the last in a series of tiebreakers used by the league to determine seedings for the tournament when teams tie in the standings. Headed into the Lehigh game, HC unofficially was ranked No. 69 in the RPI; Bucknell, which wrapped its regular season with a win Saturday at Army was No. 90.
Two minutes into the second half, it looked as though the RPI might not be a factor. Lehigh (12-18, 7-7) outplayed the Crusaders in the first half, though they only had a 32-30 lead to show for it at the intermission thanks to some strong free throw shooting late in the half that allowed Holy Cross to cut into the Mountain Hawks 6-point lead. The Crusaders went 10 for 12 at the line in the first half, 6 of 8 in the last 4:34 of the period.
Credit sophomore forward Alex Vander Baan with helping Holy Cross stay in the game in the first half. Vander Baan was 7 for 7 at the foul line, finishing the half with 9 points en route to a 14-point night. Vander Baan's offensive contribution was huge in a half where Torey Thomas (12 of his game-high 21 points in the first half) was the only other Crusader who had much luck finding the bottom of the net.
With Holy Cross struggling on offense -- they were 9 for 26 from the field (34.6 percent) in the first half -- it looked like a brewing upset when Lehigh opened the second half with two quick buckets to push their lead to 36-30.
That was before Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard called a timeout and gave the Crusaders a readers digest version of the sermon he had just finished in the locker room during the break, when he preached from the book of defensive intensity.
"It was a re-emphasis; ringing their bell if you will. I wanted to get their attention," Willard said.
Willard was not bothered by Holy Cross' offense, which missed its first two shots of the half after going 9 for 26 (34.6 percent) in the first half. That would fix itself once the defense, which created only three Lehigh turnovers in the first half, was back on form.
"We only had six deflections at halftime. There wasn't a whole lot else to talk about," said Willard, who gauges his team's defensive effort by that measure. Holy Cross sets a goal of 40 deflections each game.
If you ask Willard, he will tell you his team's 28 second half deflections (and 8 turnovers) were a far more telling indicator than the fact that the Crusaders held Lehigh's leading scorer, to just a pair of free throws in the second half after he had scored 11 points in the first.
"We didn't do a good job on him the first half. We refocused on him at the half," said Holy Cross senior Keith Simmons.
"I told the guys 'we're not going to win this game unless we really get up, get in his grill and have a lot of help. That was a point of emphasis," Willra dsaid.
"They turned up their pressure and intensity. We did not respond," said Olivero.
Holy Cross picked up its intensity on the glass, too. In the first half, HC held a slim 20-17 edge in rebounding. By the end of teh game, that margin swelled to 39-28, with 14 of Holy Cross' rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
"We would get the defensive stops we needed, but we couldn't get the ball," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said.
Truth be told, HC's offense did not exactly catch fire. It took holding Lehigh scoreless for nearly 4 minutes to erase the 6-point deficit and the Crusaders lead was only 42-36 when Lehigh's scoreless drought hit the 10-minute mark. But the way HC played defense in the second half, the offense could take its time. By the time Lehigh finally scored, HC's lead was up to 12 and the game was all but in the books.
It didn't hurt any that Keith Simmons got his game going after the intermission. The league's leading scorer, averaging 17.7 points per game, scored 10 of his 14 points after the break. Simmons also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
"Coach told me I was standing around and watching too much. He told me I had to be more aggressive," Simmons said.
It also helped that Tim Clifford stayed out of foul trouble. Lehigh scored 17 of its 32 first half points in the 7:36 span at the end of the half when Clifford, the league's leading shot blocker, was on the bench after picking up two quick fouls. In the second half, with Clifford on the floor the entire 20 minutes, the Mountain Hawks found the door to the middle closed and the pressure on the perimeter intensified by HC guards knowing their 6-10 eraser was waiting to fix any mistakes should their man beat them off the dribble. Clifford finished with 5 blocks, 3 in the second half, and added 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Clifford also held Lehigh's senior center, Jason Mgebroff, to 4 points and 3 boards in his first start since returning to action after missing over two months with a stress fracture in his leg. Lehigh's backup center, Phil Anderson, did manage 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting, but 10 of those points came in the last 5:57, with the outcome all but determined.
Freshman Zahir Carrington added 11 points for Lehigh, 9 in the first half -- 5 of those while Clifford was sitting.
Holy Cross will open the postseason tournament Wednesday night in the Hart Center against last-place Lafayette. A win in that one would bring the winner of the Colgate at American first round game to town on Sunday for the semifinals. The final is set for March 9 -- in Worcester if HC wins its first two.
Box score | Postgame audio (Willard, Simmons, Taylor, Neptune and Olivero) | Notebook | Express-Times
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Trailing by six points early in the second half, its offense sputtering and its dream of hosting the Patriot League Tournament final in danger of turning into the prospect of a nightmare bus ride for the title game, Holy Cross did what it does best Sunday afternoon. It played defense.
Holding Lehigh scoreless for a stretch of almost 13 minutes, the Crusaders rallied for a 62-50 win, clinching the regular season league title and securing that coveted home court advantage should it reach the only game that really matters in the one-bid conference.
Technically, the Crusaders (22-8 overall, 13-1 Patriot) share the regular season crown with two-time defending champion Bucknell, which also finished 13-1 in league play. The two teams split their regular season series, a sign of just how important that home court might be in the final. Holy Cross will have that edge if it makes it that far thanks to a better RPI rating than the Bison, the last in a series of tiebreakers used by the league to determine seedings for the tournament when teams tie in the standings. Headed into the Lehigh game, HC unofficially was ranked No. 69 in the RPI; Bucknell, which wrapped its regular season with a win Saturday at Army was No. 90.
Two minutes into the second half, it looked as though the RPI might not be a factor. Lehigh (12-18, 7-7) outplayed the Crusaders in the first half, though they only had a 32-30 lead to show for it at the intermission thanks to some strong free throw shooting late in the half that allowed Holy Cross to cut into the Mountain Hawks 6-point lead. The Crusaders went 10 for 12 at the line in the first half, 6 of 8 in the last 4:34 of the period.
Credit sophomore forward Alex Vander Baan with helping Holy Cross stay in the game in the first half. Vander Baan was 7 for 7 at the foul line, finishing the half with 9 points en route to a 14-point night. Vander Baan's offensive contribution was huge in a half where Torey Thomas (12 of his game-high 21 points in the first half) was the only other Crusader who had much luck finding the bottom of the net.
With Holy Cross struggling on offense -- they were 9 for 26 from the field (34.6 percent) in the first half -- it looked like a brewing upset when Lehigh opened the second half with two quick buckets to push their lead to 36-30.
That was before Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard called a timeout and gave the Crusaders a readers digest version of the sermon he had just finished in the locker room during the break, when he preached from the book of defensive intensity.
"It was a re-emphasis; ringing their bell if you will. I wanted to get their attention," Willard said.
Willard was not bothered by Holy Cross' offense, which missed its first two shots of the half after going 9 for 26 (34.6 percent) in the first half. That would fix itself once the defense, which created only three Lehigh turnovers in the first half, was back on form.
"We only had six deflections at halftime. There wasn't a whole lot else to talk about," said Willard, who gauges his team's defensive effort by that measure. Holy Cross sets a goal of 40 deflections each game.
If you ask Willard, he will tell you his team's 28 second half deflections (and 8 turnovers) were a far more telling indicator than the fact that the Crusaders held Lehigh's leading scorer, to just a pair of free throws in the second half after he had scored 11 points in the first.
"We didn't do a good job on him the first half. We refocused on him at the half," said Holy Cross senior Keith Simmons.
"I told the guys 'we're not going to win this game unless we really get up, get in his grill and have a lot of help. That was a point of emphasis," Willra dsaid.
"They turned up their pressure and intensity. We did not respond," said Olivero.
Holy Cross picked up its intensity on the glass, too. In the first half, HC held a slim 20-17 edge in rebounding. By the end of teh game, that margin swelled to 39-28, with 14 of Holy Cross' rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
"We would get the defensive stops we needed, but we couldn't get the ball," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said.
Truth be told, HC's offense did not exactly catch fire. It took holding Lehigh scoreless for nearly 4 minutes to erase the 6-point deficit and the Crusaders lead was only 42-36 when Lehigh's scoreless drought hit the 10-minute mark. But the way HC played defense in the second half, the offense could take its time. By the time Lehigh finally scored, HC's lead was up to 12 and the game was all but in the books.
It didn't hurt any that Keith Simmons got his game going after the intermission. The league's leading scorer, averaging 17.7 points per game, scored 10 of his 14 points after the break. Simmons also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
"Coach told me I was standing around and watching too much. He told me I had to be more aggressive," Simmons said.
It also helped that Tim Clifford stayed out of foul trouble. Lehigh scored 17 of its 32 first half points in the 7:36 span at the end of the half when Clifford, the league's leading shot blocker, was on the bench after picking up two quick fouls. In the second half, with Clifford on the floor the entire 20 minutes, the Mountain Hawks found the door to the middle closed and the pressure on the perimeter intensified by HC guards knowing their 6-10 eraser was waiting to fix any mistakes should their man beat them off the dribble. Clifford finished with 5 blocks, 3 in the second half, and added 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Clifford also held Lehigh's senior center, Jason Mgebroff, to 4 points and 3 boards in his first start since returning to action after missing over two months with a stress fracture in his leg. Lehigh's backup center, Phil Anderson, did manage 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting, but 10 of those points came in the last 5:57, with the outcome all but determined.
Freshman Zahir Carrington added 11 points for Lehigh, 9 in the first half -- 5 of those while Clifford was sitting.
Holy Cross will open the postseason tournament Wednesday night in the Hart Center against last-place Lafayette. A win in that one would bring the winner of the Colgate at American first round game to town on Sunday for the semifinals. The final is set for March 9 -- in Worcester if HC wins its first two.
Box score | Postgame audio (Willard, Simmons, Taylor, Neptune and Olivero) | Notebook | Express-Times
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Leftovers from the notebook following Holy Cross' 62-50 win at lehigh Sunday.
Lehigh opened the game with all four of its seniors starting. That meant freshman point guard Marquis Hall sat the first 3:41, allowing little used Adam Hycik to get his first start of his career. Jason Mgebroff also made his first start since returning to action Feb. 14 following a lengthy absence due to stress fractures in his leg. Also starting was Kyle Neptune, who has been coming off the bench in recent weeks.
A decent crowd on hand, especially considering the threat of nasty weather this afternoon in the Lehigh Valley. Less than 100 students behind the west basket, though and the pep band is smaller today (8 members) than it was for last night's HC-Lehigh women's game. The Stabler ticket office appears to have wisely tried to sell the side behind the players benches, opposite the ESPNU cameras, making the place look fuller on TV than in person. Unfortunately, the lower middle section, direcly behind the scorers table, is only about half full, presumably due to season ticket holder no shows.
Holy Cross center Tim Clifford, the league's leading shotblocker at 1.7 per game, exceeded his average in the first 2:18 of the game, snuffing Bryan White on Lehigh's first possession and swatting away a Neptune jumper with 17:42 to go in the first half. Clifford also hit a three in the early going. Clifford, though, was 1 for 6 from the field with just two rebounds when he took a seat with 7:36 to play in the half after picking up two quick fouls in a span of about 30 seconds.Clifford finished with 5 blocks and 5 rebounds and was 3 for 7 from the field after the break to finish with 9 points.
Holy Cross reserve forward Colin Cunningham didn't get an inch shorter. He just looks it now that he has changed his hair style. Gone is the curly mop-top he sported since arriving in Worcester last season. In its place, a sparse buzzed, but not shaved, look.
In the scoring battle between tow of the league's top four scorers, Lehigh's Olivero had the early edge over Holy Cross star Keith Simmons. Olivero scored Lehigh's first 6 points of the game. Simmons did not have a bucket the first 13:30. At the half, Olivero, fourth in the league coming in with a 16.7 points per game average, had 11 on 4 for 7 shooting. Simmons, who leads the league at 17.7 ppg, was 2 for 4 for 4 points. The second half was a complete turnaround, with Simmons scoring 10 of his 14 after intermission while Olivero added just a meaningless pair of late free throws while going 0 for 4 from the field.
The winter storm arrived early for Holy Cross, which experienced icy conditions early. Through the first 12:24 of the game, the Crusaders were 3 for 5 (20 percent) from the field, 1 of 5 from three-point range. During that same span, Lehigh was 6 for 18 (33 percent). By the half, Holy Cross had imporved to 9 for 26 (34.6 percent). Lehigh was 11 for 27 (40.7 percent) from the field in the first half.
Holy Cross stayed close in the first half by going 10 for 12 at the foul line, led by Alex Vander Baan, who was 7 for 7 to account for all but 2 of his 9 first-half points. Torey Thomas, who had 11 in the opening stanza, was 3 for 4 at the line.
Most amazing stat of the first half: Lehigh with just three turnovers against HC's ball-hawking defense, which has been forcing over 17 turnovers per game.
The first half battle of the big men was a draw. Clifford played 10 minutes with 2 rebounds and 3 points. Mgebroff had 2 points, 0 rebounds in 11 minutes. The second half was all Clifford. Clifford finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks. Mgebroff's end of the night line: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist.
Lehigh was without the services of two sophomore reserves, 7-foot center John Gourlay and 6-5 forward Greg Page. Gourlay, who also missed Wednesday night's Bucknell game, is out with an unspecified shoulder injury. No word on Page's situation.
Lehigh's freshman point guard Marquis Hall was 2 for 8 from the field, finishing with 5 points, 5 assists and 4 turnovers. It was the second straight off night for the expected league Rookie of the Year. Wednesday against Bucknell, Hall had a streak of eight straight double figure scoring efforts end when he was held to 4 points on 1 of 8 shooting from the field, 0 for 4 from the arc. Hall was 1 for 4 from three-point range against Holy Cross.
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For four years, Andrew has been a loyal Lehigh fan. This afternoon, when the Mountain Hawks take on Holy Cross (matchup), Andrew figures he will be one of the few students who will show up to honor the team's four soon-to-be-graduating seniors.
The game will determine the top seed for the postseason. The visitors are a possible NCAA Tournament team. Yet it seems as though, short of a free keg behind the south basket, nothing draws the Lehigh's students to the games.
Interestingly, the Morning Call had a story on this same topic this morning. They seemed to cast much of the blame on Stabler's location, about three miles from the main campus. But that is bullshit. You don't see Big Five kids staying away from the Palestra just because they need to catch a bus to get there. And how can the distance issue be reconciled with the fact there were more Bucknell students than Lehigh students on hand Wednesday night?
It seems Andrew's insight, in an e-mail he sent last week, is a little more on target. No, the distance to Stabler does not help matters, he says, but the problem is deeper than that.
Here is the text of his e-mail:
In fact, one of the students quoted in the Morning Call piece refers to it as one of the worst conferences in the country, oblivious to the fact that the Patriot's RPI ranks it solidly in the middle of the Division I pact; conveniently forgetting the first round NCAA wins the league's representative has posted the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Those of us with longer memories can recall big crowds and a full student section back in the Dozie Mbonu-Bob Krizansky era. Of course Lehigh was winning consistently back then.
It is no coincidence that Bucknell's attendance jumped when they started beating big name teams like Pitt, Kansas and Syracuse. When Lehigh does that, and there is no reason they can't if they can keep Billy Taylor on board, the fans will find their way back to Stabler.
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The game will determine the top seed for the postseason. The visitors are a possible NCAA Tournament team. Yet it seems as though, short of a free keg behind the south basket, nothing draws the Lehigh's students to the games.
Interestingly, the Morning Call had a story on this same topic this morning. They seemed to cast much of the blame on Stabler's location, about three miles from the main campus. But that is bullshit. You don't see Big Five kids staying away from the Palestra just because they need to catch a bus to get there. And how can the distance issue be reconciled with the fact there were more Bucknell students than Lehigh students on hand Wednesday night?
It seems Andrew's insight, in an e-mail he sent last week, is a little more on target. No, the distance to Stabler does not help matters, he says, but the problem is deeper than that.
Here is the text of his e-mail:
I have seen talk on various boards around the league and on Hoop Time about the lack of the Lehigh student section, and I felt the need to chime in. I am currently a senior out here, and must say that the situation is sad.Not a lot to add, but since Andrew asked if I had any thoughts, we will point out that aside from that 2003-04 team, it has been a very long time since Lehigh has had a winner. And that team, by losing in the play-in game, might have done more to hurt the cause than help it, giving the impression that Patriot League basketball is a weak sister league.
About four years ago a group of sophomores started regularly attending games and painted themselves (the L-E-H-I-G-H guys, you refer to them as). In the beginning they were usually the only students at the games, but word grew around campus that basketball games can be fun, and the team was starting to play a lot better, so some (stress some) students started to join them. Over the next few years, it turned into a nice student section that would travel to Maryland for the league tournament, up to Colgate for a game, up to HC a few times, over to Army and BU, and even having a better showing than the Zoo-Crew in their building. (Actually in one of your posts from two years ago, you commented on the presence of the Lehigh student at Lafayette in that game we lost).
Unfortunately, most of the original L-E-H-I-G-H guys have graduated, leaving me (although I never paint myself) and maybe about 8 other regulars. Most Lehigh students who do come will sit behind us and not really get into the game anymore. The atmosphere at Stabler is nothing less than depressing this season. I think it is a combination of the team not performing that well and these guys graduating. Another thing to look at is the distance that we must travel to get over to the game. If I am not mistaken, I think all Patriot League arenas are within walking distance of where most students live. You know this is not the case at Lehigh. Ultimately, this kills attendance. On top of that, the Athletic Department shows no commitment to Lehigh basketball. Very rarely do they promote a big game in ways that go beyond a few fliers around their building and outside the ticket office. We never get campus wide e-mails like HC students do. The student paper is a joke, when it comes to LU sports.
The whole situation is a mess out here, which is unfortunate. We have a great, young coach who is an unbelievable recruiter. We have the best freshmen in the league (by far) and possibly the player of the year (although his last few games may indeed hurt him). Students should want to see this team play and actively cheer them on. They really are missing something thousands of other students are getting across the country exciting college basketball.
Hopefully I was able to shed a little light on this mess. I don t see things changing at all in the near future. For senior day on Sunday, being at 1PM, my guess is most LU students will be hung over, and not show up. Those that do will show up at about 1:15, missing the chance to honor Jose, Jason, Kyle, and Adam. Next week, for the 1st round of the tourney, expect a student crowd half of what was there for Bucknell. From there, it is up to the team to try to win at an arena (most likely Bucknell) where more than a handful of students give a bleep about their team.
Do you have any thoughts?
*by the way, if you do post this on your site, do not hold me responsible for poor grammar or spelling. I should have written this on a word file and sent it to you, but I just typed it into this little box...which is tough to proof read...i didn't think I would ramble on this long, but I wanted to get a lot of things off my chest.
In fact, one of the students quoted in the Morning Call piece refers to it as one of the worst conferences in the country, oblivious to the fact that the Patriot's RPI ranks it solidly in the middle of the Division I pact; conveniently forgetting the first round NCAA wins the league's representative has posted the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Those of us with longer memories can recall big crowds and a full student section back in the Dozie Mbonu-Bob Krizansky era. Of course Lehigh was winning consistently back then.
It is no coincidence that Bucknell's attendance jumped when they started beating big name teams like Pitt, Kansas and Syracuse. When Lehigh does that, and there is no reason they can't if they can keep Billy Taylor on board, the fans will find their way back to Stabler.
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(Originally posted Sat. at 8:32 p.m., updated with links at 7:51 a.m.)
Black Knights take Bucknell to the wire before succumbing.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Bucknell fans breathed two sighs of relief Saturday afternoon. The first came at the end of the Bison's 54-49 win at Army in a game that came down to the final minute.
The second came about an hour later when they saw the score from Colgate's win over Navy.
That one made certain the Bison won't have to play the Black Knights again on Wednesday. Navy's loss dropped the Mids to the No. 7 seed. Army will enter the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, traveling to No. 3 Lehigh in round one.
It's doubtful any Lehigh players would look past the Black Knights. The Mountain Hawks lost at West Point earlier in the season. Should they forget how dangerous Army can be, they will have film from this one to remind them.
Knocking down 9 three-pointers while playing smothering defense, Army took the Bison to the limit. The game was tied at 49-49 inside the final minute.
Abe Badmus hit a huge three with 54 seconds to go for what proved to be the game-winner.
Credit Chris McNaughton with setting it up. It won't go down as an assist in the scorebook -- he didn't make the pass. But McNaughton, who posted his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, drew so much attention on the pick and roll, Badmus was all alone at the arc when the ball came to him.
"I was wide open. I just let it go," said Badmus, who 15 points -- a season high -- and hit three (of five) threes.
No wonder Badmus was open. As Bucknell coach Pat Flannery pointed out, after McNaughton set a screen for Badmus, he rolled towards the basket and Army's defense rolled towards McNaughton.
"Chris rolled and five guys, maybe six, came," Flannery said.
Army was right to pay McNaughton so much attention. Early in the second half, when they tried to stop him with just Doug Williams and occasionally a guard helping, McNaughton scored three buckets and assisted on another during a 13-2 run that gave the Bison a 9-point lead with 13:44 to play.
"(McNaughton's) just a big guy. It's kind of hard. You can't really help because they have shooters all over the place," said Army's Cleveland Richard, who hit three three-pointers and finished with 14 points.
At that point it looked like Bucknell was about to take control of the game. Army, though, refused to go away. Between a pair of Justin Castleberry free throws that gave Bucknell a 47-40 lead with 8:58 to play and a pair by Army's Jarrell Brown to tie it at 49-49 with 1:07 togo, the Black Knights held Bucknell to one field goal.
That set the stage for Badmus' big shot, but it wasn't over yet.
Army would have tied it about 10 seconds later had Army coach Jim Crews not called timeout a split-second before Jarrell Brown swished a woulda-been three from the right side with 44.5 seconds left. Even after that, Bucknell needed two stops to put it away.
After the timeout, the ball ended up back in Brown's hands with the shot clock running down. Brown put up an air ball that was caught by Darren Mastropaolo, who was called for traveling when he tried to make a pass while falling out of bounds.
Given a second chance, Army tried going to senior Matt Bell, a 51.3-percent three-point shooter. Bell got a decent look out top, but his shot caromed off the front of the rim to Griffin, who gathered it in as Army's Marcus nelson tried climbing over him to take it away.
Griffin's free throws iced it, but it wasn't easy.
Badmus didn't figure it would be. "Especially after the game down at our place. We beat them pretty bad."
Of course Badmus also knew much of his night would be spent chasing Jarrell Brown through screen, after screen, after screen. How he had the legs left to hit that three after hounding Brown all night is a wonder.
Badmus' old teammate Charles Lee, last year's Patriot League Player of the Year, said last season Brown was the toughest guy in the league to guard. After getting his turn to do it, Badmus agreed.
"They run a Reggie Miller offense. Everybody was screening for him. It's a guard's dream. He just calls out a name and they come screen for him," Badmus said. "When somebody is running off screens like that for 35 seconds, it really takes a lot out of you. You've really got to be disciplined. You can't rest."
Brown finished with 16 points to lead all scorers, but he had to work hard for the points, going 5 of 16 from the field, 4 for 10 from three-point range. Three of Brown's threes and 11 of his points came in the first half.
In his final game in Christl, Bell was 2 for 8 from the field for 7 points, well below his 15.1 points per game average.
As a team Army didn't shoot well, going 16 for 50 (32 percent) (NOTE: That is the official box score stat, but the official play by play does not show three missed shots by Army in their final two possessions, so they may not be included in the official box) from the field. But they hit 9 (of 19) threes and held Bucknell to 39 percent (16 of 41) shooting from the field -- including 7 of 19 threes -- while forcing 15 turnovers. The turnovers helped negate Bucknell's 39-24 advantage on the boards.
The difference came at the foul line, where Bucknell made 15 of 17 while Army was 8 for 11.
"We're glad we came out on top," said Badmus, who, barring a playoff matchup, played the last game against Army of his career. "They just keep getting better every year. Some day, I really believe, Army is going to win this conference."
For that to happen this year, though, Army will need to win three straight games on the road, starting Wednesday night at Lehigh. Army does have a home win over the Mountain Hawks this season, but on the road the Black Knights have just two wins all season.
Bucknell won't know who it faces in the first round until after Sunday's Holy Cross-Lehigh game. If Holy Cross wins, the Bison are the No. 2 seed and host Navy. A Holy Cross loss would bring No. 8 seed Lafayette to Lewisburg in the first round.
Box score | Postgame audio (Richards, Flannery, Badmus) | Notebook | Daily Item | Times Herald-Record (column)
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Black Knights take Bucknell to the wire before succumbing.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Bucknell fans breathed two sighs of relief Saturday afternoon. The first came at the end of the Bison's 54-49 win at Army in a game that came down to the final minute.
The second came about an hour later when they saw the score from Colgate's win over Navy.
That one made certain the Bison won't have to play the Black Knights again on Wednesday. Navy's loss dropped the Mids to the No. 7 seed. Army will enter the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, traveling to No. 3 Lehigh in round one.
It's doubtful any Lehigh players would look past the Black Knights. The Mountain Hawks lost at West Point earlier in the season. Should they forget how dangerous Army can be, they will have film from this one to remind them.
Knocking down 9 three-pointers while playing smothering defense, Army took the Bison to the limit. The game was tied at 49-49 inside the final minute.
Abe Badmus hit a huge three with 54 seconds to go for what proved to be the game-winner.
Credit Chris McNaughton with setting it up. It won't go down as an assist in the scorebook -- he didn't make the pass. But McNaughton, who posted his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, drew so much attention on the pick and roll, Badmus was all alone at the arc when the ball came to him.
"I was wide open. I just let it go," said Badmus, who 15 points -- a season high -- and hit three (of five) threes.
No wonder Badmus was open. As Bucknell coach Pat Flannery pointed out, after McNaughton set a screen for Badmus, he rolled towards the basket and Army's defense rolled towards McNaughton.
"Chris rolled and five guys, maybe six, came," Flannery said.
Army was right to pay McNaughton so much attention. Early in the second half, when they tried to stop him with just Doug Williams and occasionally a guard helping, McNaughton scored three buckets and assisted on another during a 13-2 run that gave the Bison a 9-point lead with 13:44 to play.
"(McNaughton's) just a big guy. It's kind of hard. You can't really help because they have shooters all over the place," said Army's Cleveland Richard, who hit three three-pointers and finished with 14 points.
At that point it looked like Bucknell was about to take control of the game. Army, though, refused to go away. Between a pair of Justin Castleberry free throws that gave Bucknell a 47-40 lead with 8:58 to play and a pair by Army's Jarrell Brown to tie it at 49-49 with 1:07 togo, the Black Knights held Bucknell to one field goal.
That set the stage for Badmus' big shot, but it wasn't over yet.
Army would have tied it about 10 seconds later had Army coach Jim Crews not called timeout a split-second before Jarrell Brown swished a woulda-been three from the right side with 44.5 seconds left. Even after that, Bucknell needed two stops to put it away.
After the timeout, the ball ended up back in Brown's hands with the shot clock running down. Brown put up an air ball that was caught by Darren Mastropaolo, who was called for traveling when he tried to make a pass while falling out of bounds.
Given a second chance, Army tried going to senior Matt Bell, a 51.3-percent three-point shooter. Bell got a decent look out top, but his shot caromed off the front of the rim to Griffin, who gathered it in as Army's Marcus nelson tried climbing over him to take it away.
Griffin's free throws iced it, but it wasn't easy.
Badmus didn't figure it would be. "Especially after the game down at our place. We beat them pretty bad."
Of course Badmus also knew much of his night would be spent chasing Jarrell Brown through screen, after screen, after screen. How he had the legs left to hit that three after hounding Brown all night is a wonder.
Badmus' old teammate Charles Lee, last year's Patriot League Player of the Year, said last season Brown was the toughest guy in the league to guard. After getting his turn to do it, Badmus agreed.
"They run a Reggie Miller offense. Everybody was screening for him. It's a guard's dream. He just calls out a name and they come screen for him," Badmus said. "When somebody is running off screens like that for 35 seconds, it really takes a lot out of you. You've really got to be disciplined. You can't rest."
Brown finished with 16 points to lead all scorers, but he had to work hard for the points, going 5 of 16 from the field, 4 for 10 from three-point range. Three of Brown's threes and 11 of his points came in the first half.
In his final game in Christl, Bell was 2 for 8 from the field for 7 points, well below his 15.1 points per game average.
As a team Army didn't shoot well, going 16 for 50 (32 percent) (NOTE: That is the official box score stat, but the official play by play does not show three missed shots by Army in their final two possessions, so they may not be included in the official box) from the field. But they hit 9 (of 19) threes and held Bucknell to 39 percent (16 of 41) shooting from the field -- including 7 of 19 threes -- while forcing 15 turnovers. The turnovers helped negate Bucknell's 39-24 advantage on the boards.
The difference came at the foul line, where Bucknell made 15 of 17 while Army was 8 for 11.
"We're glad we came out on top," said Badmus, who, barring a playoff matchup, played the last game against Army of his career. "They just keep getting better every year. Some day, I really believe, Army is going to win this conference."
For that to happen this year, though, Army will need to win three straight games on the road, starting Wednesday night at Lehigh. Army does have a home win over the Mountain Hawks this season, but on the road the Black Knights have just two wins all season.
Bucknell won't know who it faces in the first round until after Sunday's Holy Cross-Lehigh game. If Holy Cross wins, the Bison are the No. 2 seed and host Navy. A Holy Cross loss would bring No. 8 seed Lafayette to Lewisburg in the first round.
Box score | Postgame audio (Richards, Flannery, Badmus) | Notebook | Daily Item | Times Herald-Record (column)
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Navy shot the ball much better than Colgate, but the Raiders got enough extra shots to overcome the Mids and claim the No. 5 seed for the postseason.
Led by Greg Sprink, who poured in 29 points, the Midshipmen hit 48.1 percent (25 of 52) of their shots, including 6 of 13 from the three-point arc. Colgate shot just 42.3 percent (22 of 52 overall, 7 of 19 from the arc). But the Raiders posted a 38-22 edge on the boards, including a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass, which they turned into a 23-8 margin in second chance points.
Jon Simon's 24 points sparked the Raiders, who led by as many as 12 points in each half, but needed to hit 6 for 6 at the foul line to seal the win after Sprink pulled navy to within 2 at 62-60 on a jumper with 1:19 to play.
Kyle Chones added 14 points and 7 rebounds for Colgate. Kendall Chones had 10 points and 6 boards.
Kaleo Kina joined Sprink in double figures for Navy with 13 points.
The loss makes Navy the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The Mids (14-15 overall, 4-10 Patriot) will be at Bucknell or Holy Cross for the first round. Colgate (10-18, 5-9) gains the No. 5 seed with the win. The Raiders open the postseason at American.
Box score | AP
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Led by Greg Sprink, who poured in 29 points, the Midshipmen hit 48.1 percent (25 of 52) of their shots, including 6 of 13 from the three-point arc. Colgate shot just 42.3 percent (22 of 52 overall, 7 of 19 from the arc). But the Raiders posted a 38-22 edge on the boards, including a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass, which they turned into a 23-8 margin in second chance points.
Jon Simon's 24 points sparked the Raiders, who led by as many as 12 points in each half, but needed to hit 6 for 6 at the foul line to seal the win after Sprink pulled navy to within 2 at 62-60 on a jumper with 1:19 to play.
Kyle Chones added 14 points and 7 rebounds for Colgate. Kendall Chones had 10 points and 6 boards.
Kaleo Kina joined Sprink in double figures for Navy with 13 points.
The loss makes Navy the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The Mids (14-15 overall, 4-10 Patriot) will be at Bucknell or Holy Cross for the first round. Colgate (10-18, 5-9) gains the No. 5 seed with the win. The Raiders open the postseason at American.
Box score | AP
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Hoop Time Notebook
Bison standout Donald Brown has been out sinceout since breaking a bone in his right (shooting) hand during the Bison's Jan. 20 win at Colgate.
Brown will rejoin the Bison rotation for the postseason.
"I had an X-ray Friday. Everything looks good. I'm a go for Wednesday," said Brown after the Bison's win at Army Saturday.
Brown has been doing light shooting drills since a week after the surgery that placed pins in the bone to speed its healing. Those drills became more aggressive basketball drills using both hands once the pain in the broken hand subsided, Brown said.
The team's leading scorer and the league's top rebounder when he was hurt, Brown said he is not worried about re-injuring the hand in the normal course of the game because the bone that was broken is in a part of the hand that is not used to play basketball. He also feels more confident about being able to avoid re-injuring the hand after he took a knee to the hand trying to draw a charge in practice. Brown will wear a protective pad on the back of his hand.
NO ZOO, JUST A CREW -- New at Army since our last visit, a student section calling itself "The Crew." Decked out in yellow toy hard hats and yellow T-shirts, they numbered about 25 strong and pretty much accounted for the cadet population in attendance. Less than a dozen cadets in regular uniforms were on hand, which must mean, as a whole, the kids at West Point have been on their good behavior.
The back of those "The Crew" shirts includes a tagline: "The Hardest Working Fans in the Patriot League." Of course the obvious tag: "The few, the proud" was already taken.
SALUTE -- Senior Day at West Point did not mean a start for all of Jim Crews seniors. Center Jimmy Sewell, who has spent four years in and out of Crews' doghouse, started on the bench, as did guard Marshall Jackson. Sewell did get nine minutes of action. Jackson played 11 minutes.
CROWDED HOUSE -- You have to wonder how Crews will handle senior day in three years. His current roster of 20 players includes 8 freshmen, with who knows how many stashed away at USMAPS. The eight freshmen points out the factor about recruiting at the service academies that is oft overlooked. While the rest of the league is limited in how many scholarships it can offer, Army and Navy can bring in as many kids as they want and can also stash prospects at their prep schools for what amounts to a redshirt year unavailable to the rest of the league.
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Bison standout Donald Brown has been out sinceout since breaking a bone in his right (shooting) hand during the Bison's Jan. 20 win at Colgate.
Brown will rejoin the Bison rotation for the postseason.
"I had an X-ray Friday. Everything looks good. I'm a go for Wednesday," said Brown after the Bison's win at Army Saturday.
Brown has been doing light shooting drills since a week after the surgery that placed pins in the bone to speed its healing. Those drills became more aggressive basketball drills using both hands once the pain in the broken hand subsided, Brown said.
The team's leading scorer and the league's top rebounder when he was hurt, Brown said he is not worried about re-injuring the hand in the normal course of the game because the bone that was broken is in a part of the hand that is not used to play basketball. He also feels more confident about being able to avoid re-injuring the hand after he took a knee to the hand trying to draw a charge in practice. Brown will wear a protective pad on the back of his hand.
NO ZOO, JUST A CREW -- New at Army since our last visit, a student section calling itself "The Crew." Decked out in yellow toy hard hats and yellow T-shirts, they numbered about 25 strong and pretty much accounted for the cadet population in attendance. Less than a dozen cadets in regular uniforms were on hand, which must mean, as a whole, the kids at West Point have been on their good behavior.
The back of those "The Crew" shirts includes a tagline: "The Hardest Working Fans in the Patriot League." Of course the obvious tag: "The few, the proud" was already taken.
SALUTE -- Senior Day at West Point did not mean a start for all of Jim Crews seniors. Center Jimmy Sewell, who has spent four years in and out of Crews' doghouse, started on the bench, as did guard Marshall Jackson. Sewell did get nine minutes of action. Jackson played 11 minutes.
CROWDED HOUSE -- You have to wonder how Crews will handle senior day in three years. His current roster of 20 players includes 8 freshmen, with who knows how many stashed away at USMAPS. The eight freshmen points out the factor about recruiting at the service academies that is oft overlooked. While the rest of the league is limited in how many scholarships it can offer, Army and Navy can bring in as many kids as they want and can also stash prospects at their prep schools for what amounts to a redshirt year unavailable to the rest of the league.
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Saturday, February 24, 2007
Lehigh is the No. 3 seed. American is No. 4 and Lafayette is No. 8, everything else remains to be determined as we head into the final two days of the regular season.
We won't know the No. 1 seed until tomorrow, when Holy Cross visits Lehigh. Bucknell needs the Crusaders to stumble in Betghlehem to gain the top seed, regardless of the outcome of its game at Army this afternoon (matchup).
The game has more meaning for Army, which avoids facing either Bucknell or Holy Cross in the first round if it wins today.
The winner of this afternoon's Navy at Colgate game (matchup) also avoids playing at one of the top two seeds in the first round.
But who ends up where, against whom, depends on the combination of today's two games.
Here's a breakdown (hopefully one that won't need as many revisions as yesterday's did):
COLGATE: Win today and the Raiders are the No. 5 seed, regardless of what Army does. If Army and Colgate both lose, the Raiders are the No. 6 seed by virtue of a season sweep against the Black Knights. If Army wins and Colgate loses, Colgate drops to the No. 7 seed.
ARMY: If Army wins and Colgate loses, Army becomes the No. 5 seed. If Army and Navy both lose, Army is the No. 6 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker edge on Navy (a win over American).
NAVY: If the Mids and Army both win, Navy gets the No. 6 seed. If the Mids win and Army loses, Navy is No. 5.
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We won't know the No. 1 seed until tomorrow, when Holy Cross visits Lehigh. Bucknell needs the Crusaders to stumble in Betghlehem to gain the top seed, regardless of the outcome of its game at Army this afternoon (matchup).
The game has more meaning for Army, which avoids facing either Bucknell or Holy Cross in the first round if it wins today.
The winner of this afternoon's Navy at Colgate game (matchup) also avoids playing at one of the top two seeds in the first round.
But who ends up where, against whom, depends on the combination of today's two games.
Here's a breakdown (hopefully one that won't need as many revisions as yesterday's did):
COLGATE: Win today and the Raiders are the No. 5 seed, regardless of what Army does. If Army and Colgate both lose, the Raiders are the No. 6 seed by virtue of a season sweep against the Black Knights. If Army wins and Colgate loses, Colgate drops to the No. 7 seed.
ARMY: If Army wins and Colgate loses, Army becomes the No. 5 seed. If Army and Navy both lose, Army is the No. 6 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker edge on Navy (a win over American).
NAVY: If the Mids and Army both win, Navy gets the No. 6 seed. If the Mids win and Army loses, Navy is No. 5.
Labels: Army, BU, CU, Navy, previews
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Lafayette will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs after losing 78-67 at American Friday night.
The win sends American (15-13 overall, 7-7 Patriot League) into the postseason on a four-game win streak, equalling its longest of the season. American is now guaranteed a winning season. Lafayette (9-20, 3-11) has now dropped seven of its last eight.
It was close most of the game, with Lafayette still within 2 at 52-50 after a Marcus Harley jumper with 8:05 to play. American pulled away from their.
AU's 6-10 forward Brayden Billbe feasted on Lafayette's smallish frontline, putting up a 20-point, 10-rebound double double. Andre Ingram led all AU scorers with 25 points on 10 for 20 shooting from the field, including 5 treys on 10 tries. Derrick Mercer, coming off the bench so Sekou Lewis could start on senior night, added 17 for the Eagles.
Matt Betley led Lafayette with 17 points.
Lafayette will open the playoffs on the road at the top seed. American will host the No. 5 seed, most likely the winner of Saturday's Navy at Colgate game, in the first round.
Box score | AP
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The win sends American (15-13 overall, 7-7 Patriot League) into the postseason on a four-game win streak, equalling its longest of the season. American is now guaranteed a winning season. Lafayette (9-20, 3-11) has now dropped seven of its last eight.
It was close most of the game, with Lafayette still within 2 at 52-50 after a Marcus Harley jumper with 8:05 to play. American pulled away from their.
AU's 6-10 forward Brayden Billbe feasted on Lafayette's smallish frontline, putting up a 20-point, 10-rebound double double. Andre Ingram led all AU scorers with 25 points on 10 for 20 shooting from the field, including 5 treys on 10 tries. Derrick Mercer, coming off the bench so Sekou Lewis could start on senior night, added 17 for the Eagles.
Matt Betley led Lafayette with 17 points.
Lafayette will open the playoffs on the road at the top seed. American will host the No. 5 seed, most likely the winner of Saturday's Navy at Colgate game, in the first round.
Box score | AP
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Friday, February 23, 2007
(Updated with bonus links and some editing at 9:51 a.m.; additional edits made at 10:54 a.m.))
We already know who will be the home teams in the first round of the playoffs. Who the visitors will be gets finalized this weekend, beginning tonight when Lafayette visits American. (matchup)
American has already clinched a home spot in the first round. A win tonight, coupled with a Holy Cross win at Lehigh Sunday, would give AU the No. 3 seed for the tournament, not that there appears to be much of an edge gained by moving from No. 4 to No. 3. means nothing. EDITORS NOTE: Thanks to the folks who caught this one ... Lehigh swept that season series and owns the tiebreaker over AU).
A Lafayette loss leaves the Leopards in the No. 8 seed. A win, coupled with a Colgate loss Saturday against Navy, would move the 'Pards to No. 7. The only real difference for Lafayette would be the psychological boost of not finishing last -- either way they play on the road against either Holy Cross or Bucknell.
It makes a bigger difference to the eventual No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, who both probably would prefer to face Lafayette in the first round.
Here is a look, best we have been able to figure, at the various tiebreaking scenarios that could play out over the weekend:
Holy Cross 12-1 at Lehigh (Sunday) -- Win and the Crusaders get the No. 1 seed, a lossand a Bucknell win at Army would drop HC to No. 2 behind the Bison. EDITOR'S NOTE: Bucknell grad Manny Perez is first to e-mail pointing out that if both Bucknell and Holy Cross would lose, Bucknell would gain the top seed by virtue of its sweep of the season series with Lehigh. Good catch Manny, thanks!)
Bucknell 12-1 at Army (Saturday) -- Bison can finish no lower than the No. 2 seed. Would be No. 1 if HC loses at Lehighand BU wins at Army (see above)
Lehigh 7-6 home vs. Holy Cross (Sunday) --A win clinches Has clinched the No. 3 seed. A loss and an American win tonight against Lafayette would drop Lehigh to the No. 4 seed behind AU courtesy of AU's better RPI (192 - 240)
American 6-7 home vs. Lafayette (tonight) --Can finish no worse than Is No. 4.
Navy 4-9 at Colgate (Saturday) -- If Navy wins and Army loses to Bucknell, Navy becomes the No. 5 seed. If Navy and Army both win, Army's win over Bucknell would boost Army past the Mids on the basis of the second tiebreaker -- comparison of records. If Navy loses, it becomes more complicated. A Navy loss and a Lafayette win would leave the Mids in the No. 7 spot, ahead of the Leopards by virtue of sweeping the season series. If Army also loses, the Black Knights still have the tiebreaker edge for the No. 6 seed by virtue of a win over American, which swept Navy.
Army 4-9 home vs. Bucknell (Saturday) --Army cannot finish eighth. In the event of an Army loss and a Lafayette win, the Black Knights would hold the RPI tiebreaker edge. If Colgate also loses, Army drops to No. 8 since the tiebreaker would be record against the other teams involved in the multiple-tie. Colgate would be 3-1 against Lafayette and Army, Lafayette 2-2 and Army 1-3. If Lafayette wins and Army and Navy lose, Navy (3-1 by viture of sweeping Lafayette) gets the No. 6 spot, Army (2-2) is seventh, Lafayette stays in eighth.
Colgate 4-9 home vs. Navy (Sat.) -- A win makes the Raiders the No. 5 seed. A loss, coupled with a Lafayette win at AU, would drop Colgate to the No. 8 seed since the Raiders were swept by American. If Army also loses, see the three-way tie scenario above.
Lafayette 3-10 at American (tonight) -- A trip to either Bucknell or Holy Cross is inevitable for the 'Pards. A Lafayette loss leaves them in the No. 8 spot. A win and losses by Colgate and Army would move them to No. 7. A win with a Navy loss
BONUS LINKS:
Neutral sites might be way to go for tournament league tournament (Andre Williams in the Morning Call)
O'Hanlon has always been a winner; now he has the record to prove it (more from Andre)
Tom Housenick's weekly hoops column is first to hand out some league honors (Tom's Daily Item column filled to the brim this week with looks at the men's and women's sides of the league)
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We already know who will be the home teams in the first round of the playoffs. Who the visitors will be gets finalized this weekend, beginning tonight when Lafayette visits American. (matchup)
American has already clinched a home spot in the first round. A win tonight
A Lafayette loss leaves the Leopards in the No. 8 seed. A win, coupled with a Colgate loss Saturday against Navy, would move the 'Pards to No. 7. The only real difference for Lafayette would be the psychological boost of not finishing last -- either way they play on the road against either Holy Cross or Bucknell.
It makes a bigger difference to the eventual No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, who both probably would prefer to face Lafayette in the first round.
Here is a look, best we have been able to figure, at the various tiebreaking scenarios that could play out over the weekend:
Holy Cross 12-1 at Lehigh (Sunday) -- Win and the Crusaders get the No. 1 seed, a loss
Bucknell 12-1 at Army (Saturday) -- Bison can finish no lower than the No. 2 seed. Would be No. 1 if HC loses at Lehigh
Lehigh 7-6 home vs. Holy Cross (Sunday) --
American 6-7 home vs. Lafayette (tonight) --
Navy 4-9 at Colgate (Saturday) -- If Navy wins and Army loses to Bucknell, Navy becomes the No. 5 seed. If Navy and Army both win, Army's win over Bucknell would boost Army past the Mids on the basis of the second tiebreaker -- comparison of records. If Navy loses, it becomes more complicated. A Navy loss and a Lafayette win would leave the Mids in the No. 7 spot, ahead of the Leopards by virtue of sweeping the season series. If Army also loses, the Black Knights still have the tiebreaker edge for the No. 6 seed by virtue of a win over American, which swept Navy.
Army 4-9 home vs. Bucknell (Saturday) --
Colgate 4-9 home vs. Navy (Sat.) -- A win makes the Raiders the No. 5 seed. A loss, coupled with a Lafayette win at AU, would drop Colgate to the No. 8 seed since the Raiders were swept by American. If Army also loses, see the three-way tie scenario above.
Lafayette 3-10 at American (tonight) -- A trip to either Bucknell or Holy Cross is inevitable for the 'Pards. A Lafayette loss leaves them in the No. 8 spot. A win and losses by Colgate and Army would move them to No. 7. A win with a Navy loss
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Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Thursday, February 22, 2007
The Bison's senior center plays up to his preseason player of the year hype in road win.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
If all you know of Patriot League basketball is what has gone down this season, then you might have caught yourself wondering how Bucknell's Chris McNaughton could ever have been chosen the preseason Player of the Year.
Struggling against physical double-teams, picking up frustration fouls at the other end, McNaughton's start to this season was unimpressive. He failed to reach double figures in Bucknell's first two games, a trend that continued much of the first half of the season. Through 15 games, McNaughton reached double figures seven times.
Hardly Player of the Year stuff. Really not even an all-league caliber performance. After a tough January night in Worcester, where McNaughton had just 2 rebounds and 4 points, some even questioned his commitment.
Since that loss at Holy Cross, though, McNaughton has done a Peter Frampton, coming alive to look like the dominating force he was expected to be. Wednesday night he put up another in his series of big games, leading Bucknell to a 69-56 win at Lehigh.
When Donald Brown broke his hand, McNaughton was averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In six games since Brown went out, mcNaughton has upped his game, averaging 15.7 points and 8 boards per outting.
Wednesday night at Lehigh McNaughton stepped up again. Scoring in double figures for the ninth time in Bucknell's 11-game win streak, McNaughton poured in 14 points. The 6-11 senior from Germany also pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds, dished off 4 assists and blocked a pair of shots. The three guys Lehigh rotated against him picked up a combined 9 personal fouls trying to guard him.
McNaughton well all night, but it was his performance during a 4:44 stretch of the second half that really showed what a difference it makes having him on the floor. Despite power forward Darren Mastropaolo sitting on the bench in foul trouble after picking up his third and fourth personals in quick succession early in the second half, the Bison managed to keep their lead in double figures for most of the first seven minutes of the half.
When McNaughton sat down for a breather heading towards the second media timeout, Lehigh made a run, using three straight three-pointers -- two by Phil Anderson, who scored all of his 9 points from the arc -- and an old fashioned three-point play by Jose Olivero to cut the Bison lead to 43-41 with 10:53 to play.
"You knew their run was going to come. They were going to hit some shots," said Bucknell guard John Griffin.
And Bucknell knew what its response would be when that happened.
"We executed and got what we wanted down the stretch," Griffin said.
What Bucknell wanted was to put the ball in McNaughton's hands. They did just that on three of their first four possessions after he reentered the game.
The first trip down the floor, McNaughton caught the ball in good position and connected with a sweet baby hook. On his next touch, McNaughton beat a double team by kicking the ball out to Jason Vegotsky for a wide-open three. He added two more points on a little jumper his next touch.
"We got Chris the ball where we needed to get him the ball and he finished," Griffin said.
After the teams traded a series of empty possessions, McNaughton pretty much took away any wind still in Lehigh's sails by blocking an Olivero jumper, triggering a break that resulted in an Abe Badmus layup and a 7-point Bison lead.
Bucknell pulled away from there.
McNaughton was not the only guy who hurt Lehigh. Griffin had a team-high 16 points, including three big treys, one the result of another McNaughton kick out. Griffin also finished with 4 assists and 3 steals while turning the ball over just once.
Badmus, who set the tone by knocking down a three on Bucknell's first possession, finished with 13 points and also turned in another in what has become a series of shutdown defensive efforts on an opponent's leading scorer.
"McNaughton got double figures. Griffin got double figures. Badmus had double figures . . . That certainly wasn't our game plan -- to allow their three best players to score in double figures," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said.
Olivero finished with 14 points, sharing team honors with Kyle Neptune. But for most of the game, Olivero was not a factor. Not coincidentally, most of the game he was guarded by Badmus. Olivero was 1 for 5 in the first half, his lone field goal coming on Lehigh's second possession. That bucket came at the 18:38 mark. It was almost 25 minutes later until he made another, dropping a leaning jumper with 13:57 to play.
That shot seemed to get Olivero on track. It started a four-minute stretch where Olivero scored 7 of his 11 second half points. Not coincidentally, Badmus was sitting beside McNaughton most of that stretch while Flannery tried to use the upcoming media timeout to give some of his starters and extended break.
"We know Olivero is their horse. We put "The Glove" on him," Griffin said.
Olivero finished 5 of 13 from the field, 0 for 3 from the three-point arc, with 1 assist, 3 turnovers.
His were not Lehigh's only offensive struggles. The Mountain Hawks shot 32.6 percent from the field (15 of 46), 6 for 20 from the arc. Rookie point guard sensation Marquis Hall, who had reached double figures in eight straight games, was held to 4 points, going 1 of 8 from the field, 0 for 4 from the arc.
Kyle Neptune scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds off the bench for Lehigh.
Bucknell had only 7 field goals in the first half, but five were three-pointers and they added 13 of their 32 points from the foul line. In the second half the Bison shot 65 percent (13 of 20) from the field.
"We couldn't get that crucial stop. They shot 65 percent in the second half," lamented Taylor.
Box score | Gameblog | Postgame audio (Taylor, Olivero, Neptune; Flannery, Griffin, McNaughton | Daily Item | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer)
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
If all you know of Patriot League basketball is what has gone down this season, then you might have caught yourself wondering how Bucknell's Chris McNaughton could ever have been chosen the preseason Player of the Year.
Struggling against physical double-teams, picking up frustration fouls at the other end, McNaughton's start to this season was unimpressive. He failed to reach double figures in Bucknell's first two games, a trend that continued much of the first half of the season. Through 15 games, McNaughton reached double figures seven times.
Hardly Player of the Year stuff. Really not even an all-league caliber performance. After a tough January night in Worcester, where McNaughton had just 2 rebounds and 4 points, some even questioned his commitment.
Since that loss at Holy Cross, though, McNaughton has done a Peter Frampton, coming alive to look like the dominating force he was expected to be. Wednesday night he put up another in his series of big games, leading Bucknell to a 69-56 win at Lehigh.
When Donald Brown broke his hand, McNaughton was averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In six games since Brown went out, mcNaughton has upped his game, averaging 15.7 points and 8 boards per outting.
Wednesday night at Lehigh McNaughton stepped up again. Scoring in double figures for the ninth time in Bucknell's 11-game win streak, McNaughton poured in 14 points. The 6-11 senior from Germany also pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds, dished off 4 assists and blocked a pair of shots. The three guys Lehigh rotated against him picked up a combined 9 personal fouls trying to guard him.
McNaughton well all night, but it was his performance during a 4:44 stretch of the second half that really showed what a difference it makes having him on the floor. Despite power forward Darren Mastropaolo sitting on the bench in foul trouble after picking up his third and fourth personals in quick succession early in the second half, the Bison managed to keep their lead in double figures for most of the first seven minutes of the half.
When McNaughton sat down for a breather heading towards the second media timeout, Lehigh made a run, using three straight three-pointers -- two by Phil Anderson, who scored all of his 9 points from the arc -- and an old fashioned three-point play by Jose Olivero to cut the Bison lead to 43-41 with 10:53 to play.
"You knew their run was going to come. They were going to hit some shots," said Bucknell guard John Griffin.
And Bucknell knew what its response would be when that happened.
"We executed and got what we wanted down the stretch," Griffin said.
What Bucknell wanted was to put the ball in McNaughton's hands. They did just that on three of their first four possessions after he reentered the game.
The first trip down the floor, McNaughton caught the ball in good position and connected with a sweet baby hook. On his next touch, McNaughton beat a double team by kicking the ball out to Jason Vegotsky for a wide-open three. He added two more points on a little jumper his next touch.
"We got Chris the ball where we needed to get him the ball and he finished," Griffin said.
After the teams traded a series of empty possessions, McNaughton pretty much took away any wind still in Lehigh's sails by blocking an Olivero jumper, triggering a break that resulted in an Abe Badmus layup and a 7-point Bison lead.
Bucknell pulled away from there.
McNaughton was not the only guy who hurt Lehigh. Griffin had a team-high 16 points, including three big treys, one the result of another McNaughton kick out. Griffin also finished with 4 assists and 3 steals while turning the ball over just once.
Badmus, who set the tone by knocking down a three on Bucknell's first possession, finished with 13 points and also turned in another in what has become a series of shutdown defensive efforts on an opponent's leading scorer.
"McNaughton got double figures. Griffin got double figures. Badmus had double figures . . . That certainly wasn't our game plan -- to allow their three best players to score in double figures," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said.
Olivero finished with 14 points, sharing team honors with Kyle Neptune. But for most of the game, Olivero was not a factor. Not coincidentally, most of the game he was guarded by Badmus. Olivero was 1 for 5 in the first half, his lone field goal coming on Lehigh's second possession. That bucket came at the 18:38 mark. It was almost 25 minutes later until he made another, dropping a leaning jumper with 13:57 to play.
That shot seemed to get Olivero on track. It started a four-minute stretch where Olivero scored 7 of his 11 second half points. Not coincidentally, Badmus was sitting beside McNaughton most of that stretch while Flannery tried to use the upcoming media timeout to give some of his starters and extended break.
"We know Olivero is their horse. We put "The Glove" on him," Griffin said.
Olivero finished 5 of 13 from the field, 0 for 3 from the three-point arc, with 1 assist, 3 turnovers.
His were not Lehigh's only offensive struggles. The Mountain Hawks shot 32.6 percent from the field (15 of 46), 6 for 20 from the arc. Rookie point guard sensation Marquis Hall, who had reached double figures in eight straight games, was held to 4 points, going 1 of 8 from the field, 0 for 4 from the arc.
Kyle Neptune scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds off the bench for Lehigh.
Bucknell had only 7 field goals in the first half, but five were three-pointers and they added 13 of their 32 points from the foul line. In the second half the Bison shot 65 percent (13 of 20) from the field.
"We couldn't get that crucial stop. They shot 65 percent in the second half," lamented Taylor.
Box score | Gameblog | Postgame audio (Taylor, Olivero, Neptune; Flannery, Griffin, McNaughton | Daily Item | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer)
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A senior night crowd of 3,178 enjoyed the show as the Crusaders improved to 11-0 this season in Hart.
Poor Colgate. Even when they shoot the ball well, they still get blown out.
The Raiders, one of the worst shooting teams in all of Division I, hit 22 of 43 (51.2 percent) of their shotsand still were no match for Holy Cross, dropping a 68-57 decision on Senior Night at the Hart Center.
The win is HC's 15th straight in Hart. As has been the case in most of the other 14, seniors Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas led the way.
Simmons, the odds-on favorite for the Patriot League's Player of the Year honor, scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, made 4 steals, blocked a shot and dished off 3 assists. Being a home game, Simmons did not have to drive the bus.
Thomas added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for the Crusaders, who can clinch the homecourt advantage for the league final with a win Sunday at Lehigh.
Also in double figures for Holy Cross were center Tim Clifford (14 points) and forward Alex Vander Baaan (11 points, 5 reb., 5 asst.).
Jon Simon had 17 points and Kendall Chones added 14 for Colgate, which could end up seeded last and back in Worcester for the first round of the playoffs if it loses to Navy, American loses to Lafayette and Army knocks off Bucknell Saturday.
Holy Cross took control of the game with a 10-1 run prior to the half, then extended its 33-24 halftime lead to as many as 23 before Colgate used a meaningless late run to make the final look closer than the game really was.Box score | Telegram & Gazette
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Poor Colgate. Even when they shoot the ball well, they still get blown out.
The Raiders, one of the worst shooting teams in all of Division I, hit 22 of 43 (51.2 percent) of their shotsand still were no match for Holy Cross, dropping a 68-57 decision on Senior Night at the Hart Center.
The win is HC's 15th straight in Hart. As has been the case in most of the other 14, seniors Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas led the way.
Simmons, the odds-on favorite for the Patriot League's Player of the Year honor, scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, made 4 steals, blocked a shot and dished off 3 assists. Being a home game, Simmons did not have to drive the bus.
Thomas added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for the Crusaders, who can clinch the homecourt advantage for the league final with a win Sunday at Lehigh.
Also in double figures for Holy Cross were center Tim Clifford (14 points) and forward Alex Vander Baaan (11 points, 5 reb., 5 asst.).
Jon Simon had 17 points and Kendall Chones added 14 for Colgate, which could end up seeded last and back in Worcester for the first round of the playoffs if it loses to Navy, American loses to Lafayette and Army knocks off Bucknell Saturday.
Holy Cross took control of the game with a 10-1 run prior to the half, then extended its 33-24 halftime lead to as many as 23 before Colgate used a meaningless late run to make the final look closer than the game really was.Box score | Telegram & Gazette
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Loss at Army leaves Leopards alone in last place.
Jarrell brown scored 25 points and Matt Bell added 24 as Army snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 83-65 win over Lafayette.
The win moves Army into a three-team logjam for fifth place in the league standings.
Andrew Brown had 19 for Lafayette, which shot 15 for 47 (31.9 percent) from the field.
Army was 26 for 43 (60.5 percent) from the field.
Box score
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Jarrell brown scored 25 points and Matt Bell added 24 as Army snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 83-65 win over Lafayette.
The win moves Army into a three-team logjam for fifth place in the league standings.
Andrew Brown had 19 for Lafayette, which shot 15 for 47 (31.9 percent) from the field.
Army was 26 for 43 (60.5 percent) from the field.
Box score
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Notes and observations from Bucknell's 69-56 win at Lehigh:
A very large Bucknell fan contingent on hand in Stabler. Over half the fans on the far side are decked out in orange. Bucknell cheerleaders and Bucky Bison the mascot also made the trip from Lewisburg.
John Gourlay, the 7-0 sophomore backup center for Lehigh, is in street clothes tonight, out with an unspecified shoulder injury.
Also in street clothes is Bucknell's Donald brown, still out with his broken hand, though again tonight he is wearing no cast or wrap of any kind.
Lehigh basketball appears to have hitten campus rock bottom. The pep band tonight consists of a half-dozen musicians. The students number around 50, tops. Even the old L-E-H-I-G-H guys are gone, or at least wearing shirts.
Both teams have one three, but at the first media timeout, this is a battle in the paint. The refs are generally letting them play, though Darren Mastropaolo just got called for a questionable foul by the ref behind the play as a guy with full view left play go.
Bucknell 6, Lehigh 5 15:25 first
Pat Flannery got hit with his fifth technical of the season at the 13:59 mark of the first half, the call, by old friend Rich Gialella, came after a no call on a collision at the top of the key between Justin Castleberry and Lehigh's Jason Mgebroff, who was hedging the screen. Flannery erupted and Gialella slapped him with the T.
Shooting so far: Bucknell 4 for 12 from the field, 2 for 4 from three-point range, 1 for 4 at the line. Lehigh 5 for 12, 2 for 4 on threes, 3 for 4 at the line.
Lehigh 15, Bucknell 11, 11:02 first half
Billy Taylor will do what he can to keep this close. After the Mountain Hawks led for a stretch of about 5 minutes, Bucknell went back on top with a pair of McNaughton free throws and a John Griffin three at the 9:02 mark. The trey made it 16-15, Bucknell, and brought an immediate timeout by Taylor.
Bucknell held lehigh without a field goal for a stretch of around 6 minutes, going on a 14-2 run to build a 25-17 lead before Matt Szalachowski broke the draught with a three at the 4:12 mark.
Bucknell 25, Lehigh 20 (3:02 first)
First half stats:
Bucknell: 7 for 21 from the field (33.3 percent), 5 for 11 on 3s, 13 of 16 at the foul line; 4 turnovers, 20 rebounds
John Griffin 3 for 6, 3 for 4 on threes, 9 points; MacNaughton 1 for 5 from the field, 4 for 4 at the foul line - 6 points.
Lehigh: 6 for 26 from the field (23.1 percent), 3 of 11 threes, 8 for 10 at the line. 3 turnovers, 15 rebounds
Kyle Neptune 7 points
HALFTIME: Bucknell 32, Lehigh 23
The Lehigh pep band has swelled to 8 members at the half
Darren Mastropaolo picked up two personals in the first 2:26 of the half, sending him to the bench with four personals.
Lehigh without a field goal in the first 4:01 of the half. They have been to the line 6 times though, making 4. Bucknell is 2 for 4 from the floor, including a three by Jason Vegotsky
Bucknell 37, Lehigh 27, 15:59 to play
Lehigh's first field goal of the second half is Jose Olivero's second of the game. It came with around 13:50 to play.
Olivero's bucket sparked a Lehigh spurt that saw the Mountain Hawks cut Bucknell's lead to 43-41 by trading threes for twos. Phil Anderson hit a pair of treys and Kyle Neptune another in the spurt. Olivero added an old fashioned three-point play.
The lehigh spurt came with McNaughton and Badmus both on the bench resting and Mastropaolo still sitting with four personals. MeNaughton returned and hit a short jump hook to stem the tide, kicked out to Vegiotsky for an open three, then beat Mgebroff in the paint.
Bucknell 50, Lehigh 45 (8:10 to play)
The first half fouls went 11 for Lehigh, 6 for Bucknell. With 5:41 to play, second half fouls stand at 3 for Lehigh, 8 for Bucknell. Go figure.
Mastropaolo gets his fifth with 4:42 to go while playing straight up and down defense against Zahir Carrington.
Bucknell shot 16 free throws in the first half. They didn't get to the line in the second until griffin knocked down a pair with 4:22 to play.
Bucknell's 10th comes with 4:05 to play. Lehigh has just 4 fouls at that point.
Zahir Carrington becomes the first Lehigh player with four fouls when he holds McNaughton at the 3:40 mark. That is Lehigh's 5th team foul.
Bucknell 56, Lehigh 50 (3:40 to go)
John Griffin with 6 straight Bucknell points -- a one-man 6-1 run, making it 60-50 Bucknell with 2:20 to play. Griffins third score in the spurt, a banker from the top of the key, especially opainful to Lehigh, coming after Bryan White missed an open dunk at the other end.
The lack of fouls actually hurt Lehigh. They couldn't send Bucknell to the line for one-and-one until there was just 1:10 left to play. That seventh team foul came on Carrington, who fouled out on the play. McNaughton hit both shots for a 52-52 lead.
The final box will show Lehigh with more fouls than Bucknell in the second half. That will be a misleading. Lehigh picked up five fouls in the final 1:10 of the game. Bucknell hit 7 of 9 at the line in that stretch.
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Bucknell 6, Lehigh 5 15:25 first
Lehigh 15, Bucknell 11, 11:02 first half
Bucknell 25, Lehigh 20 (3:02 first)
First half stats:
Bucknell: 7 for 21 from the field (33.3 percent), 5 for 11 on 3s, 13 of 16 at the foul line; 4 turnovers, 20 rebounds
John Griffin 3 for 6, 3 for 4 on threes, 9 points; MacNaughton 1 for 5 from the field, 4 for 4 at the foul line - 6 points.
Lehigh: 6 for 26 from the field (23.1 percent), 3 of 11 threes, 8 for 10 at the line. 3 turnovers, 15 rebounds
Kyle Neptune 7 points
HALFTIME: Bucknell 32, Lehigh 23
Lehigh without a field goal in the first 4:01 of the half. They have been to the line 6 times though, making 4. Bucknell is 2 for 4 from the floor, including a three by Jason Vegotsky
Bucknell 37, Lehigh 27, 15:59 to play
Bucknell 50, Lehigh 45 (8:10 to play)
Bucknell 56, Lehigh 50 (3:40 to go)
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The first round playoff sites have been determined. Semifinal sites, barring major first round upsets, are already set. So what are the six teams involved in the three games on tap tonight playing for?
For Bucknell and Holy Cross, the answer is simple. The two are deadlocked for first place, with the highest seed gaining the homecourt edge in the league final, should it get that far.
For Holy Cross, that means avoiding a slip up tonight when they host Colgate (matchup). Win this one and win Sunday at Lehigh and the top seed is theirs, no matter what Bucknell does. The Raiders gave the Crusaders a battle in Hamilton last month. The Crusaders trailed by 10 in the second half of that one and needed a Keith Simmons three with 20 seconds left to pull off a 58-55 win.
Tonight, in Worcester, in front of a Hart Center crowd that out to be whipped into a frenzy during the pregame festivities honoring the team's two standout seniors -- Simmons and point guard Torey Thomas -- the Crusaders should have no trouble getting into the game from the start.
Bucknell, of course, needs to win tonight at Lehigh (matchup), Saturday at Army and also needs someone to knock off Holy Cross.
Lehigh, with the No. 3 seed locked up, would love to win its last two home games to send a message to the frontrunners prior to the start of the playoffs. Bucknell had an easy time of it against the Mountain Hawks in Lewisburg last month. Two big differences this time around (besides the change in venue): Lehigh did not have Jason Mgebroff last time the two met. Bucknell did have Donald Brown.
Brown was not even wearing a wrap on his broken right hand Saturday when Bucknell took on Towson. But he was still in street clothes and there has been no indication he is ready to return just yet. He was a big factor in the first meeting, scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Mgebroff has not put up any impressive numbers in his two games back after sitting out over two months with stress fractures in a leg. But the 6-10 senior went 11 minutes Sunday against Lafayette. Part of those minutes might have been because of the foul trouble the rest of Lehigh's lineup got into against the Leopards.
We'll see tonight if Mgebroff is in good enough shape to go extended minutes and make a difference against Bucknell or if he is still playing back into shape for the postseason.
The evening's third game is probably the most significant in terms of first round pairings. Lafayette travels to Army (matchup), with the winner escaping last place in the league standings. Lafayette, with a win here and some help from its friends, could actually finish as high as fifth, avoiding a first round matchup at Bucknell or Holy Cross. The Leopards win over Lehigh would give them a tiebreaker edge over Colgate if the two finish tied for a spot.
The avoid-HC-or-BU scenarios are less favorable to Army, which also has to beat Bucknell Saturday for any chance of that happening. Even then, the Black Knights need some help since Colgate swept the regular season series between the two teams, giving the Raiders any tiebreaker scenarios.
If Army wins out, and Colgate beats Navy Saturday, the Black Knights would tie the Mids for sixth, and would have the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a win over Bucknell.
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For Bucknell and Holy Cross, the answer is simple. The two are deadlocked for first place, with the highest seed gaining the homecourt edge in the league final, should it get that far.
For Holy Cross, that means avoiding a slip up tonight when they host Colgate (matchup). Win this one and win Sunday at Lehigh and the top seed is theirs, no matter what Bucknell does. The Raiders gave the Crusaders a battle in Hamilton last month. The Crusaders trailed by 10 in the second half of that one and needed a Keith Simmons three with 20 seconds left to pull off a 58-55 win.
Tonight, in Worcester, in front of a Hart Center crowd that out to be whipped into a frenzy during the pregame festivities honoring the team's two standout seniors -- Simmons and point guard Torey Thomas -- the Crusaders should have no trouble getting into the game from the start.
Bucknell, of course, needs to win tonight at Lehigh (matchup), Saturday at Army and also needs someone to knock off Holy Cross.
Lehigh, with the No. 3 seed locked up, would love to win its last two home games to send a message to the frontrunners prior to the start of the playoffs. Bucknell had an easy time of it against the Mountain Hawks in Lewisburg last month. Two big differences this time around (besides the change in venue): Lehigh did not have Jason Mgebroff last time the two met. Bucknell did have Donald Brown.
Brown was not even wearing a wrap on his broken right hand Saturday when Bucknell took on Towson. But he was still in street clothes and there has been no indication he is ready to return just yet. He was a big factor in the first meeting, scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Mgebroff has not put up any impressive numbers in his two games back after sitting out over two months with stress fractures in a leg. But the 6-10 senior went 11 minutes Sunday against Lafayette. Part of those minutes might have been because of the foul trouble the rest of Lehigh's lineup got into against the Leopards.
We'll see tonight if Mgebroff is in good enough shape to go extended minutes and make a difference against Bucknell or if he is still playing back into shape for the postseason.
The evening's third game is probably the most significant in terms of first round pairings. Lafayette travels to Army (matchup), with the winner escaping last place in the league standings. Lafayette, with a win here and some help from its friends, could actually finish as high as fifth, avoiding a first round matchup at Bucknell or Holy Cross. The Leopards win over Lehigh would give them a tiebreaker edge over Colgate if the two finish tied for a spot.
The avoid-HC-or-BU scenarios are less favorable to Army, which also has to beat Bucknell Saturday for any chance of that happening. Even then, the Black Knights need some help since Colgate swept the regular season series between the two teams, giving the Raiders any tiebreaker scenarios.
If Army wins out, and Colgate beats Navy Saturday, the Black Knights would tie the Mids for sixth, and would have the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a win over Bucknell.
Labels: Army, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, previews
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American will open the playoffs at home after clinching the fourth seed with a win at Navy.
Four guys hit in double figures for the Eagles (14-13 overall, 6-7 Patriot) in the 71-60 win in Annapolis. Andre Ingram led AU with 16 points. Derrick Mercer added 15, Linas Lekavicius had 12 and Arvydas Eitutavicius finished with 10 for AU.
The Eagles shot 53.5 percent(23 of 43) from the field, including 5 of 13 from three-point range. AU was 20 for 26 at the foul line.
Navy struggled from the field, hitting just 19 of 57 (35.3 percent). Take Greg Sprink, who led all scorers with 23 points, out of the Navy box score and the rest of the Mids shot 298 percent from the field (13 of 46). Navy was 8 for 30 from the arc, 14 for 19 at the foul line. Sprink accounted for 9 of the made free throws (and 11 of the shots taken).
Freshman Trey Stanton, who came off the bench for the first time all season, had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Stanton, who has started in each of Navy's 27 pervious games, yielded his spot in the lineup to Calvin White for Senior Night at Alumni Hall.
Navy was within two late in the first half when American went on a 10-3 run to go into the intermission up 27-18. The Eagles then opened the second half with a 7-0 run and never led by less than 9 points the rest of the way.
Box score | Washington Post
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Four guys hit in double figures for the Eagles (14-13 overall, 6-7 Patriot) in the 71-60 win in Annapolis. Andre Ingram led AU with 16 points. Derrick Mercer added 15, Linas Lekavicius had 12 and Arvydas Eitutavicius finished with 10 for AU.
The Eagles shot 53.5 percent(23 of 43) from the field, including 5 of 13 from three-point range. AU was 20 for 26 at the foul line.
Navy struggled from the field, hitting just 19 of 57 (35.3 percent). Take Greg Sprink, who led all scorers with 23 points, out of the Navy box score and the rest of the Mids shot 298 percent from the field (13 of 46). Navy was 8 for 30 from the arc, 14 for 19 at the foul line. Sprink accounted for 9 of the made free throws (and 11 of the shots taken).
Freshman Trey Stanton, who came off the bench for the first time all season, had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Stanton, who has started in each of Navy's 27 pervious games, yielded his spot in the lineup to Calvin White for Senior Night at Alumni Hall.
Navy was within two late in the first half when American went on a 10-3 run to go into the intermission up 27-18. The Eagles then opened the second half with a 7-0 run and never led by less than 9 points the rest of the way.
Box score | Washington Post
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Three teams have already clinched home games in the first round of the Patriot League playoffs. American can claim the final spot with a win at Navy tonight.
Navy (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot), which has won three of its last four, is also still alive in the race for that home spot. Currently one game back, the Mids could claim that spot with a win tonight and a win Saturday at Colgate. In that scenarion, Navy would win the tiebreaker with AU by virtue of the Mids win at Lehigh.
American (13-13, 5-7) has won 12 of the last 13 between these two, including a 55-46 home win on Jan. 24. Navy 's only win in that 13-game stretch was last season in Annapolis.
Matchup
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Navy (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot), which has won three of its last four, is also still alive in the race for that home spot. Currently one game back, the Mids could claim that spot with a win tonight and a win Saturday at Colgate. In that scenarion, Navy would win the tiebreaker with AU by virtue of the Mids win at Lehigh.
American (13-13, 5-7) has won 12 of the last 13 between these two, including a 55-46 home win on Jan. 24. Navy 's only win in that 13-game stretch was last season in Annapolis.
Matchup
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Monday, February 19, 2007
Holy Cross holds on to its spot and is joined by Bucknell in the latest Mid-Major Top 25.
The Bison check back in to the Mid-Major Top 25 at the No. 25 spot. Holy Cross stays at No. 17. No other league schools received votes.
Again this week, no votes for any Patriot League schools in either of the major polls.
While you are on College Insider checking the Mid-Major Poll, be sure to read Angela Lento's profile of Holy Cross' Web-savvy, clothes horse, Ralph Willard.
Also on the same site, Bucknell's Pat Flannery has been named Mid-Major coach of the Week
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The Bison check back in to the Mid-Major Top 25 at the No. 25 spot. Holy Cross stays at No. 17. No other league schools received votes.
Again this week, no votes for any Patriot League schools in either of the major polls.
While you are on College Insider checking the Mid-Major Poll, be sure to read Angela Lento's profile of Holy Cross' Web-savvy, clothes horse, Ralph Willard.
Also on the same site, Bucknell's Pat Flannery has been named Mid-Major coach of the Week
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An ugly start to Lafayette's senior day festivities was long forgotten after one of the Leopards' three seniors hit two foul shots to seal a win over Lehigh.
Jamaal Hilliard will never forget the last two shots he took in Kirby Sports Center. Neither will his Lafayette teammates.
Hilliard, who spent much of his career in Kirby sitting in street clothes due to injuries, hit a pair of free throws with 2 seconds left in the second overtime Sunday to seal the Leopards 75-71 double OT upset of archrival Lehigh (11-16 overall, 7-5 Patriot).
It was a senior night dream ending to a game that got off to a nightmarish start for Lafayette (9-18, 3-9). Missing their first 15 shots from the field, the Leopards went the first 8:51 of the game without scoring, falling into an early 11-0 hole.
Fortunately for Lafayette, Lehigh was not exactly shooting the lights out, either. After that 11-0 spurt in the first 5:25, the Mountain Hawks went the next 6:21 without scoring.
That slowdown allowed Lafayette to climb back into the game. After cutting the deficit to 11-3 with foul shots, the Leopards scored their first field goal with 8:45 to go in the first half. That bucket, a layup by Andrew Brown, pulled the 'Pards within two possessions at 11-5.
It was 24-23 Lehigh at the half, 52-52 after Jose Olivero hit a jumpere to tie it with 13 seconds to go in regulation.
After Matt Betley tied it at 62-62 with 24 seconds to go in the first OT, Lehigh played for one shot, giving Lehigh a chance play for the last shot and a win. Jose Olivero's jumper rimmed out, sending the game to a second OT.
While Hilliard's free throws will be what most fans remember, it was his defense on Olivero that helped make the upset possible. Lehigh's leading scorer finished with 15 points when he fouled out in the second OT. But he had to work hard for those points. Olivero was 3 for 17 from the field, 1 for 9 from three-point range.
Olivero was one of four Lehigh players to foul out, a process that sent Lafayette to the line 37 times, where they knocked down 30. That enabled the Leopards to overcome Lehigh's five field goal advantage.
Marquis Hall had a game-high 22 points for the Mountain Hawks, who were 24 for 69 (34.8 percent) from the field, 6 of 23 from the arc. Lehigh went 17 for 22 at the charity stripe. Lehigh held a 50-42 edge on the boards, but was whistled for 29 fouls to 19 called on Lafayette.
Olivero's foul problems limited him to 32 minutes of action. Kyle Neptune played 29 minutes before he fouled out with 11 points. Phil Anderson (23 min.) and Zahir Carrington (24 min.) also fouled out for Lehigh and Bryan White finished with four personals.
Ted Detmer had four fouls for Lafayette. Nobody else had more than three.
Brown and Bilal Abdullah each had 14 points for Lafayette. Brown dished out 6 assists. Betley posted 13 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Jason Mgebroff played 13 minutes for Lehigh in his second game back after sitting since December with stress fracture in his leg. Mgebroff had 2 points and 0 rebounds.
Lehigh, which has already clinched the No. 3 seed for the postseason, hosts bucknell Wednesday and Holy Cross Sunday to close out the regular season. Lafayette, which is at Army on Wednesday and at American Friday, can still finish as high as tied for fourth in the regular season. Under any fourth-place tie scenarios, the best seeding Lafayette can hope for following the tiebreakers would be fifth.
Box score | Watch the 2nd OT | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer) | Morning Call (column)
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Jamaal Hilliard will never forget the last two shots he took in Kirby Sports Center. Neither will his Lafayette teammates.
Hilliard, who spent much of his career in Kirby sitting in street clothes due to injuries, hit a pair of free throws with 2 seconds left in the second overtime Sunday to seal the Leopards 75-71 double OT upset of archrival Lehigh (11-16 overall, 7-5 Patriot).
It was a senior night dream ending to a game that got off to a nightmarish start for Lafayette (9-18, 3-9). Missing their first 15 shots from the field, the Leopards went the first 8:51 of the game without scoring, falling into an early 11-0 hole.
Fortunately for Lafayette, Lehigh was not exactly shooting the lights out, either. After that 11-0 spurt in the first 5:25, the Mountain Hawks went the next 6:21 without scoring.
That slowdown allowed Lafayette to climb back into the game. After cutting the deficit to 11-3 with foul shots, the Leopards scored their first field goal with 8:45 to go in the first half. That bucket, a layup by Andrew Brown, pulled the 'Pards within two possessions at 11-5.
It was 24-23 Lehigh at the half, 52-52 after Jose Olivero hit a jumpere to tie it with 13 seconds to go in regulation.
After Matt Betley tied it at 62-62 with 24 seconds to go in the first OT, Lehigh played for one shot, giving Lehigh a chance play for the last shot and a win. Jose Olivero's jumper rimmed out, sending the game to a second OT.
While Hilliard's free throws will be what most fans remember, it was his defense on Olivero that helped make the upset possible. Lehigh's leading scorer finished with 15 points when he fouled out in the second OT. But he had to work hard for those points. Olivero was 3 for 17 from the field, 1 for 9 from three-point range.
Olivero was one of four Lehigh players to foul out, a process that sent Lafayette to the line 37 times, where they knocked down 30. That enabled the Leopards to overcome Lehigh's five field goal advantage.
Marquis Hall had a game-high 22 points for the Mountain Hawks, who were 24 for 69 (34.8 percent) from the field, 6 of 23 from the arc. Lehigh went 17 for 22 at the charity stripe. Lehigh held a 50-42 edge on the boards, but was whistled for 29 fouls to 19 called on Lafayette.
Olivero's foul problems limited him to 32 minutes of action. Kyle Neptune played 29 minutes before he fouled out with 11 points. Phil Anderson (23 min.) and Zahir Carrington (24 min.) also fouled out for Lehigh and Bryan White finished with four personals.
Ted Detmer had four fouls for Lafayette. Nobody else had more than three.
Brown and Bilal Abdullah each had 14 points for Lafayette. Brown dished out 6 assists. Betley posted 13 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Jason Mgebroff played 13 minutes for Lehigh in his second game back after sitting since December with stress fracture in his leg. Mgebroff had 2 points and 0 rebounds.
Lehigh, which has already clinched the No. 3 seed for the postseason, hosts bucknell Wednesday and Holy Cross Sunday to close out the regular season. Lafayette, which is at Army on Wednesday and at American Friday, can still finish as high as tied for fourth in the regular season. Under any fourth-place tie scenarios, the best seeding Lafayette can hope for following the tiebreakers would be fifth.
Box score | Watch the 2nd OT | Express-Times | Morning Call (gamer) | Morning Call (column)
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Sunday, February 18, 2007
(Full post includes bonus link)
Could an upset be brewing down in the Lehigh Valley?
Lafayette still has a remote shot at avoiding one of the top two seeds in the first round. For that to happen, though, the Leopards have to win out, beginning with this afternoon's game against third-place Lehigh (matchup).
It's not beyond the realm of possibility. The Leopards have a history of upsetting the Mountain Hawks in Kirby. Matter of fact, last year was the only time in the past five seasons that Lehigh escaped Easton with a W.
Lehigh has already clinched a first round home game and cannot improve upon that scenario. The Hawks have two huge home games in the coming week, hosting Bucknell and Holy Cross in games they hope to use to make a statement about their postseason prospects. So we have a team that is 3-12 on the road, playing for nothing and looking ahead to its next two games.
Toss in the unpredictable nature of a rivalry game like Lehigh-Lafayette and the ingredients for an upset are there.
The question is whether or not Fran O'Hanlon's team, in the midst of a five-game slide, is capable of putting it all together. If they are able to shoot the ball the way they did against Bucknell and Holy Cross in Kirby, that is a distinct possibility.
Game time is noon on ESPNU and the local Lafayette Sports Network.
BONUS LINK:
AU is so close, yet so far away (John Feinstein in the Washington Post)
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Could an upset be brewing down in the Lehigh Valley?
Lafayette still has a remote shot at avoiding one of the top two seeds in the first round. For that to happen, though, the Leopards have to win out, beginning with this afternoon's game against third-place Lehigh (matchup).
It's not beyond the realm of possibility. The Leopards have a history of upsetting the Mountain Hawks in Kirby. Matter of fact, last year was the only time in the past five seasons that Lehigh escaped Easton with a W.
Lehigh has already clinched a first round home game and cannot improve upon that scenario. The Hawks have two huge home games in the coming week, hosting Bucknell and Holy Cross in games they hope to use to make a statement about their postseason prospects. So we have a team that is 3-12 on the road, playing for nothing and looking ahead to its next two games.
Toss in the unpredictable nature of a rivalry game like Lehigh-Lafayette and the ingredients for an upset are there.
The question is whether or not Fran O'Hanlon's team, in the midst of a five-game slide, is capable of putting it all together. If they are able to shoot the ball the way they did against Bucknell and Holy Cross in Kirby, that is a distinct possibility.
Game time is noon on ESPNU and the local Lafayette Sports Network.
BONUS LINK:
AU is so close, yet so far away (John Feinstein in the Washington Post)
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It is not often you can shoot under 42 percent from the field and still win by almost 20 points. Playing against Colgate, one of the nation's worst offensive teams, Marist did just that.
Give the Red Foxes credit. They now have 21 wins. They sit atop the MAAC and have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament. But before anybody in Poughkeepsie gets too excited about the defense Marist played in Saturday's 63-47 BracketBusters win over Colgate, you should know what you saw Saturday in the McCann Center was pretty much what we have seen all season from the Raiders in the Patriot League.
“We’ve been getting better, game by game. Tonight, they only had 20 points in the second half," Marist junior Ryan Stilphen told the Poghkeepsie Journal. “If we can hold teams to 20 points in a half, we’re going to win a lot of basketball games.”
If you could play Colgate more often, you could probably do just that.
Holding Colgate to 29.2 percent (7 of 24) shooting in the second half, 34 percent (17 of 50) for the game is pretty much what happens on a nightly basis. That is why the Raiders are ranked 305 out of 325 Division I schools in field goal percentage.
Holding Colgate under 50 points? More old hat. It has happened seven times already, three times in the Patriot League. This is the No. 320 scoring team in the nation we're talking about.
Colgate actually had a 7 point lead midway through the first half. But Marist (21-7) went ahead with a 9-0 run and extended its lead to 31-27 at the half. The gang that can't shoot straight never could not recover.
Jon Simon (10 points) was the only guy in double figures for the Raiders (9-17), who were 7 of 14 at the free throw line..
Will Whittington led Marist with 15 points, all on three-pointers (he was 5 for 12 at the arc). Stilphen and Wilfred Benjamin each added 12 for the Red Foxes, who were 20 of 48 from the field (41.7 percent). Marist was 16 of 19 at the foul line and outrebounded Colgate 40-26.
Box score | Poghkeepsie Journal (gamer) | Poughkeepsie Journal (blog) | Poughkeepsie Journal (sidebar) | Poughkeepsie Journal (photo gallery)
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Give the Red Foxes credit. They now have 21 wins. They sit atop the MAAC and have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament. But before anybody in Poughkeepsie gets too excited about the defense Marist played in Saturday's 63-47 BracketBusters win over Colgate, you should know what you saw Saturday in the McCann Center was pretty much what we have seen all season from the Raiders in the Patriot League.
“We’ve been getting better, game by game. Tonight, they only had 20 points in the second half," Marist junior Ryan Stilphen told the Poghkeepsie Journal. “If we can hold teams to 20 points in a half, we’re going to win a lot of basketball games.”
If you could play Colgate more often, you could probably do just that.
Holding Colgate to 29.2 percent (7 of 24) shooting in the second half, 34 percent (17 of 50) for the game is pretty much what happens on a nightly basis. That is why the Raiders are ranked 305 out of 325 Division I schools in field goal percentage.
Holding Colgate under 50 points? More old hat. It has happened seven times already, three times in the Patriot League. This is the No. 320 scoring team in the nation we're talking about.
Colgate actually had a 7 point lead midway through the first half. But Marist (21-7) went ahead with a 9-0 run and extended its lead to 31-27 at the half. The gang that can't shoot straight never could not recover.
Jon Simon (10 points) was the only guy in double figures for the Raiders (9-17), who were 7 of 14 at the free throw line..
Will Whittington led Marist with 15 points, all on three-pointers (he was 5 for 12 at the arc). Stilphen and Wilfred Benjamin each added 12 for the Red Foxes, who were 20 of 48 from the field (41.7 percent). Marist was 16 of 19 at the foul line and outrebounded Colgate 40-26.
Box score | Poghkeepsie Journal (gamer) | Poughkeepsie Journal (blog) | Poughkeepsie Journal (sidebar) | Poughkeepsie Journal (photo gallery)
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(Originally posted Sat, at 6 p.m., links added at 6:59 a.m.)
Carlos Rivera played Hempstead hero in Hofstra's BracketBusters win over Holy Cross.
It was there for the taking. After trailing since midway through the first half, Holy Cross took a 64-63 lead on an Eric Meister tip-in with 1:36 to play. Twice the Crusaders (20-8) came up with defensive stops and had a chance to extend that one-point lead. Each time they failed, allowing Hofstra to sneak back for a 65-64 win.
Rivera was the hero, making a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give Hofstra (20-8) the lead, then blocking a Keith Simmons jumper at the buzzer that would have given HC the win.
It might not have come down to that had Meister hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left, when HC was still up by one. An earlier opportunity to extend that lead ended when Torey Thomas drove baseline and had the ball knocked out of bounds off of him.
The Crusaders, who were 25 of 50 from the field before their final possession, got the ball in the right guy's hands, with Meister, in the game replacing Tim Clifford, who fouled out with 6:45 to play, finding Simmons with the long inbounds pass. Simmons caught the ball just inside the arc, but Ruiz got a hand of his 17-footer to preserve the Hofstra win.
Simmons led all scorers, finishing with 22. Thomas added 16 points and 6 steals. Clifford finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out when he picked up a pair of fouls in a 17-second span in the second half. Simmons played a total of 29 minutes before being disqualified.
The Crusaders hit 25 of 51 from the field(49 percent), 4 of 14 three-pointers. HC was 10 for 16 at the foul line, four of the misses coming from the freshman, Meister, who was 0 for 4.
Rivera led Hofstra with 19 points, including four treys (on five attempts). Antoine Agudio also had 19 for the Pride. Loren Stokes added 16.
Hofstra shot 55.8 percent (24 of 43) from the field against Holy Cross, 7 of 12 from the arc. The Pride struggled at the free throw line, making 10 of 20.
Box score | Newsday | Telegram & Gazette
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Carlos Rivera played Hempstead hero in Hofstra's BracketBusters win over Holy Cross.
It was there for the taking. After trailing since midway through the first half, Holy Cross took a 64-63 lead on an Eric Meister tip-in with 1:36 to play. Twice the Crusaders (20-8) came up with defensive stops and had a chance to extend that one-point lead. Each time they failed, allowing Hofstra to sneak back for a 65-64 win.
Rivera was the hero, making a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give Hofstra (20-8) the lead, then blocking a Keith Simmons jumper at the buzzer that would have given HC the win.
It might not have come down to that had Meister hit a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left, when HC was still up by one. An earlier opportunity to extend that lead ended when Torey Thomas drove baseline and had the ball knocked out of bounds off of him.
The Crusaders, who were 25 of 50 from the field before their final possession, got the ball in the right guy's hands, with Meister, in the game replacing Tim Clifford, who fouled out with 6:45 to play, finding Simmons with the long inbounds pass. Simmons caught the ball just inside the arc, but Ruiz got a hand of his 17-footer to preserve the Hofstra win.
Simmons led all scorers, finishing with 22. Thomas added 16 points and 6 steals. Clifford finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out when he picked up a pair of fouls in a 17-second span in the second half. Simmons played a total of 29 minutes before being disqualified.
The Crusaders hit 25 of 51 from the field(49 percent), 4 of 14 three-pointers. HC was 10 for 16 at the foul line, four of the misses coming from the freshman, Meister, who was 0 for 4.
Rivera led Hofstra with 19 points, including four treys (on five attempts). Antoine Agudio also had 19 for the Pride. Loren Stokes added 16.
Hofstra shot 55.8 percent (24 of 43) from the field against Holy Cross, 7 of 12 from the arc. The Pride struggled at the free throw line, making 10 of 20.
Box score | Newsday | Telegram & Gazette
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(Originally posted Sat, at 5:07 p.m., links added at 6:55 a.m.)
In their final regular season game in Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell's seniors were the key to a record-setting win.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Bucknell had an answer for Gary Neal. Towson had none for Chris McNaughton.
In a nutshell, that was the tale of Bucknell's 73-63 BracketBusters win Saturday afternoon in Sojka Pavilion.
In a fitting celebration of Senior Day, the Bison's two available seniors put on a show in their final regular season home game. McNaughton was nearly unstoppable, shredding the undersized Towson defense for a season-high 23 points. The other healthy senior, Abe Badmus, threw a blanket over Neal, rendering the Colonial Athletic Association's leading scorer ineffective until the game was already decided.
After the game, Towson coach Pat Kennedy lamented the absence of his own 6-9 center, Tommy Breaux, who stayed back home in Maryland due to illness.
"We had to go with a substitute and they took advantage of it," Kennedy said.
The way McNaughton played, especially early, when the game was still in doubt, it is hard to imagine Breaux doing much to slow him. Not with Kennedy electing to try to guard McNaughton with one man much of the first half. McNaughton had it going on all cylinders, knocking down 11 of the first 13 shots he took, including a pair of long jumpers from just inside the three-point arc.
"We kept throwing it inside," said McNaughton, who also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, dished off three assists and blocked three shots -- all without picking up a single personal.
Badmus' contribution is harder to spot in the box score. His seven assists were huge, but his defensive effort on Neal was what really made an impression. Neal, the nation's third-leading scorer coming in, was held to 21 points, 4.5 below his 25.5 ppg average. Twenty of those points came in the second half, none while the game was still in question.
Towson (14-14) tried everything to get Neal open looks, running him through more picks than a banjo players convention. Every time he popped out the other side of a screen, there was Badmus in his pocket, sticking to him like lint. Neal was 0 for 4 in the first half, 0 for 6 before he finally hit his first field goal, a putback off his own miss with 15:40 to play.
"Gary was moving slow today. His movements were too slow," Kennedy said. "No. 5 (Badmus) did a real nice job on him."
Neal knew he was in for a long afternoon by the time he took his third shot of the game, a 16-foot jumper that was blocked cleanly by Badmus.
"Abe did a great job of pushing him out of his comfort zone and when he did drive, there was a lot of help there," said Flannery.
Neal did manage to get it going late in the game, scoring 12 of his points during a six-minute stretch that saw Towson cut Bucknell's 23-point lead to 13 with just over 5 minutes to go. Jason Vegotsky and John Griffin answered with a pair of threes to push Bucknell's lead back to 17 before Flannery emptied his bench in the final 2 minutes.
The win, a record 83rd of their career for the BU seniors, is Bucknell's 10th in a row, means the Bison (18-8) can put together a third-straight 20-win season with victories in their two remaining regular season games. Bucknell is at Lehigh Wednesday, then closes the regular season at Army on Saturday.
The Bison are guaranteed at least two home games in the postseason if they can win in the opening round and still have a chance at gaining the home court edge for the league final if they sweep and Holy Cross splits in its final two conference games.
Box score | Postgame audio (Kennedy, Flannery, McNaughton, Badmus) | Gameblog | Daily Item | Sun-Gazette
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In their final regular season game in Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell's seniors were the key to a record-setting win.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Bucknell had an answer for Gary Neal. Towson had none for Chris McNaughton.
In a nutshell, that was the tale of Bucknell's 73-63 BracketBusters win Saturday afternoon in Sojka Pavilion.
In a fitting celebration of Senior Day, the Bison's two available seniors put on a show in their final regular season home game. McNaughton was nearly unstoppable, shredding the undersized Towson defense for a season-high 23 points. The other healthy senior, Abe Badmus, threw a blanket over Neal, rendering the Colonial Athletic Association's leading scorer ineffective until the game was already decided.
After the game, Towson coach Pat Kennedy lamented the absence of his own 6-9 center, Tommy Breaux, who stayed back home in Maryland due to illness.
"We had to go with a substitute and they took advantage of it," Kennedy said.
The way McNaughton played, especially early, when the game was still in doubt, it is hard to imagine Breaux doing much to slow him. Not with Kennedy electing to try to guard McNaughton with one man much of the first half. McNaughton had it going on all cylinders, knocking down 11 of the first 13 shots he took, including a pair of long jumpers from just inside the three-point arc.
"We kept throwing it inside," said McNaughton, who also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, dished off three assists and blocked three shots -- all without picking up a single personal.
Badmus' contribution is harder to spot in the box score. His seven assists were huge, but his defensive effort on Neal was what really made an impression. Neal, the nation's third-leading scorer coming in, was held to 21 points, 4.5 below his 25.5 ppg average. Twenty of those points came in the second half, none while the game was still in question.
Towson (14-14) tried everything to get Neal open looks, running him through more picks than a banjo players convention. Every time he popped out the other side of a screen, there was Badmus in his pocket, sticking to him like lint. Neal was 0 for 4 in the first half, 0 for 6 before he finally hit his first field goal, a putback off his own miss with 15:40 to play.
"Gary was moving slow today. His movements were too slow," Kennedy said. "No. 5 (Badmus) did a real nice job on him."
Neal knew he was in for a long afternoon by the time he took his third shot of the game, a 16-foot jumper that was blocked cleanly by Badmus.
"Abe did a great job of pushing him out of his comfort zone and when he did drive, there was a lot of help there," said Flannery.
Neal did manage to get it going late in the game, scoring 12 of his points during a six-minute stretch that saw Towson cut Bucknell's 23-point lead to 13 with just over 5 minutes to go. Jason Vegotsky and John Griffin answered with a pair of threes to push Bucknell's lead back to 17 before Flannery emptied his bench in the final 2 minutes.
The win, a record 83rd of their career for the BU seniors, is Bucknell's 10th in a row, means the Bison (18-8) can put together a third-straight 20-win season with victories in their two remaining regular season games. Bucknell is at Lehigh Wednesday, then closes the regular season at Army on Saturday.
The Bison are guaranteed at least two home games in the postseason if they can win in the opening round and still have a chance at gaining the home court edge for the league final if they sweep and Holy Cross splits in its final two conference games.
Box score | Postgame audio (Kennedy, Flannery, McNaughton, Badmus) | Gameblog | Daily Item | Sun-Gazette
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(Originally posted Sat, at 5:07 p.m., links added at 6:53 a.m.)
The Midshipmen's leading scorer posted all of his 19 points in the second half of Navy's win over Army.
Sprink, who did not score until he made a free throw with 13:30 to play, didn't make his first field goal until the 5:35 mark. But he got hot late, hitting a pair of treys in the final 3:47 to help Navy build an 8 point lead. Then Sprink went 6 for 6 at the foul line in the final minute to preserve the advantage.
Trey Stanton added 15 for Navy and Kaleo Kina chipped in with 14 for the Mids (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot). Navy was 21 of 44 (47.7 percent) from the field, 12 of 24 on threes. The Midshipmen shot 31 free throws, making 22.
Army was 23 of 48 from the field (47.9 percent), 4 of 9 from the arc, 18 of 28 at the foul line.
Jarrell Brown had 18 points to lead Army. Matt Bell and Doug Williams each added 16 for the Black Knights, who lost their seventh in a row. After startting conference play at 3-2, Army (13-14, 3-9) has now dropped into seventh place in the eight-team league.
Box score | Baltimore Sun | Washington Post
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The Midshipmen's leading scorer posted all of his 19 points in the second half of Navy's win over Army.
Sprink, who did not score until he made a free throw with 13:30 to play, didn't make his first field goal until the 5:35 mark. But he got hot late, hitting a pair of treys in the final 3:47 to help Navy build an 8 point lead. Then Sprink went 6 for 6 at the foul line in the final minute to preserve the advantage.
Trey Stanton added 15 for Navy and Kaleo Kina chipped in with 14 for the Mids (14-13 overall, 4-8 Patriot). Navy was 21 of 44 (47.7 percent) from the field, 12 of 24 on threes. The Midshipmen shot 31 free throws, making 22.
Army was 23 of 48 from the field (47.9 percent), 4 of 9 from the arc, 18 of 28 at the foul line.
Jarrell Brown had 18 points to lead Army. Matt Bell and Doug Williams each added 16 for the Black Knights, who lost their seventh in a row. After startting conference play at 3-2, Army (13-14, 3-9) has now dropped into seventh place in the eight-team league.
Box score | Baltimore Sun | Washington Post
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
News and notes compiled during Bucknell's 73-63 BracketBusters win over Towson.
It takes three straight wins to win the Patriot League title. Sounds simple, yet three league teams have yet to string together three Ws in a row this season. Lehigh, winners of two straight, will try to take their name off that list when they visit Lafayette Sunday. The Leopards, losers of five in a row, and Colgate, which lost two straight headed into Saturday evening's game at Marist, are the two other teams that have done it.
American accomplished the feat once, winning four straight back in late November and early December. Navy did it twice back around the same time. Only Army, Bucknell and Holy Cross have managed to win at least three in a row in conference play. All three of Army's league wins came in an eight-day span against Lehigh, American and Navy -- all three at home.
There are currently eight active Division I players with 2,000 career points. Towson's Gary Neal is the third of the eight Bucknell has faced this season. Albany's Jamar Wilson scored 12 of his career 2,012 against the Bison in their season opener. Texas Tech's Jarrius Jackson scored 18 against the Bison. Jackson has scored 2,045 (point totals through Feb. 13).
Pitiful crowd on hand to honor Bucknell's seniors. The student sections at either end are about half full and there are numerous empty seats on both sides of Sojka Pavilion.
Tough start for the Bison, who had three turnovers and a missed shot on their first four possessions and saw Darren Mastropaolo pick up three personals in the first 3:35 of the game. At the other end, it appears to be open season on Chris McNaughton, who has been mugged the first two times he touched the ball without any whistles.
Neal's first shot, a long,long three, rims out at the 12:56 mark.
Bucknell 10, Towson 8 11:59 first half
Bucknell shooting well -- 4 for 6 from the field, 1 for 2 on threes, to start the game. Four turnovers have hurt the Bison. Towson is 2 for 10, 0 for 5 on threes, 4 for 4 at the line.
Two buckets, back-to-back, by McNaughton give Bucknell a 17-10 lead and brings Towson coach Pat Kennedy off the bench for a quick timeout with 8:40 to play. McNaughton is now 3 for 4 with 4 rebounds.
Neal's second shot, a jumper just outside the foul line, is blocked by Badmus, who gets the ball back at the other end and is mugged by Towson's Rodney Spruill, who is hit with an intentional foul call. Badmus makes both shots for a 19-10 BU lead.
Neal's first points come from the free throw line with 7:47 to play in the first half. Neal makes one of two, hitting as the Bison students chanted "No means no," missing as they chanted "How old was she."
Kennedy is making the mistake of trying to guard McNaughton with one guy. Towson simply does not have such a guy on its roster, as evidenced by McNaughton's 5 for 6, 11 points thus far.
Bucknell 24, Towson 13, 5:56 first half)
With 3:54 to go in the half, Kennedy calls another timeout after long jumpers by McNaughton and Patrick Behan push the BU lead to 28-13. Towson is now 4 for 21 from the field. Neal is 0 for 4.
HALFTIME: Bucknell 36, Towson 21
Stats: Bucknell 13 of 23 - 56.5 percent from the field, 2 of 8 from three-point range, 8 of 11 at the foul line. 7 turnovers, 9 assists, 20 rebounds
Towson 8 of 28 (28.6 percent), 0 of 8 from the arc, 5 of 6 at the stripe, 4 turnovers, 3 assists, 12 rebounds
Bucknell individual leaders: McNaughton 8 for 10, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Towson: Winstonn Tubbs, Dennard Abraham and Spruill each with 6 points, Tubbs has 5 rebounds
Gary Neal: 0 for 4, 0 for 2 on threes, 1 for 2 at the foul line, 1 point, 1 reb., 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals
Towson opened the second half in a 2-3 zone, which Bucknell scored against on three of its first four possessions of the second half. The third score, a Mastropaolo reverse layup, resulted in Kennedy calling another timeout, unwilling to wait for the first media stoppage.
Neal's first field goal of the game came when he put back his own miss with 15:42 to play. Neal was 0 for his first 6 shots, including one blocked by McNaughton on Neal's first try of the second half. That was McNaughton's third block, a career high. Neal followed his first bucket with a long fadeaway jumper on Towson's next possession.
Bucknell 45, Towson 27, 14:50 to play
Towson closed to within 17 on a three-point play by Abraham, but Bucknell answered with a quick 6-0 spurt, prompting Kennedy to burn Towson's last timeout with 11:59 to play, Bucknell up 55-32. A media timeout came 17 seconds later.
Once he got started, Neal put on a little bit of a show, scoring 12 straight points for Towson, including a pair of threes, the first two treys for the Tigers on 15 tries.
Bucknell 63, Towson 46, 6:57 to play)
Eight of Neal's points came during a 12-2 Towson run that cut Bucknell's lead to 13 (64-51) with about 5:10 to play.
Pat Flannery emptied his bench with about 2 minutes to go. Kennedy kept his starters on the floor to the end, going on a late 11-4 run that made the final look closer than it really was.
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American accomplished the feat once, winning four straight back in late November and early December. Navy did it twice back around the same time. Only Army, Bucknell and Holy Cross have managed to win at least three in a row in conference play. All three of Army's league wins came in an eight-day span against Lehigh, American and Navy -- all three at home.
Bucknell 10, Towson 8 11:59 first half
Bucknell 24, Towson 13, 5:56 first half)
HALFTIME: Bucknell 36, Towson 21
Stats: Bucknell 13 of 23 - 56.5 percent from the field, 2 of 8 from three-point range, 8 of 11 at the foul line. 7 turnovers, 9 assists, 20 rebounds
Towson 8 of 28 (28.6 percent), 0 of 8 from the arc, 5 of 6 at the stripe, 4 turnovers, 3 assists, 12 rebounds
Bucknell individual leaders: McNaughton 8 for 10, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Towson: Winstonn Tubbs, Dennard Abraham and Spruill each with 6 points, Tubbs has 5 rebounds
Gary Neal: 0 for 4, 0 for 2 on threes, 1 for 2 at the foul line, 1 point, 1 reb., 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals
Bucknell 45, Towson 27, 14:50 to play
Bucknell 63, Towson 46, 6:57 to play)
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With just one day to get ready, Holy Cross takes on Hostra in the BracketBusters.
Preparation is the key for a team like Holy Cross when it takes on top teams from other conferences. Patriot League teams don't have the athletes to just throw the ball out and run with the big horses. Instead, teams like the Crusaders, and Bucknell, have found their out of conference successes by playing a maddening style of tough defense, mixing looks and forcing teams to play a style the opponents find uncomfortable.
Time for preparation before HC's BracketBusters game Saturday afternoon at Hofstra has been extremely limited though, causing a concern for Crusaders coach Ralph Willard. Willard expected to have two full days to get his team ready to face the high-flying Pride.
Then came this week's winter storm and the 'Saders susequent planes, trains and rental vans adventure that resulted in Wednesday's game at Navy being pushed back a day, upsetting Holy Cross' preparation rhythm.
"I thought we'd have (Thursday and Friday) to prepare for Hofstra. Unfortunately the weather screwed us up," WIllard said after beating Navy THursday.
The Crusaders flew out immediately after Thursday's game, heading straight to New York for the Hofstra game. Plans called for fil study Friday morning, a 2:30 practice at Hofstra in the afaternoon, then more film, to be followed with yet more film at breakfast Saturday prior to the 3 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
The one day of preparation situation took its toll on Holy Cross in its pre-conference schedule. Hc found itself in that situation five times -- six if you count the fact that one of the two days between the Yale and Dayton games was spent in transit. Holy Cross lost four of those six and barely held off a weak Delaware team for a two-point victory in one of the two it won.
Prep for the game began on the plane after the Navy game. Immediately after the Navy game, Willard reported, "We have nothing in place. We haven't even looked at Hofstra."
When Willard looks at the Pride, here is what he will see: A three-guard outfit that likes to get up and down the floor. The complete antithesis to the pace HC will try to impose.
Hofstra averages over 73 points per game. With guards like Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Carlos Rivera, the more shots the better. Stokes, a senior who averages 21.1 points per game, is a 2,000-point scorer who needs just 35 more to become the school's second leading scorer all-time.
Agudio averages 20.4 ppg, making Hofstra the only team in the nation with two 20-point scorers in its lineup.
Rivera, a senior like Stokes, is also a career 1,000-point scorer. Rivera averages 11.7 points per game.
Along with 6-5 forward Zygis Sestokas, who averages 7.6 points per game, they give the Pride four guys who are not afraid to shoot the three-pointer. Sestokas hits treys ata 45.4 percent clip. Agudio, who has made 84 treys already, knocks them down at 42.5 percent. As a team, Hofstra shoots 39.5 percent from the arc.
Where Hofstra is not so strong is in the frontcourt. The tallest starter is 6-7 Mike Davis-Sabb, who will have his hands full with HC's 6-10 Tim Clifford. Clifford tuned up for this one with a 33-point afternoon in Annapolis on Thursday.
Clifford can be a big factor in this game if he stays out of foul trouble. As long as he is anchoring the inside, the Crusaders perimeter defenders can push up on the Hofstra shooters knowing help is there if they get beaten on penetration. Without Clifford clogging the middle, the seams in HC's zones will seem far more inviting.
If Clifford can establish some inside offense, it will also make a big difference. Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons ought to be able to hold their own with the Hofstra guards. If Clifford comes to play, the paint could be where HC finds its advantage.
To take full advantage of Clifford's presence, the Crusaders need to dictate pace. The big junior is too slow to be a factor if this game becomes an end-to-end foot race. The Crusaders need to force Hofstra to play a halfcourt game.
Whether of not they will be able to do that with one day to get ready, remains to be seen.
"That is a big part of us being good -- preparation, defensive preparation. . . . It would have been OK if we had played Wednesday," said Willard. "We've got our work cut out for us."
Matchup
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Preparation is the key for a team like Holy Cross when it takes on top teams from other conferences. Patriot League teams don't have the athletes to just throw the ball out and run with the big horses. Instead, teams like the Crusaders, and Bucknell, have found their out of conference successes by playing a maddening style of tough defense, mixing looks and forcing teams to play a style the opponents find uncomfortable.
Time for preparation before HC's BracketBusters game Saturday afternoon at Hofstra has been extremely limited though, causing a concern for Crusaders coach Ralph Willard. Willard expected to have two full days to get his team ready to face the high-flying Pride.
Then came this week's winter storm and the 'Saders susequent planes, trains and rental vans adventure that resulted in Wednesday's game at Navy being pushed back a day, upsetting Holy Cross' preparation rhythm.
"I thought we'd have (Thursday and Friday) to prepare for Hofstra. Unfortunately the weather screwed us up," WIllard said after beating Navy THursday.
The Crusaders flew out immediately after Thursday's game, heading straight to New York for the Hofstra game. Plans called for fil study Friday morning, a 2:30 practice at Hofstra in the afaternoon, then more film, to be followed with yet more film at breakfast Saturday prior to the 3 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
The one day of preparation situation took its toll on Holy Cross in its pre-conference schedule. Hc found itself in that situation five times -- six if you count the fact that one of the two days between the Yale and Dayton games was spent in transit. Holy Cross lost four of those six and barely held off a weak Delaware team for a two-point victory in one of the two it won.
Prep for the game began on the plane after the Navy game. Immediately after the Navy game, Willard reported, "We have nothing in place. We haven't even looked at Hofstra."
When Willard looks at the Pride, here is what he will see: A three-guard outfit that likes to get up and down the floor. The complete antithesis to the pace HC will try to impose.
Hofstra averages over 73 points per game. With guards like Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Carlos Rivera, the more shots the better. Stokes, a senior who averages 21.1 points per game, is a 2,000-point scorer who needs just 35 more to become the school's second leading scorer all-time.
Agudio averages 20.4 ppg, making Hofstra the only team in the nation with two 20-point scorers in its lineup.
Rivera, a senior like Stokes, is also a career 1,000-point scorer. Rivera averages 11.7 points per game.
Along with 6-5 forward Zygis Sestokas, who averages 7.6 points per game, they give the Pride four guys who are not afraid to shoot the three-pointer. Sestokas hits treys ata 45.4 percent clip. Agudio, who has made 84 treys already, knocks them down at 42.5 percent. As a team, Hofstra shoots 39.5 percent from the arc.
Where Hofstra is not so strong is in the frontcourt. The tallest starter is 6-7 Mike Davis-Sabb, who will have his hands full with HC's 6-10 Tim Clifford. Clifford tuned up for this one with a 33-point afternoon in Annapolis on Thursday.
Clifford can be a big factor in this game if he stays out of foul trouble. As long as he is anchoring the inside, the Crusaders perimeter defenders can push up on the Hofstra shooters knowing help is there if they get beaten on penetration. Without Clifford clogging the middle, the seams in HC's zones will seem far more inviting.
If Clifford can establish some inside offense, it will also make a big difference. Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons ought to be able to hold their own with the Hofstra guards. If Clifford comes to play, the paint could be where HC finds its advantage.
To take full advantage of Clifford's presence, the Crusaders need to dictate pace. The big junior is too slow to be a factor if this game becomes an end-to-end foot race. The Crusaders need to force Hofstra to play a halfcourt game.
Whether of not they will be able to do that with one day to get ready, remains to be seen.
"That is a big part of us being good -- preparation, defensive preparation. . . . It would have been OK if we had played Wednesday," said Willard. "We've got our work cut out for us."
Matchup
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Bison needs a way to deal with Neal.
Any talk about Towson begins with guard Gary Neal. It usually does not go far past the 6-4 senior, either. The rest of Towson's roster reminds you of the former major league executive who once questioned the need to pay a whole roster of minor league players so you have guys for the four or five actual prospects to throw the ball to.
Averaging over 25 points per game, Neal is the primary, secondary and tertiary option in almost everything Toswon runs on offense. The No. 4 scorer in the nation, Neal has scored in double figures in all 27 of Towson's games, going over 20 in 20 of those. Eight times he has scored 30 or more. His season high is 41.
Forget anbout your run of the mill 1,000-point scorers. This guy has done it twice -- at two different schools (he scored 1,000 at LaSalle before transferring). Only two other guys have ever done that.
Neal is a 45.1 percent shooter, an impressive stat considering close to half his shots come from the three-point arc, where he has made 83 of 245 (33.9 percent).
"The guy can make incredible shots from long distances. He can make them off the catch. He makes them off the dribble. He doesn’t feel the pressure of any defense. When he misses, it’s normally not that the defense made him miss. He just happened to miss the shot,” said George Mason coach Jim Larranaga.
Neal is not without a supporting cast.
Abraham Dennard, a 6-8 senior forward, averages 11.1 points per game, much coming on garbage from Neal's missed shots. A third of his 6.4 rebounds per game come on the offensive glass. Dennard will step out from time to time to jack up a three. Let him. He is 9 for 40 on the season.
Also up front is Tommy Breaux, a 6-9, 210-pounder who doubles as a tight end for the Tigers football team. Breaux is a 61.9 percent shooter and has blocked 57 shots.
Point guard C.C. Williams, averages 4.1 assists per game, most coming when he throws the ball to Neal.
Coaching the Tigers is Pat Kennedy, a guy whose star has faded considerably since his heady days at Florida State. In the first 13 years of his head coaching career, through stops at Iona and Florida State. Kennedy's teams posted just one non-winning season in that stretch, making 10 trips to the postseason, including a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight with the Seminoles.
The last 13 years have been a different story. In 1994, a season removed from the Elite Eight appearance, Kennedy began s stretch of three straight losing seasons. After a trip to the NIT finals in 1997, Kennedy moved on to DePaul, where he sandwiched three losing seasons around two postseason appearances (2nd round NIT in 1999, first round NCAA in 2000). The other 10 seasons, including his first two at Towson, have been below .500.
If Kennedy's team is going to finish .500 or above this season, it probably needs a win at Bucknell. Towson is 13-13, with conference games at Old Dominion and home against Drexel remaining on its Colonial Athletic Conference slate.
This is not the game the Bison had hoped for when they penciled in a rare non-conference home game for this date. Bucknell was hoping to be playing a highly regarded opponent on national television. Sort of like last year's Northern Iowa game, but at home in Sojka Pavilion.
Instead they draw a .500 poor sister from the CAA. The sort of conference they'd hoped for, not the sort of team. Those CAA teams -- the Virginia Commonwealths, the Drexels, the Hofstras -- they all are playing teams that didn't bust their brackets in the first four games of the season.
In the midst of a tough conference race, this sort of game screams watch out for a letdown. For a team like Towson, struggling for its first winning season in a while, a shot at a team with Bucknell's recent reputation is a chance to gain some respect.
Where does Bucknell's motivation come from? Face it, in a lot of ways, this game is meaningless. It won't have anything to do with the Bison's chance of getting into the Big Dance. Given their current RPI and record, it is not likely to make much difference on possible seeding should the Bucknell with the Patriot League title.
Enter the age-old end of season motivator -- Senior Day. Sending out this team's three seniors -- Chris McNaughton, Abe Badmus and the injured Donald Brown -- with a win and a place in Bison history should be more than enough spark.
Limited tickets are available. They will go on sale at noon at Sojka Pavilion. It would be a shame if their fellow students don't pack the building for McNaughton, Badmus and Donald Brown, who are currently share the school record with the Class of 1987 for most wins by one class (82).
The Bison can't let the emotion of the afternoon influence their style of play. They need to guard against getting into an up and down affair with Towson. A key to Bucknell's recent success has been the ability to dictate pace. With Neal likely to jack shots up from anywhere at anytime, it will be important to be patient on the offensive end. The last thing Pat Flannery wants to see is his team playing chuck and duck, trying to outscore the Tigers.
Expect the Bison to use Abe Badmus to try to slow down Neal, especially on the perimeter. The key phrase there is "slow down." You don't stop a guy like Neal. He is going to get his points. The key is to make him work very hard to get them. Make him work hard to get the ball, and make him work hard to get his shots.
On offense, Bucknell continues to get good balance between its big guys inside and its guards. Badmus has picked up his offense the last several games -- one of the keys in their current nine-game win streak.
Another key has been McNaughton, who seems to have shaken the funk that enveloped him early in the season. McNaughton has been a man on fire, scoring in double figures each of the last eight games while stepping up his rebounding.
John Griffin has emerged as a steady scoring option, too. Griffin has pushed his scoring average up into double figures (10.2 ppg) over the past few weeks.
This will not be the last home game for the three seniors. The Bison are guaranteed a home game in the first round of the league playoffs and will also host in the semifinals if they advance. They are also still in contention for the top seed and a chance to host the final.
With two tough road games next week, Bucknell wants a strong showing in the regular season home finale to feed the momentum down the stretch.
Matchup | Tom Housenick column (Daily Item)
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Any talk about Towson begins with guard Gary Neal. It usually does not go far past the 6-4 senior, either. The rest of Towson's roster reminds you of the former major league executive who once questioned the need to pay a whole roster of minor league players so you have guys for the four or five actual prospects to throw the ball to.
Averaging over 25 points per game, Neal is the primary, secondary and tertiary option in almost everything Toswon runs on offense. The No. 4 scorer in the nation, Neal has scored in double figures in all 27 of Towson's games, going over 20 in 20 of those. Eight times he has scored 30 or more. His season high is 41.
Forget anbout your run of the mill 1,000-point scorers. This guy has done it twice -- at two different schools (he scored 1,000 at LaSalle before transferring). Only two other guys have ever done that.
Neal is a 45.1 percent shooter, an impressive stat considering close to half his shots come from the three-point arc, where he has made 83 of 245 (33.9 percent).
"The guy can make incredible shots from long distances. He can make them off the catch. He makes them off the dribble. He doesn’t feel the pressure of any defense. When he misses, it’s normally not that the defense made him miss. He just happened to miss the shot,” said George Mason coach Jim Larranaga.
Neal is not without a supporting cast.
Abraham Dennard, a 6-8 senior forward, averages 11.1 points per game, much coming on garbage from Neal's missed shots. A third of his 6.4 rebounds per game come on the offensive glass. Dennard will step out from time to time to jack up a three. Let him. He is 9 for 40 on the season.
Also up front is Tommy Breaux, a 6-9, 210-pounder who doubles as a tight end for the Tigers football team. Breaux is a 61.9 percent shooter and has blocked 57 shots.
Point guard C.C. Williams, averages 4.1 assists per game, most coming when he throws the ball to Neal.
Coaching the Tigers is Pat Kennedy, a guy whose star has faded considerably since his heady days at Florida State. In the first 13 years of his head coaching career, through stops at Iona and Florida State. Kennedy's teams posted just one non-winning season in that stretch, making 10 trips to the postseason, including a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight with the Seminoles.
The last 13 years have been a different story. In 1994, a season removed from the Elite Eight appearance, Kennedy began s stretch of three straight losing seasons. After a trip to the NIT finals in 1997, Kennedy moved on to DePaul, where he sandwiched three losing seasons around two postseason appearances (2nd round NIT in 1999, first round NCAA in 2000). The other 10 seasons, including his first two at Towson, have been below .500.
If Kennedy's team is going to finish .500 or above this season, it probably needs a win at Bucknell. Towson is 13-13, with conference games at Old Dominion and home against Drexel remaining on its Colonial Athletic Conference slate.
This is not the game the Bison had hoped for when they penciled in a rare non-conference home game for this date. Bucknell was hoping to be playing a highly regarded opponent on national television. Sort of like last year's Northern Iowa game, but at home in Sojka Pavilion.
Instead they draw a .500 poor sister from the CAA. The sort of conference they'd hoped for, not the sort of team. Those CAA teams -- the Virginia Commonwealths, the Drexels, the Hofstras -- they all are playing teams that didn't bust their brackets in the first four games of the season.
In the midst of a tough conference race, this sort of game screams watch out for a letdown. For a team like Towson, struggling for its first winning season in a while, a shot at a team with Bucknell's recent reputation is a chance to gain some respect.
Where does Bucknell's motivation come from? Face it, in a lot of ways, this game is meaningless. It won't have anything to do with the Bison's chance of getting into the Big Dance. Given their current RPI and record, it is not likely to make much difference on possible seeding should the Bucknell with the Patriot League title.
Enter the age-old end of season motivator -- Senior Day. Sending out this team's three seniors -- Chris McNaughton, Abe Badmus and the injured Donald Brown -- with a win and a place in Bison history should be more than enough spark.
Limited tickets are available. They will go on sale at noon at Sojka Pavilion. It would be a shame if their fellow students don't pack the building for McNaughton, Badmus and Donald Brown, who are currently share the school record with the Class of 1987 for most wins by one class (82).
The Bison can't let the emotion of the afternoon influence their style of play. They need to guard against getting into an up and down affair with Towson. A key to Bucknell's recent success has been the ability to dictate pace. With Neal likely to jack shots up from anywhere at anytime, it will be important to be patient on the offensive end. The last thing Pat Flannery wants to see is his team playing chuck and duck, trying to outscore the Tigers.
Expect the Bison to use Abe Badmus to try to slow down Neal, especially on the perimeter. The key phrase there is "slow down." You don't stop a guy like Neal. He is going to get his points. The key is to make him work very hard to get them. Make him work hard to get the ball, and make him work hard to get his shots.
On offense, Bucknell continues to get good balance between its big guys inside and its guards. Badmus has picked up his offense the last several games -- one of the keys in their current nine-game win streak.
Another key has been McNaughton, who seems to have shaken the funk that enveloped him early in the season. McNaughton has been a man on fire, scoring in double figures each of the last eight games while stepping up his rebounding.
John Griffin has emerged as a steady scoring option, too. Griffin has pushed his scoring average up into double figures (10.2 ppg) over the past few weeks.
This will not be the last home game for the three seniors. The Bison are guaranteed a home game in the first round of the league playoffs and will also host in the semifinals if they advance. They are also still in contention for the top seed and a chance to host the final.
With two tough road games next week, Bucknell wants a strong showing in the regular season home finale to feed the momentum down the stretch.
Matchup | Tom Housenick column (Daily Item)
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While Colgate plays Marist for BracketBusters pride, the winners of this afternoon's Army at Navy game get a star to place on their varsity letters, signifying a win over their archrivals. That is not all that is at stake this afternoon in Annapolis, though.
The odds are pretty well stacked against either team gaining a first round home game in the playoffs. Both teams are 13-13, 3-8 in league play, tied at the moment for the next-to-last spot in the standings.
That makes this one very important to either school's hopes of winning a game in the postseason for the first time in years. The bottom two teams are headed to Worcester or Lewisburg. Aside from the length of the bus ride involved, both destinations spromise a similar fate.
The team that finishes in sixth place, though, has hope. That team is likely ticketed for Bethlehem and a first round matchup with Lehigh. Not an easy task, but certainly one with a more realistic possibility of pulling off an upset. Navy just won there last week.
Matchup | http://www.examiner.com/a-570685~Navy_looks_to_right_ship_against_Army.html
Colgate at Marist -- The Raiders will try to slow down the host Red Foxes in this BracketBusters game in Poughkeepsie. It won't be an easy task. Marist is 20-7, 12-4 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes, who are riding a five-game win streak, are 11-1 at home, averaging 75 points per game, with four guys scoring in double figures.
Leading the attack is 6-2 guard Jared Johnson, who is scoring 18.8 points and dishing off 8.6 assists per game. As a team, Marist shoots 46.1 percent from the floor.
Colgate, on the other hand, has been an offensive disaster zone. The Raiders (9-16, 4-8 in the Patriot) average 57.4 points per game, ranking them 320th out of 325 Division I schools. Colgate is No. 305 in field goal percentage, shooting 39.9 percent as a team.
Matchup | The Circle
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The odds are pretty well stacked against either team gaining a first round home game in the playoffs. Both teams are 13-13, 3-8 in league play, tied at the moment for the next-to-last spot in the standings.
That makes this one very important to either school's hopes of winning a game in the postseason for the first time in years. The bottom two teams are headed to Worcester or Lewisburg. Aside from the length of the bus ride involved, both destinations spromise a similar fate.
The team that finishes in sixth place, though, has hope. That team is likely ticketed for Bethlehem and a first round matchup with Lehigh. Not an easy task, but certainly one with a more realistic possibility of pulling off an upset. Navy just won there last week.
Matchup | http://www.examiner.com/a-570685~Navy_looks_to_right_ship_against_Army.html
Colgate at Marist -- The Raiders will try to slow down the host Red Foxes in this BracketBusters game in Poughkeepsie. It won't be an easy task. Marist is 20-7, 12-4 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes, who are riding a five-game win streak, are 11-1 at home, averaging 75 points per game, with four guys scoring in double figures.
Leading the attack is 6-2 guard Jared Johnson, who is scoring 18.8 points and dishing off 8.6 assists per game. As a team, Marist shoots 46.1 percent from the floor.
Colgate, on the other hand, has been an offensive disaster zone. The Raiders (9-16, 4-8 in the Patriot) average 57.4 points per game, ranking them 320th out of 325 Division I schools. Colgate is No. 305 in field goal percentage, shooting 39.9 percent as a team.
Matchup | The Circle
Labels: Army, CU, Navy, previews
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Friday, February 16, 2007
Word out of Texas on an Army commit.
The El Paso Times reporting 6-6 Nathan Hedgecock of Montwood High has decided to play his college ball at West Point. Hedgecock is reportedly a Mickey D's game finalist. Take that with a grain of salt, though. The story also says the other school he considered in the recruiting process was the Division II Colorado School of Mines.
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The El Paso Times reporting 6-6 Nathan Hedgecock of Montwood High has decided to play his college ball at West Point. Hedgecock is reportedly a Mickey D's game finalist. Take that with a grain of salt, though. The story also says the other school he considered in the recruiting process was the Division II Colorado School of Mines.
Labels: Army, recruiting
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(Originally posted Thurs., 6:52 p.m., links added at 8:31 a.m.)
Crusaders start fast, romp past Midshipmen.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
It took Holy Cross over 24 hours to make the trip to Annapolis. When they got there, the Crusaders had to wait another 21 hours to play their scheduled game, which was postponed due to their winter storm-related travel woes. It took the Crusaders considerably less time to dispatch of the Midshipmen once they finally took the court.
Behind a career-effort from center Tim Clifford, the Crusaders jumped out to a big lead early and cruised to a 68-40 win in a late-afternoon matinee in Alumni Hall.
Holy Cross (20-7 overall, 11-1 Patriot) looked like a team in a hurry to put this wild road trip from winter storm hell behind them, opening the game with a 9-0 run that they built into a 23-4 advantage before the Mids made their second field goal of the game.
“I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if we'd have any legs after riding five and a half hours on a train,” said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard.
Not to worry. Holy Cross came out hot on offense while its defense made the Midshipmen (13-13, 3-8) look like they were among the 60,000 folks in the Annapolis area still without power following Tuesday's storm.
The Mids were 1 for 12 with 9 turnovers before their leading scorer, Greg Sprink, hit a layup with 7:32 to play in the first half to account for Navy's second field goal.
“It was obvious from the start we weren't going to shoot the ball well,” said Navy coach Billy Lange.
It was equally obvious Clifford would. By the time Sprink made that layup, Clifford already had scored 15 points and blocked a pair of shots. Sprink's bucket cut HC's early lead to 17 points (23-6). Navy cut the lead to 15 twice late in the first half before going to the intermission down 36-18.
At that point, Clifford'd 21 points were more than the whole Navy team combined. Clifford scored a dozen more in the second half before calling it an early night. When Clifford sat down with 6:23 to play, he had a career-high 33 points. At that point the Navy team has scored 36.
Lange's game plan called for the same defense the Midshipmen used to limit Clifford to 6 points when the two teams met a month ago in Worcester – double teams from the weak side, guards pinching down, anything to make Holy Cross beat them from the outside.
“We didn't do what we were supposed to do (against Clifford). We were going to play the paint first and make them throw it around the perimeter,” Lange said.
Instead, “The game started and it looked like we never practiced,” Lange said.
All afternoon, Holy Cross found the entry passes to Clifford with ease. Clifford heaped abuse from there, knocking down 12 of 19 from the field, including 1 for 1 from the three-point arc. He was also was a perfect 8 for 8 at the foul line, blocked four shots and grabbed four rebounds – all in just 29 minutes of action.
“Tim Clifford had a huge game,” said Willard, who was pleased with his team's ball movement, which led to 21 assists on 24 field goals.
Even though Navy has no legitimate post player to match up with him in the paint, Clifford insisted his big night was not by design. It just sort of happened that way.
“We've always been good at getting the ball to the hot hand. I had the hot hand tonight,” Clifford said. “It just happened that way.”
Keith Simmons added 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but the way Holy Cross played defense, the 'Saders barely needed more offense than that provided by Clifford.
Holy Cross held Navy to 12 field goals, tying the Mids' all-time single-game low. The Midshipmen's 40 points were the sixth fewest they have scored in a game since the school began keeping records in 1953. Navy's 25 percent (12 of 48) shooting from the field was its fourth coldest shooting night ever. Add it together, and toss in Holy Cross' 68-point, the second most the Mids have allowed in league play this season, and you have the makings of a 28-point shellacking that was the second widest margin of defeat Navy has ever suffered at home.
Navy's leading scorer, Greg Sprink, was held to 6 points, more than 10 below his average. T.J. Topercer's 8 points off the bench made him the Mids' top scorer. Like his teammates, Sprink had more turnovers (3) than field goals (he was 2 for 7 from the field). As a team, Navy turned the ball over twice as often (24 times) as it put it in the hole.
After the game, Lange said he didn't know if the one-day delay had taken any edge off of his team, but he was pretty sure he could answer for Holy Cross.
“It didn't affect them,” Lange said.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Lange, Ralph Willard) | Washington Post
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Crusaders start fast, romp past Midshipmen.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
It took Holy Cross over 24 hours to make the trip to Annapolis. When they got there, the Crusaders had to wait another 21 hours to play their scheduled game, which was postponed due to their winter storm-related travel woes. It took the Crusaders considerably less time to dispatch of the Midshipmen once they finally took the court.
Behind a career-effort from center Tim Clifford, the Crusaders jumped out to a big lead early and cruised to a 68-40 win in a late-afternoon matinee in Alumni Hall.
Holy Cross (20-7 overall, 11-1 Patriot) looked like a team in a hurry to put this wild road trip from winter storm hell behind them, opening the game with a 9-0 run that they built into a 23-4 advantage before the Mids made their second field goal of the game.
“I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if we'd have any legs after riding five and a half hours on a train,” said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard.
Not to worry. Holy Cross came out hot on offense while its defense made the Midshipmen (13-13, 3-8) look like they were among the 60,000 folks in the Annapolis area still without power following Tuesday's storm.
The Mids were 1 for 12 with 9 turnovers before their leading scorer, Greg Sprink, hit a layup with 7:32 to play in the first half to account for Navy's second field goal.
“It was obvious from the start we weren't going to shoot the ball well,” said Navy coach Billy Lange.
It was equally obvious Clifford would. By the time Sprink made that layup, Clifford already had scored 15 points and blocked a pair of shots. Sprink's bucket cut HC's early lead to 17 points (23-6). Navy cut the lead to 15 twice late in the first half before going to the intermission down 36-18.
At that point, Clifford'd 21 points were more than the whole Navy team combined. Clifford scored a dozen more in the second half before calling it an early night. When Clifford sat down with 6:23 to play, he had a career-high 33 points. At that point the Navy team has scored 36.
Lange's game plan called for the same defense the Midshipmen used to limit Clifford to 6 points when the two teams met a month ago in Worcester – double teams from the weak side, guards pinching down, anything to make Holy Cross beat them from the outside.
“We didn't do what we were supposed to do (against Clifford). We were going to play the paint first and make them throw it around the perimeter,” Lange said.
Instead, “The game started and it looked like we never practiced,” Lange said.
All afternoon, Holy Cross found the entry passes to Clifford with ease. Clifford heaped abuse from there, knocking down 12 of 19 from the field, including 1 for 1 from the three-point arc. He was also was a perfect 8 for 8 at the foul line, blocked four shots and grabbed four rebounds – all in just 29 minutes of action.
“Tim Clifford had a huge game,” said Willard, who was pleased with his team's ball movement, which led to 21 assists on 24 field goals.
Even though Navy has no legitimate post player to match up with him in the paint, Clifford insisted his big night was not by design. It just sort of happened that way.
“We've always been good at getting the ball to the hot hand. I had the hot hand tonight,” Clifford said. “It just happened that way.”
Keith Simmons added 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but the way Holy Cross played defense, the 'Saders barely needed more offense than that provided by Clifford.
Holy Cross held Navy to 12 field goals, tying the Mids' all-time single-game low. The Midshipmen's 40 points were the sixth fewest they have scored in a game since the school began keeping records in 1953. Navy's 25 percent (12 of 48) shooting from the field was its fourth coldest shooting night ever. Add it together, and toss in Holy Cross' 68-point, the second most the Mids have allowed in league play this season, and you have the makings of a 28-point shellacking that was the second widest margin of defeat Navy has ever suffered at home.
Navy's leading scorer, Greg Sprink, was held to 6 points, more than 10 below his average. T.J. Topercer's 8 points off the bench made him the Mids' top scorer. Like his teammates, Sprink had more turnovers (3) than field goals (he was 2 for 7 from the field). As a team, Navy turned the ball over twice as often (24 times) as it put it in the hole.
After the game, Lange said he didn't know if the one-day delay had taken any edge off of his team, but he was pretty sure he could answer for Holy Cross.
“It didn't affect them,” Lange said.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Lange, Ralph Willard) | Washington Post
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(Originally posted Thurs., 10:50 p.m., links added at 8:19 a.m.)
A few hours after Holy Cross pulled a half-game ahead in the standings with a win at Navy, Bucknell pasted Lafayette to keep pace.
Just like Holy Cross, Bucknell had an easy time of it. The Bison (17-8 overall, 11-1 Patriot)blew out to a 20 point lead at the half and coasted to a 76-58 win over last place Lafayette (8-18, 2-9). The win was Bucknell's 33rd straight league win in Sojka Pavilion.
Lafayette led once -- 3-2 on an Andrew Brown three that followed a Chris McNaughton dunk on Bucknell's opening possession. John Griffin answered with a three for the Bison and Bucknell led the rest of the way.
A 9-0 spurt in the middle of the first half pushed the Bison lead from 13-8 to 22-8. Lafayette never gothttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif closer than 12 points back the rest of the way. The Bison hit 15 of 28 (53.6 percent) from the field in the first half, holding the Leopards to a 6 for 24 start.
The difference at the half was 41-21 and the lead stretched to as many as 26 in the second half.
McNaughton had a big night, finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Griffin finished with 16 and Abe Badmus added 13.
Perhaps the most impressive line in the box score belongs to Darren Mastropaolo. In his third game back in the Bison starting lineup, Mastropaolo had 11 rebounds, 8 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Matt Betley was the only Lafayette player in double figures. Betley finished with 13 and had 6 rebounds. Lafayette shot 18 for 46 (39.1 percent) for the game, 7 of 20 on three-point tries.
Box score | Daily Item
BONUS LINK" Surving quadruplets show encouraging signs (an update on the children of former Bucknell assistant Bryan Goodman by David Jones of The Patriot-News)
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A few hours after Holy Cross pulled a half-game ahead in the standings with a win at Navy, Bucknell pasted Lafayette to keep pace.
Just like Holy Cross, Bucknell had an easy time of it. The Bison (17-8 overall, 11-1 Patriot)blew out to a 20 point lead at the half and coasted to a 76-58 win over last place Lafayette (8-18, 2-9). The win was Bucknell's 33rd straight league win in Sojka Pavilion.
Lafayette led once -- 3-2 on an Andrew Brown three that followed a Chris McNaughton dunk on Bucknell's opening possession. John Griffin answered with a three for the Bison and Bucknell led the rest of the way.
A 9-0 spurt in the middle of the first half pushed the Bison lead from 13-8 to 22-8. Lafayette never gothttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif closer than 12 points back the rest of the way. The Bison hit 15 of 28 (53.6 percent) from the field in the first half, holding the Leopards to a 6 for 24 start.
The difference at the half was 41-21 and the lead stretched to as many as 26 in the second half.
McNaughton had a big night, finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Griffin finished with 16 and Abe Badmus added 13.
Perhaps the most impressive line in the box score belongs to Darren Mastropaolo. In his third game back in the Bison starting lineup, Mastropaolo had 11 rebounds, 8 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Matt Betley was the only Lafayette player in double figures. Betley finished with 13 and had 6 rebounds. Lafayette shot 18 for 46 (39.1 percent) for the game, 7 of 20 on three-point tries.
Box score | Daily Item
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Thursday, February 15, 2007
Notes and observations from courtside at this afternoon's late matinee in Annapolis.
The officiating crew working this afternoon's game is not the one originally assigned to work this contest. The postponement and weather related travel woes forced assigners to scramble to put together crews.
One of the three working this game said a high school ref worked Wednesday night's ESPN game between No. 2 Ohio State and Penn State when the the third official assigned to the game could not make it through the snow to State College.
The Mids were 0 for 3 with 4 turnovers on their first seven possessions, falling behind 9-0 before making its first field goal -- a T.J. Topercer three at the 16:32 mark of the first half.
Between Topercer's bucket and the next media timeout, which came at the 11:46 mark, Navy was 0 for 4 with three more turnovers. The Mids did manage a free throw in that stretch. In the same span, Holy Cross added 10 more points for a 19-4 lead. Seven of the 10 came from Tim Clifford, who had 11 points in the first 9:10 of the game. The Crusaders opened the game shooting 8 of 13 (61.5 percent) from the floor.
By the time Greg Sprink made Navy's second field goal of the game, Navy had gone 7:55 without a field goal. The Mids, between Topercer's trey and Sprink's layup, were 0 for 8 with 5 more turnovers. After Sprink's bucket cut the Holy Cross lead to 23-6, Navy was 2 for 13 from the field with 9 turnovers. In that same stretch, Clifford was 6 for 8 with 15 points, two blocks and a steal.
The Mids missed four more shots before Bryce Brigham scored their third field goal of the half, a three that resulted in a four-point play when he was fouled in the act by Eric Meister.
At the media timeout with 2:59 to play first half, Holy Cross was 12 for 21 (57.1 percent) from the field. Clifford (7 for 9) has 17 points. Navy was 4 for 19, 21.1 percent. Brigham, with two treys and 7 points, was the only Mid with more than one basket.
A 5-foot jumper from the left baseline with about 45 seconds to go in the half gave Clifford 21 points at the half, one shy of his whole game season high of 22 at Harvard back on Nov. 21. Keith Simmons (10 points) was also in double figures at the break.
FIRST HALF STATS: HC 15 of 26 (57.7 percent) from the field; 3-9 on three-pointers, 3-4 at the foul line. Navy 5 of 23 (21.7 percent), 4 of 10 threes, 4-5 FT. Turnovers: HC 10, Navy 11. Rebounds: HC 19, Navy 11.
Navy's 5 of 23 first half shooting is identical to its first half the last time HC visited Alumni Hall. HC led 35-15 in that one at the break.
The Crusaders scrambled out of Alumni Hall in a hurry after the game, headed for the airport and an 8 p.m. flight to New York . . . Holy Cross will spend Friday wrapping film sessions at their Long Island hotel around a 2:30 practice at Hofstra to prepare for Saturday's BracketBusters game . . . The win was Holy Cross' 17th in a row over Navy, the longest such streak in the league . . . just one of the last 12 HC wins in the series has been by a single-digit margin
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One of the three working this game said a high school ref worked Wednesday night's ESPN game between No. 2 Ohio State and Penn State when the the third official assigned to the game could not make it through the snow to State College.
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The postgame interviews will be brief after this afternoon's Holy Cross at Navy game, set to tip at 4 p.m. in Navy's Alumni Hall.
Postponed from Wednesday evening after a winter storm that hit the midatlantic seaboard played havoc with Holy Cross' travel plans, the afternoon tip will allow Holy Cross to catch an evening flight back to New England, assuming of course no snags like triple overtime or traffic snarls between Annapolis and Baltimore Washington International.
It took Holy Cross more than 24 hours to get to Annapolis for what has become this afternoon's game at Navy.
The Crusaders left Worcester around 3 p.m. Tuesday, heading for the Warwick, R.I. airport and an early evening Southwest flight to Baltimore.
When that flight was canceled due to winter storm-related problems in Baltimore -- it had not yet started to snow in Warwick -- the Crusaders took refuge in a hotel, planning to catch a 6 a.m. flight.
Around midnight they learned that flight was also canceled, sending the team scrambling to Providence for an Amtrak Acela express train down the eastern seaboard. The team's train arrived in Baltimore around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The Holy Cross women managed to fly to Annapolis for Tuesday night's game against the Navy women, but were forced to take a train back home when their flight out was canceled.
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Postponed from Wednesday evening after a winter storm that hit the midatlantic seaboard played havoc with Holy Cross' travel plans, the afternoon tip will allow Holy Cross to catch an evening flight back to New England, assuming of course no snags like triple overtime or traffic snarls between Annapolis and Baltimore Washington International.
It took Holy Cross more than 24 hours to get to Annapolis for what has become this afternoon's game at Navy.
The Crusaders left Worcester around 3 p.m. Tuesday, heading for the Warwick, R.I. airport and an early evening Southwest flight to Baltimore.
When that flight was canceled due to winter storm-related problems in Baltimore -- it had not yet started to snow in Warwick -- the Crusaders took refuge in a hotel, planning to catch a 6 a.m. flight.
Around midnight they learned that flight was also canceled, sending the team scrambling to Providence for an Amtrak Acela express train down the eastern seaboard. The team's train arrived in Baltimore around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The Holy Cross women managed to fly to Annapolis for Tuesday night's game against the Navy women, but were forced to take a train back home when their flight out was canceled.
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Colgate would have no luck at all.
Latest example: last night's overtime loss to visiting Lehigh.
It was the Raiders' second straight overtime loss at home. The 56-53 setback is Colgate's fifth loss by six or less points in six league home games.
This one may have been their ticket south for the first round of the league playoffs. With two games left in league play, Colgate is in fifth place, a full game behind AU, which won Wednesday at home (over Army).
Colgate lost despite Willie Morse' career 18 points, 6 rebounds night. Kyle Chones added 17 points and 6 more boards. Marc Daniels had a team-high 8 rebounds for the Raiders, who outrebounded Lehigh 45-36.
A typical poor Colgate shooting night in front of 407 announced fans in Hamilton. The Raiders went 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) from the field, 10 for 23 from the arc. Even free throws (5 for 11) were a struggle.
Lehigh was led by Jose Olivero's 16 points. Olivero added 6 rebounds. Marquis Hall finished with 14, including the three-pointer with 10 seconds to go in regulation that tied it at 49-49, forcing overtime.
Jason Mgebroff returned to the floor for Lehigh, going 2 for 2 with 1 rebound and 1 turnover in a seven-minute stretch of his 6-10 legs. It was Mgebroff's first action since being diagnosed in December with stress fractures in a leg.
Zahir Carrington pulled down19correction: 10 rebounds for Lehigh, which won on the road for just the third time this season.
The Hawks shot 34.5 percent (19 of 55) from the field, 6 of 14 from three-point range. Lehigh was 12 for 21 at the charity stripe.
Box score | Morning Call
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Latest example: last night's overtime loss to visiting Lehigh.
It was the Raiders' second straight overtime loss at home. The 56-53 setback is Colgate's fifth loss by six or less points in six league home games.
This one may have been their ticket south for the first round of the league playoffs. With two games left in league play, Colgate is in fifth place, a full game behind AU, which won Wednesday at home (over Army).
Colgate lost despite Willie Morse' career 18 points, 6 rebounds night. Kyle Chones added 17 points and 6 more boards. Marc Daniels had a team-high 8 rebounds for the Raiders, who outrebounded Lehigh 45-36.
A typical poor Colgate shooting night in front of 407 announced fans in Hamilton. The Raiders went 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) from the field, 10 for 23 from the arc. Even free throws (5 for 11) were a struggle.
Lehigh was led by Jose Olivero's 16 points. Olivero added 6 rebounds. Marquis Hall finished with 14, including the three-pointer with 10 seconds to go in regulation that tied it at 49-49, forcing overtime.
Jason Mgebroff returned to the floor for Lehigh, going 2 for 2 with 1 rebound and 1 turnover in a seven-minute stretch of his 6-10 legs. It was Mgebroff's first action since being diagnosed in December with stress fractures in a leg.
Zahir Carrington pulled down
The Hawks shot 34.5 percent (19 of 55) from the field, 6 of 14 from three-point range. Lehigh was 12 for 21 at the charity stripe.
Box score | Morning Call
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Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Andre Ingram led American at both ends of the floor in a big win over Army.
Ingram scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Eagles (13-13 overall, 5-7 Patriot) to the 64-49 win.
On defense Ingram spent much of the night matched up with Army's leading scorer, Jarrell Brown, helping limit Brown to 6 points on 2 for 12 shooting.
His teammates did not shoot much better. Army (13-13, 3-8) turned the ball over more times (18) than it managed to put it in the net. The Black Knights went 15 for 44 from the field (34.1 percent), just 1 for 11 from the three-point arc.
AFter a 26-24 first half, Ingram hit a three to start the second, then combined a short time later with three others on the 10-0 AU run that put the game away early in the second half.
Brayden Billbe scored 4 of his 13 points in that run. Billbe also had 8 rebounds. Sophomore point Derrick Mercer added 10 for the Eagles, who were 21 of 46 (45.7 percent) from the field, 5 for 17 on threes.
Doug Williams led Army with a 13-point, 11 rebound double-double. Matt Bell added 10 for Army.
The win, coupled with Colgate's loss to Lehigh, puts American one game up on fifth-place Colgate (4-8) in the race for the fourth host spot in the first round of the playoffs. American closes the season with games at Navy and home against Lafayette. Colgate travels to Holy Cross after Saturday's non-league BracketBusters game at Marist. The Raiders close at home hosting Navy.>br>Box score
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Ingram scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Eagles (13-13 overall, 5-7 Patriot) to the 64-49 win.
On defense Ingram spent much of the night matched up with Army's leading scorer, Jarrell Brown, helping limit Brown to 6 points on 2 for 12 shooting.
His teammates did not shoot much better. Army (13-13, 3-8) turned the ball over more times (18) than it managed to put it in the net. The Black Knights went 15 for 44 from the field (34.1 percent), just 1 for 11 from the three-point arc.
AFter a 26-24 first half, Ingram hit a three to start the second, then combined a short time later with three others on the 10-0 AU run that put the game away early in the second half.
Brayden Billbe scored 4 of his 13 points in that run. Billbe also had 8 rebounds. Sophomore point Derrick Mercer added 10 for the Eagles, who were 21 of 46 (45.7 percent) from the field, 5 for 17 on threes.
Doug Williams led Army with a 13-point, 11 rebound double-double. Matt Bell added 10 for Army.
The win, coupled with Colgate's loss to Lehigh, puts American one game up on fifth-place Colgate (4-8) in the race for the fourth host spot in the first round of the playoffs. American closes the season with games at Navy and home against Lafayette. Colgate travels to Holy Cross after Saturday's non-league BracketBusters game at Marist. The Raiders close at home hosting Navy.>br>Box score
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This evening's scheduled game between Holy Cross and Navy has been postponed until Thursday at 4 p.m. The major winter storm in the Northeast is to blame. Holy Cross reportedly was unable to fly out yesterday and was forced to travel by rail, neccessitating the delay.
Tonight's Lafayette at Bucknell game has also been postponed due to the storm. That game will be played tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Army at American and Lehigh at Colgate games will be played tonight as scheduled.
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Tonight's Lafayette at Bucknell game has also been postponed due to the storm. That game will be played tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Army at American and Lehigh at Colgate games will be played tonight as scheduled.
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It's looking like an Oreo cookie kind of night in the Patriot League tonight. The two league co-leaders take on two of the teams at the bottom of the standings, but the good stuff is the two game involving the four teams in the middle.
In Hamilton, Lehigh will face Colgate (matchup) looking for its seventh straight win over Colgate. A win would give the Mountain Hawks a three game lead over the Raiders in the win column and a virtual lock on a first round home game in the playoffs since Lehigh will have swept the season series with the Raiders and American, who sit in a tie for fourth place heading into tonight's action.
Lehigh's notes indicate senior center Jason Mgebroff will return to the lineup in the next week after being out since December due to a stress fracture in one of his legs. Whether that means as soon as tonight, Saturday's rivalry game at Lafayette, or a Willis Reed-like inspirational return at home against Bucknell or Holy Cross remains to be seen.
The Raiders are almost as bad at home (4-8) as Lehigh has been on the road (2-12). They have shown a particular knack for losing close games on their own floor. Colgate is 1-4 at home in league games, the four losses coming by a combined 18 points. including one loss in overtime.
In the nation's capital, American, still alive in the home-game hunt thanks to Colgate's Sunday blunder, hosts an Army five (matchup) that is barely clinging to its home for the first round life. After a promising 3-2 start in league play, the Black Knights have hit an 0-5 wall. Army probably has to go 4-0 down the stretch, starting tonight, to have a chance of hosting in round one. That would make them .500 in the league, which might just do it, given the mediocrity of the bottom five-eighths of the conference.
AU, with two more conference games after tonight, would be in good shape for a home game with a win tonight, especially coupled with a Colgate loss. The Eagles have the most favorable schedule of the teams battling for that fourth spot, with a home game against Lafayette and a visit to Navy left following tonight.
In Lewisburg, Bucknell will look to solidify the momentum of its win over Holy Cross when last place Lafayette comes calling (matchup). The Leopards gave the Bison a battle in Easton last month. In Solka Pavilion, where Bucknell has can close out another unbeaten home league slate with a win, it should not be anywhere near as close.
This is the part of the season when Bucknell traditionally plays its best basketball. Since that win in Easton, the Bison have compiled an eight-game win streak. The only way it does not make it nine in a row is if they get caught got looking past the Leopards. A simple two-word message on the chalkboard should suffice. In big, orange letters, it should say "Central Arkansas."
Wrapping up the four-game slate tonight is Holy Cross visiting the Midshipmen of Navy (matchup). Navy's five-game losing streak is history. In its place, a two-game win streak that began with a confidence building win at Lehigh.
The Mids are always an upset threat thanks to their five-man perimeter-oriented attack. Navy fires up half its shots from outside the arc. If a couple Mids get two or three in the same game, they could put up a lot of points.
Of course you can tell by Navy's 11-12 record in games against Division I teams, that has not happened a lot this season. And it would be asking a lot for it to happen against a team that plays defense the way Holy Cross does. Add in the extra motivation the Crusaders should have after losing at Bucknell and HC's huge edge in the frontcourt, and an upset seemes even more unlikely.
Should HC need extra motivation, it can look back two seasons to when Bucknell lost at American, then followed it with a loss at Navy, two setbacks that resulted in the Bison being forced to go on the road for the tournament final.
As the Crusaders know all too well, that scenario ended up working out OK for Bucknell. But HC would far prefer to sleep in its own beds throughout the playoffs. With senior leaders like Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, don't expect the Crusaders to lose focus on the prize.
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In Hamilton, Lehigh will face Colgate (matchup) looking for its seventh straight win over Colgate. A win would give the Mountain Hawks a three game lead over the Raiders in the win column and a virtual lock on a first round home game in the playoffs since Lehigh will have swept the season series with the Raiders and American, who sit in a tie for fourth place heading into tonight's action.
Lehigh's notes indicate senior center Jason Mgebroff will return to the lineup in the next week after being out since December due to a stress fracture in one of his legs. Whether that means as soon as tonight, Saturday's rivalry game at Lafayette, or a Willis Reed-like inspirational return at home against Bucknell or Holy Cross remains to be seen.
The Raiders are almost as bad at home (4-8) as Lehigh has been on the road (2-12). They have shown a particular knack for losing close games on their own floor. Colgate is 1-4 at home in league games, the four losses coming by a combined 18 points. including one loss in overtime.
In the nation's capital, American, still alive in the home-game hunt thanks to Colgate's Sunday blunder, hosts an Army five (matchup) that is barely clinging to its home for the first round life. After a promising 3-2 start in league play, the Black Knights have hit an 0-5 wall. Army probably has to go 4-0 down the stretch, starting tonight, to have a chance of hosting in round one. That would make them .500 in the league, which might just do it, given the mediocrity of the bottom five-eighths of the conference.
AU, with two more conference games after tonight, would be in good shape for a home game with a win tonight, especially coupled with a Colgate loss. The Eagles have the most favorable schedule of the teams battling for that fourth spot, with a home game against Lafayette and a visit to Navy left following tonight.
In Lewisburg, Bucknell will look to solidify the momentum of its win over Holy Cross when last place Lafayette comes calling (matchup). The Leopards gave the Bison a battle in Easton last month. In Solka Pavilion, where Bucknell has can close out another unbeaten home league slate with a win, it should not be anywhere near as close.
This is the part of the season when Bucknell traditionally plays its best basketball. Since that win in Easton, the Bison have compiled an eight-game win streak. The only way it does not make it nine in a row is if they get caught got looking past the Leopards. A simple two-word message on the chalkboard should suffice. In big, orange letters, it should say "Central Arkansas."
Wrapping up the four-game slate tonight is Holy Cross visiting the Midshipmen of Navy (matchup). Navy's five-game losing streak is history. In its place, a two-game win streak that began with a confidence building win at Lehigh.
The Mids are always an upset threat thanks to their five-man perimeter-oriented attack. Navy fires up half its shots from outside the arc. If a couple Mids get two or three in the same game, they could put up a lot of points.
Of course you can tell by Navy's 11-12 record in games against Division I teams, that has not happened a lot this season. And it would be asking a lot for it to happen against a team that plays defense the way Holy Cross does. Add in the extra motivation the Crusaders should have after losing at Bucknell and HC's huge edge in the frontcourt, and an upset seemes even more unlikely.
Should HC need extra motivation, it can look back two seasons to when Bucknell lost at American, then followed it with a loss at Navy, two setbacks that resulted in the Bison being forced to go on the road for the tournament final.
As the Crusaders know all too well, that scenario ended up working out OK for Bucknell. But HC would far prefer to sleep in its own beds throughout the playoffs. With senior leaders like Keith Simmons and Torey Thomas, don't expect the Crusaders to lose focus on the prize.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Monday, February 12, 2007
Holy Cross' loss to Bucknell coast the Crusaders two spots in the latest Mid-Major Top 25.
HC checks in at No. 17 with 239 points in this week's poll, down from No. 15 a week ago. Bucknell knocking on the door of the top 25, receiving 66 votes to rank second among others receiving votes, or an unofficial No. 27.
No votes for league teams in either of the major top 25 polls again this week.
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HC checks in at No. 17 with 239 points in this week's poll, down from No. 15 a week ago. Bucknell knocking on the door of the top 25, receiving 66 votes to rank second among others receiving votes, or an unofficial No. 27.
No votes for league teams in either of the major top 25 polls again this week.
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There is a video clip showing just how Colgate managed to blow its game against American Sunday.
If you go to the ESPNU homepage, you will see a video box on the right. Underneath, click on the American-Colgate link below the men's basketball heading.
That will bring you to a clip of the postgame show, which includes American coach Jeff Jones discussing the play and a replay of how it happened.
Basically it was the old sneak a man in behind the guy guarding the inbounder play. Arvydas Eitutavicius got beside Kyle Chones, who followed the inbounds passer when the passer ran the baeline and never saw Eitutavicius until after he'd flattened him and been called for the foul.
"We thought we'd give it a shot. We didn't think it would work," Jones told Bob Socci in the interview.
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If you go to the ESPNU homepage, you will see a video box on the right. Underneath, click on the American-Colgate link below the men's basketball heading.
That will bring you to a clip of the postgame show, which includes American coach Jeff Jones discussing the play and a replay of how it happened.
Basically it was the old sneak a man in behind the guy guarding the inbounder play. Arvydas Eitutavicius got beside Kyle Chones, who followed the inbounds passer when the passer ran the baeline and never saw Eitutavicius until after he'd flattened him and been called for the foul.
"We thought we'd give it a shot. We didn't think it would work," Jones told Bob Socci in the interview.
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As usual, we will update this evening with the latest Mid Major Top 25. In the meantime, here are a few links to help you kill a little time as you ease into the work week:
The back of the Holy Cross women's warm-up tops says "Hail our colors." Andre Williams of The Morning Call says Hail Lehigh's Hall.
Coaches always warn you not to look past the next game. We aren't playing, so here are a few sites where Bucknell and Holy Cross fans can scout their BracketBusters opponents: CAA official site | CAA Insider.com | CAA Hoops Blog | CAA Zone | The Lions' Den (Hofstra)
Not wanting both of Colgate's fans to feel left out, here is a report on Marist's win Sunday over Iona
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The Raiders seemed to have a win over American in the bag after taking the lead with 0.2 seconds to play.
Since the rule book states a player cannot catch and shoot the ball with less than 0.3 on the clock, the only way the Raiders, up 51-49 after Dan Gentile tipped in a Jon Simon miss, could not win in that situation seemed to be the improbable possibility of a length of the court pass being tipped in at the other end.
Of course that assumed the Raiders were smart enough to avoid fouling somebody on the inbounds play, an assumption that proved erroneous when Arvydas Eitutavicius managed to draw a foul before the ball was even inbounded.
Eitutavicius made both free throws to send it to overtime, where AU made 11 more foul shots (on 12 tries) to pull out an improbable 64-58 road win.
If Colgate finds itself on a long bus ride -- and to get anywhere from Hamilton it is a long ride -- come Feb. 28, they can look back on this one as why. Not just because of what happened to at the end of regulation, either. The Raiders had an 11-point lead at one point in the second half and could not hold it.
A win would have given the Raiders a two-game lead in the race for the fourth, and final, home spot in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Colgate (9-15 overall, 4-7 Patriot) is now tied with American (12-13, 4-7), with the Eagles holding the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a head-to-head sweep.
American also has an easier schedule down the stretch. The Eagles' three remaining league opponents are have sub .500 league records. American is home against Army and Lafayette and plays one road game -- at Navy. Colgate has two home games left -- Lehigh and Navy -- and has to travel to Worcester to face Holy Cross.
Aside from the late-game blunder, it was a typical cold shooting Colgate performance (19 of 57, 33.3 percent) in front of a typical Hamilton crowd (523). Not even the usual lure of television cameras could entice the Colgate student body to make the trek down the hill through the snow to watch.
Eitutavicius finished with 13 points, all in the second half, to share team honors with point guard Derrick Mercer. Linas Lekavicius added 12 points and Andre Ingram had 11 for the Eagles, who went 20 of 52 from the field (38.5 percent).
AU made just two three-pointers (8 tries), but was 22 of 24 from the foul line. Colgate was 7 for 21 from the arc, 13 of 16 at the line.
Simon led Colgate with 19 points. It took him 20 shots (6 makes) to get those 19, though. Kyle Chones added 16 and his brother Kendall had 12.
The win was No. 100 for Jeff Jones at American.
Box score | AP
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Since the rule book states a player cannot catch and shoot the ball with less than 0.3 on the clock, the only way the Raiders, up 51-49 after Dan Gentile tipped in a Jon Simon miss, could not win in that situation seemed to be the improbable possibility of a length of the court pass being tipped in at the other end.
Of course that assumed the Raiders were smart enough to avoid fouling somebody on the inbounds play, an assumption that proved erroneous when Arvydas Eitutavicius managed to draw a foul before the ball was even inbounded.
Eitutavicius made both free throws to send it to overtime, where AU made 11 more foul shots (on 12 tries) to pull out an improbable 64-58 road win.
If Colgate finds itself on a long bus ride -- and to get anywhere from Hamilton it is a long ride -- come Feb. 28, they can look back on this one as why. Not just because of what happened to at the end of regulation, either. The Raiders had an 11-point lead at one point in the second half and could not hold it.
A win would have given the Raiders a two-game lead in the race for the fourth, and final, home spot in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, Colgate (9-15 overall, 4-7 Patriot) is now tied with American (12-13, 4-7), with the Eagles holding the tiebreaker edge by virtue of a head-to-head sweep.
American also has an easier schedule down the stretch. The Eagles' three remaining league opponents are have sub .500 league records. American is home against Army and Lafayette and plays one road game -- at Navy. Colgate has two home games left -- Lehigh and Navy -- and has to travel to Worcester to face Holy Cross.
Aside from the late-game blunder, it was a typical cold shooting Colgate performance (19 of 57, 33.3 percent) in front of a typical Hamilton crowd (523). Not even the usual lure of television cameras could entice the Colgate student body to make the trek down the hill through the snow to watch.
Eitutavicius finished with 13 points, all in the second half, to share team honors with point guard Derrick Mercer. Linas Lekavicius added 12 points and Andre Ingram had 11 for the Eagles, who went 20 of 52 from the field (38.5 percent).
AU made just two three-pointers (8 tries), but was 22 of 24 from the foul line. Colgate was 7 for 21 from the arc, 13 of 16 at the line.
Simon led Colgate with 19 points. It took him 20 shots (6 makes) to get those 19, though. Kyle Chones added 16 and his brother Kendall had 12.
The win was No. 100 for Jeff Jones at American.
Box score | AP
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Sunday, February 11, 2007
and nobody sees it happen, would there be a game?
(includes Sunday readaround bonus links)
Two teams who were expected to be contenders at the start of the season find themselves left to battle for a chance to host a first round game when American visits Colgate this afternoon.
The game (matchup) will be shown on ESPNU, which probably means nobody will see how empty Colgate's gym is, though there is always the possibility that Colgate students, seeking 15 seconds of fame and shamed by their student paper, will don face paint and full Raider regalia to masquerade as basketball fans.
There is a lot riding on this game. American is one game back of Colgate in the standings. An AU win would pull them even with the Raiders in the race for the fourth and final home spot in the playoffs, and would give the Eagles a tiebreaker edge by virtue of a season's sweep in the head-to-head matchup.
A Colgate win would give them a two-game leg up on the rest of the conference with three games to play. Since those three remaining games include Lehigh and a visit to Holy Cross, that cushion could be very important to the Raiders chances of hosting another game for their students to not attend.
BONUS LINKS:
Determined to succeed (Pat Doherty profile from the Scranton Times-Tribune)
Home Court (Jen Toland of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette looks at Ralph Willard's (and Bill Bibbons') better half)
CSTV's Kyle Whelliston wannabes visited Bucknell for Friday's Holy Cross game and say Sojka had the "highest decibel per fan level" encountered on their Hoops Odyssey. Because of their kind words about the Patriot League, we won't post comments on their sloppy dress or lack of a comb.
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(includes Sunday readaround bonus links)
Two teams who were expected to be contenders at the start of the season find themselves left to battle for a chance to host a first round game when American visits Colgate this afternoon.
The game (matchup) will be shown on ESPNU, which probably means nobody will see how empty Colgate's gym is, though there is always the possibility that Colgate students, seeking 15 seconds of fame and shamed by their student paper, will don face paint and full Raider regalia to masquerade as basketball fans.
There is a lot riding on this game. American is one game back of Colgate in the standings. An AU win would pull them even with the Raiders in the race for the fourth and final home spot in the playoffs, and would give the Eagles a tiebreaker edge by virtue of a season's sweep in the head-to-head matchup.
A Colgate win would give them a two-game leg up on the rest of the conference with three games to play. Since those three remaining games include Lehigh and a visit to Holy Cross, that cushion could be very important to the Raiders chances of hosting another game for their students to not attend.
BONUS LINKS:
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Jose Olivero and Marquis Hall combined for 50 points as the Mountain Hawks avenged an earlier loss at West Point.
Olivero posted 30, Hall added 20 to lead Lehigh to a 75-64 win in Stabler Arena, where Lehigh is now 9-2 on the season. The Hawks opened the game with an 11-0 run and rode that cushion the rest of the way.
The win gives Lehigh (11-14 overall, 6-4 Patriot) a two-game lead on surging Colgate in the race for third place in the conference, pending the outcome of the Raiders game this afternoon against American.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 23 points, but it took the Black Knights star 21 shots to do it. Brown was 7 of 21 from the field, typical of the way Army shot as a team (23 of 58, 39.7 percent from the field, 8 of 20 from three-point range). Matt Bell added 11 points and 6 assists for Army, which lost for the fifth straight game. Army (13-12, 3-7) is now 2-9 on the road this season.
Lehigh shot 48.8 percent (21 of 43) from the field and made 7 of 15 from the arc. The Hawks also benefitted from going to the foul line 37 times, where they made 26. Army only shot 16 free throws, making 10.
Olivero scored 15 of his points at the charity stripe (on 19 free throws) and was 6 for 11 from the field. Hall was 9 for 15 from the field. Bryan White grabbed 12 rebounds for Lehigh, which held a 35-30 edge on the boards.
Box score | Morning Call
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Olivero posted 30, Hall added 20 to lead Lehigh to a 75-64 win in Stabler Arena, where Lehigh is now 9-2 on the season. The Hawks opened the game with an 11-0 run and rode that cushion the rest of the way.
The win gives Lehigh (11-14 overall, 6-4 Patriot) a two-game lead on surging Colgate in the race for third place in the conference, pending the outcome of the Raiders game this afternoon against American.
Jarrell Brown led Army with 23 points, but it took the Black Knights star 21 shots to do it. Brown was 7 of 21 from the field, typical of the way Army shot as a team (23 of 58, 39.7 percent from the field, 8 of 20 from three-point range). Matt Bell added 11 points and 6 assists for Army, which lost for the fifth straight game. Army (13-12, 3-7) is now 2-9 on the road this season.
Lehigh shot 48.8 percent (21 of 43) from the field and made 7 of 15 from the arc. The Hawks also benefitted from going to the foul line 37 times, where they made 26. Army only shot 16 free throws, making 10.
Olivero scored 15 of his points at the charity stripe (on 19 free throws) and was 6 for 11 from the field. Hall was 9 for 15 from the field. Bryan White grabbed 12 rebounds for Lehigh, which held a 35-30 edge on the boards.
Box score | Morning Call
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After weeks of teams sharing last place in the league standings, Lafayette no longer shares those undesirable digs after losing at home to Navy.
It was the Greg Sprink show Saturday in Easton. The Navy junior poured in 29 points to lead the Midshipmen to a 70-63 win over Lafayette and out of what had been a crowded cellar in the Patriot League.
The win, Navy's second in a row, moves the Mids (13-12 overall, 3-7 Patriot) into a tie with their archrivals from the U.S. Military Academy for sixth place, with the possibility it could become a three-way tie for fifth, pending the outcome of this afternoon's American-Colgate game in Hamilton.
It was Billy Lange's first coaching win in the Kirby Center and the first time Navy has won two in a row against Division I teams since the first week of December.
For Lafayette (8-17, 2-6) the loss extends their current skid to four straight setbacks with a visit to Bucknell looming Wednesday. The Leopards have lost 10 of their last 12.
Lafayette led early, jumping out to a 16-6 lead. Navy responded with a 19-3 run and never trailed the rest of the way. Lafayette cut the deficit to 2 twice in the second half but never managed to get the stop-and-score needed to get even.
As you'd expect in a game between two perimeter oriented teams that like to jack it up from the three-point arc, it was won by the team that shot the ball better. In a rarity for Lafayette, the Leopards dominated the boards, grabbing 40 rebounds to 30 for Navy, an holding an 11-4 edge on the offensive glass. But 19 Lafayette turnovers (to 12 for Navy) pretty much negated any edge in possessions.
Both teams fired up 52 shots from the field and 23 free throws. Predictably. half of the 104 combined shots came from outside the arc. The difference in the contest: Navy made three more field goals, including two more threes. The Mids were 19 for 52 from the field (42.3 percent), 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range. Lafayette shot 29 treys, making 8 (27.6 percent). Overall, Lafayette was 19 of 52 (36.5 percent) from the field.
Matt Betley led the Leopards with a 16 point, 10-board double-double. It was Betley's second double-double of the season, the other coming when the two teams met earlier this season in Annapolis. Bilal Abdullah added 13 points and 9 rebounds for Lafayette. Andrew brown finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Kaleo Kina added 10 points for Navy, which hosts Holy Cross Wednesday.
Box score | Express Times | Morning Call | Annapolis Capital
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It was the Greg Sprink show Saturday in Easton. The Navy junior poured in 29 points to lead the Midshipmen to a 70-63 win over Lafayette and out of what had been a crowded cellar in the Patriot League.
The win, Navy's second in a row, moves the Mids (13-12 overall, 3-7 Patriot) into a tie with their archrivals from the U.S. Military Academy for sixth place, with the possibility it could become a three-way tie for fifth, pending the outcome of this afternoon's American-Colgate game in Hamilton.
It was Billy Lange's first coaching win in the Kirby Center and the first time Navy has won two in a row against Division I teams since the first week of December.
For Lafayette (8-17, 2-6) the loss extends their current skid to four straight setbacks with a visit to Bucknell looming Wednesday. The Leopards have lost 10 of their last 12.
Lafayette led early, jumping out to a 16-6 lead. Navy responded with a 19-3 run and never trailed the rest of the way. Lafayette cut the deficit to 2 twice in the second half but never managed to get the stop-and-score needed to get even.
As you'd expect in a game between two perimeter oriented teams that like to jack it up from the three-point arc, it was won by the team that shot the ball better. In a rarity for Lafayette, the Leopards dominated the boards, grabbing 40 rebounds to 30 for Navy, an holding an 11-4 edge on the offensive glass. But 19 Lafayette turnovers (to 12 for Navy) pretty much negated any edge in possessions.
Both teams fired up 52 shots from the field and 23 free throws. Predictably. half of the 104 combined shots came from outside the arc. The difference in the contest: Navy made three more field goals, including two more threes. The Mids were 19 for 52 from the field (42.3 percent), 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range. Lafayette shot 29 treys, making 8 (27.6 percent). Overall, Lafayette was 19 of 52 (36.5 percent) from the field.
Matt Betley led the Leopards with a 16 point, 10-board double-double. It was Betley's second double-double of the season, the other coming when the two teams met earlier this season in Annapolis. Bilal Abdullah added 13 points and 9 rebounds for Lafayette. Andrew brown finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Kaleo Kina added 10 points for Navy, which hosts Holy Cross Wednesday.
Box score | Express Times | Morning Call | Annapolis Capital
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Saturday, February 10, 2007
After last night's big showdown in Lewisburg, some might view today's pair of Patriot League games as afterthoughts. But both have seedings significance.
The biggest of the two has Army visiting Lehigh (matchup), needing a win to complete a series sweep of the Mountain Hawks and to keep its hopes of a first round home game in the playoffs alive.
The last time the two met, Army pulled off a mild upset at West Point. That loss dealt a serious blow to Lehigh's hopes of winning the regular season title, or of at least sharing it by splitting with Bucknell and Holy Cross. Those hopes were dealt another blow with a home loss against Navy Wednesday. With Bucknell and HC still looming in the Hawks' final four games (not to mention visits to Colgate and always dangerous archrival Lafayette), Lehigh needs a win here to maintain its cushion over Colgate and the rest of the pack for third place and a home game in the first round.
A loss would put Lehigh at 5-5 and in serious danger of losing its hold on a home playoff game.
Army, a game behind Colgate in the win column for fourth, with Colgate owning a season sweep tiebreaker edge, simply cannot afford a loss if it wants to stay home for the first round.
Today's other game, Navy at Lafayette (matchup), has less at stake. Neither team has much of a shot at finishing in the top four. But the winner would have a leg up on avoiding a potential bus ride to Worcester should Hc finish with the top seed. It would also have a shot at sneaking into sixth, which would bring a much greater chance of winning a first round game in the playoffs.
Patriot League teams jockeying for tourney seeds (Friday's Morning Call)
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The biggest of the two has Army visiting Lehigh (matchup), needing a win to complete a series sweep of the Mountain Hawks and to keep its hopes of a first round home game in the playoffs alive.
The last time the two met, Army pulled off a mild upset at West Point. That loss dealt a serious blow to Lehigh's hopes of winning the regular season title, or of at least sharing it by splitting with Bucknell and Holy Cross. Those hopes were dealt another blow with a home loss against Navy Wednesday. With Bucknell and HC still looming in the Hawks' final four games (not to mention visits to Colgate and always dangerous archrival Lafayette), Lehigh needs a win here to maintain its cushion over Colgate and the rest of the pack for third place and a home game in the first round.
A loss would put Lehigh at 5-5 and in serious danger of losing its hold on a home playoff game.
Army, a game behind Colgate in the win column for fourth, with Colgate owning a season sweep tiebreaker edge, simply cannot afford a loss if it wants to stay home for the first round.
Today's other game, Navy at Lafayette (matchup), has less at stake. Neither team has much of a shot at finishing in the top four. But the winner would have a leg up on avoiding a potential bus ride to Worcester should Hc finish with the top seed. It would also have a shot at sneaking into sixth, which would bring a much greater chance of winning a first round game in the playoffs.
Labels: Army, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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Leftover tidbits and trivial observations from Bucknell's 48-45 win over Holy Cross: Holy Cross opened the game with a 12-2 run in the first 4:16 of the game, then was outscored 20-15 the rest of the half.
The Crusaders were hurt by foul trouble up front, with both Tim Clifford and Alex Vander Baan forced to the bench the last 4 minutes of the half with two personals each. Abe Badmus had two for Bucknell.
Bucknell's offense during Holy Cross' run was limited to a Chris McNaughton foul line jumper on the first possession of the game. Justin Castleberry entered the game at the first TV timeout and hit a pair of buckets, including a three-pointer, to spark a 9-2 Bucknell run that got the Bison back in the game. McNaughton had the other four points, finishing the half 4 for 7 from the field with 8 points. Castleberry was 3 for 4, with 2 treys, good for 10 points. The rest of Bucknell's roster was 2 for 12 from the field in the half.
Holy Cross was more balanced, with Keith Simmons 4 for 6, 9 points in the half. Clifford and Torey Thomas each had 5 points, Vander Baan added 4.
Bucknell obviously needed to find scoring from someone besides Castleberry and McNaughton. Early in the second half, that answer was Abe Badmus, who started the half beating Thomas on dribble penetration for a layup, then hit a jumper off a curl screen to make it a one-point game. Moments later he came up with a steal on the defensive end, then, after a Thomas foul, hit his firsts trey of the game to give Bucknell a 29-28 lead with 18:16 to play.
Vander Baan picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the second half, returned with four fouls around the 8:58 mark and fouled out 32 seconds later while being outhustled for a loose ball by Darren Mastropaolo after a rebound was tipped out by McNaughton. Mastropaolo made both foul shots for a 39-35 Bucknell lead. Vander Baan played just 18 minutes, finishing with 4 points and 1 rebound.
Holy Cross responded with a 7-0 run, sparked by a Thomas three, followed by two Thomas free throws and two more by Simmons, going back on top by 3. The Crusaders stayed on top until Mastropaolo put Buucknell ahead for good with two free throws at the 3:52 mark.
Holy Cross managed only 4 field goals the entire second half. Simmons, who had Abe Badmus hounding him the entire half, managed only three shots after the half, making just one, a three-pointer with 12 seconds left. Simmons' three was Holy Cross' only score in the final 5:27.
The Crusaders first field goal of the second half came after going without for the first 3:39 of the half. Their last field goal of the first half came with 2:17 to go in the half. In other words, the tone for the second half was set late in the first. Not counting the 15 minutes of the intermission, HC had gone 5:56 without a field goal when Thomas made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup at the 16:31 mark of the second half. It would be another 4:09 until the Crusadsers' next bucket -- a Colin Cunningham three, and 4:27 more until Thomas hit another three at the 7:55 mark. Simmons' late three, the Crusaders only other field goal of the half, came 7:43 later.
If and when these two meet again, expect Holy Cross to do one thing very different. If Bucknell decides again to use Abe Badmus, who, as he put it, is 6-feet tall with his shoes on, to guard the 6-5 Simmons, HC will respond by posting Simmons more.
"The mistake was, Badmus playing Keith, we need to get Keith down low. That's a mismatch," said Torey Thomas, who took it on himself for failing to exploit the size difference, saying, "That is a point guard mistake."
"We ran four or five plays for (Simmons) to post up and we didn't get him the ball," said Willard, who credited Bucknell's ball pressure for making it tough to make that entry pass.
The battle of the big men was dominated by Bucknell this time around. After being outplayed by HC's Tim Clifford in the first game in Worcester, Bucknell's Chris McNaughton turned the table. mcNaughton scored 9 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, dished off an assist, blocked a shot and had just one turnover. Clifford finished with 5 points, 1 rebound, and three turnovers. Clifford also had a pair of blocks and a steal. Between them, Holy Cross' staring front line of Vander baan and Clifford managed 2 rebounds to 15 for Bucknell's combination of Mastropaolo and McNaughton.
Holy Cross backup center, 6-11 sophomore Greg McCarthy managed just a single rebound and 2 turnovers in 15 minutes, making him about equal in production to Bucknell's 6-11 sophomore Josh Linthicum, who played two minutes, with a single foul the only non-zero in his box score line.
Crusaders freshman Eric Meister had a slight edge on Bucknell freshman Patrick behan in the battle of 6-8 backup four men. Meister played 21 minutes, finishing with 6 rebounds and 2 points (1 for 3 shooting). Behan scored 6 points (on 3 for 4 shooting) and grabbed one board in 12 minutes.
Bucknell's Jason Vegotsky, who struggled to match Simmons' and Thomas' quickness on defense, played a season-low 13 minutes and was held scoreless for the first time this season. It was just the third time all season Vegotsky failed to hit a single three. Vegotsky took just one shot.
The standing room only crowd of 4,209 was the fourth largest in Bucknell history and the largest ever for a Patriot League game in Sojka.
The win, Bucknell's second of the season against a Top 100 RPI team, boosted the Bison into that realm. Bucknell is now No. 95 in the RPI, according to Ken Pomeroy's latest calculations. Holy Cross dropped 3 spots to No. 63 with the loss.
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"The mistake was, Badmus playing Keith, we need to get Keith down low. That's a mismatch," said Torey Thomas, who took it on himself for failing to exploit the size difference, saying, "That is a point guard mistake."
"We ran four or five plays for (Simmons) to post up and we didn't get him the ball," said Willard, who credited Bucknell's ball pressure for making it tough to make that entry pass.
Holy Cross backup center, 6-11 sophomore Greg McCarthy managed just a single rebound and 2 turnovers in 15 minutes, making him about equal in production to Bucknell's 6-11 sophomore Josh Linthicum, who played two minutes, with a single foul the only non-zero in his box score line.
Crusaders freshman Eric Meister had a slight edge on Bucknell freshman Patrick behan in the battle of 6-8 backup four men. Meister played 21 minutes, finishing with 6 rebounds and 2 points (1 for 3 shooting). Behan scored 6 points (on 3 for 4 shooting) and grabbed one board in 12 minutes.
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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
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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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Bucknell forward Donald brown is hoping to return from his broken hand in as little as three weeks. A doctor with serious sports medicine credentials says that is "extremely optimistic."
Brown suffered the injury, a break of the third metacarpal bone in his right, shooting, hand, when he was fouled going to the basket during Bucknell's Jan. 30 win at Colgate. Doctors operated two days later, placing pins in the bone to speed the healing. brown has also been fitted with an electronic bone growth stimulator to help speed the healing.
If it were you or I, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery said last week after the Navy game, doctors would place the hand in a cast that would come off when it healed, probably in about two months.
Brown is not you or I, though. He is his team's leading scorer and the league's leading rebounder. Beyond his value to the team, he is a senior playing a final season that will be long over in two months. Thus the extra measures the doctors are taking to get him back on the floor. Aftyer the Navy game, Brown said he hoped to be back in three weeks.
"With elite athletes, using aggressive techniques for rehabilitation is not unreasonable," says Dr. Benjamin Wedro, a board certified emergency physician who practices in a regional trauma center in La Crosse,Wisconsin.
When he is not working the emergency room in La Crosse, Wedro can often be found providing care and medical expertise at major sporting events worldwide. Wedro]has been a presence at Olympic Games including Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano, Salt Lake City, Athens and Turin, providing on-site medical care and medical background information for both CBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
According to Wedro, the normal recovery time for an injury such as Brown's is at least four to six weeks.
"Three weeks is very optimistic," Wedro says. "I think that is unlikely."
Especially since it is Brown's shooting hand, which means the amount of padding or protection he ca wear is limited.
"If it were the non-shooting hand, it would be different," says Wedro.
For those who dig watching Discovery Health channel and the like, here is a little of Wedro's technical take on Brown's situation:
Each case is different, Wedro cautions. He provided the information without the benefit of having examined Brown or seeing Browbn's X-rays. Brown's doctors are likely taking weekly X-rays to check the progress of the healing.
"It sounds like they are giving him the best chance of getting back they can," Wedro says.
Dr. Wedro's MD Direct site
Brown visualizing return to Bison (Daily Item)
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Brown suffered the injury, a break of the third metacarpal bone in his right, shooting, hand, when he was fouled going to the basket during Bucknell's Jan. 30 win at Colgate. Doctors operated two days later, placing pins in the bone to speed the healing. brown has also been fitted with an electronic bone growth stimulator to help speed the healing.
If it were you or I, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery said last week after the Navy game, doctors would place the hand in a cast that would come off when it healed, probably in about two months.
Brown is not you or I, though. He is his team's leading scorer and the league's leading rebounder. Beyond his value to the team, he is a senior playing a final season that will be long over in two months. Thus the extra measures the doctors are taking to get him back on the floor. Aftyer the Navy game, Brown said he hoped to be back in three weeks.
"With elite athletes, using aggressive techniques for rehabilitation is not unreasonable," says Dr. Benjamin Wedro, a board certified emergency physician who practices in a regional trauma center in La Crosse,Wisconsin.
When he is not working the emergency room in La Crosse, Wedro can often be found providing care and medical expertise at major sporting events worldwide. Wedro]has been a presence at Olympic Games including Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano, Salt Lake City, Athens and Turin, providing on-site medical care and medical background information for both CBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
According to Wedro, the normal recovery time for an injury such as Brown's is at least four to six weeks.
"Three weeks is very optimistic," Wedro says. "I think that is unlikely."
Especially since it is Brown's shooting hand, which means the amount of padding or protection he ca wear is limited.
"If it were the non-shooting hand, it would be different," says Wedro.
For those who dig watching Discovery Health channel and the like, here is a little of Wedro's technical take on Brown's situation:
Second or third metacarpal fractures are treated a little differently than the others and are more often surgically fixed with pins. The recovery time is 4-6 weeks or until there is evidence of healing on X-ray. These two metacarpals are fixed and form the skeleton of the hand and are not allowed to shorten or rotate when healing. Fourth and Fifth metacarpals "float" (check your own hand and see how you can move them) and can tolerate some shortening when they heal and still allow the ring and little fingers to have normal function. Only small amounts of angulation (less than 10 degrees) are acceptable in the second and third metacarpals. The fourth and fifth finger metacarpals can accept angulation of 20 and 30 degrees.Wedro says use of such devices for smaller bones is a relatively new concept, but soem recent studies have supported the concept.
Different types of operations can be used from routine pinning to using small
plates and screws. There is also a type of pinning called "boutique pinning"
where small pins are placed through the inside of the bone and can be left in
place. The thought is that activity can be started even sooner.
Use of bone stimulators is relatively common, but more often in longer bones.
Each case is different, Wedro cautions. He provided the information without the benefit of having examined Brown or seeing Browbn's X-rays. Brown's doctors are likely taking weekly X-rays to check the progress of the healing.
"It sounds like they are giving him the best chance of getting back they can," Wedro says.
Labels: BU
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Here I am again right where I know I shouldn't be
I've been caught inside this trap too many times
I must've walked these steps and said these words a thousand times before
It seems like I know everybody's lines.
The whole league is better. It's not just Bucknell and Holy Cross anymore. Yeah, right.
That's what everybody tried to tell us back in November, when the whole league was 0-0 and tied in the standings. They kept it up throughout December, when teams like Army and Navy raced out to impressive records that had all the credibility of a house of cards. When Bucknell started out 0-4, and Holy Cross followed with a four-game losing streak of its own during a 2-5 month of December, it was hard not to wonder if it was true.
So why is it that David Bromberg song keeps running through my head on this fine, frigid February morning?
The answer to that one is pretty obvious. If you need a hint, click here.
Yes, there is more parity in the Patriot League. The bottom of the league is definitely better. Army is vastly improved. Navy is better. Lafayette is a slightly different story, but now that he has scholarships, give Fran O'Hanlon a recruiting class of two and they will get better in a hurry.
But the middle of the league is still the middle. Colgate remains an enigma, a team seemingly full of under performing talent and a coach that would be on the hot seat if there enough fans interested in the team to generate some heat and any media covering the team to write about it.
American is once again a talented roster -- this year you can even add the adjective "experienced" to that description -- that seems to lack chemistry and the mental toughness it takes to win close games.
Lehigh is still there in third, telling everybody it can win the league, but once again lacking the necessary big man to back those boasts (a caveat: if Jason Mgebroff is able to come back and play at the level he was at before being hurt in December, the Mountain Hawks could be a very different team down the stretch).
Which leaves us where we have been the last two seasons, getting set for another matchup between the Bison and the Crusaders with league championship implications.
Winning this game all but clinches the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for Holy Cross. Mathematically, a two-game lead with three to play is not insurmountable. Realistically, though, Bucknell has a better chance of the Easter bunny bringing them a championship than it has of Holy Cross losing all three down the stretch. Since Easter does not come until April 8, it seems they'd best take matters in their own hands tonight.
Even if Bucknell wins, Holy Cross is still in the driver's seat thanks to the RPI tiebreaker, which would kick in if both teams finish 13-1. The Crusaders are far enough ahead of Bucknell in those rankings to have a lock on the higher number under that scenario. But HC still has to run a three-game gauntlet that includes suddenly dangerous Colgate and a trip to Bethlehem to face a Lehigh team that likely will have Mgrebroff back by then.
In other words, win here and Bucknell's beacon of hope still flickers.
That would seem to mean all the pressure is on Bucknell. It's not.
Holy Cross is chasing history, and haunted by it a little, too. The Crusaders are trying to become just the second team in 17 seasons of Patriot League play to run the conference table. To do it, they need to win tonight in Sojka Pavilion, something nobody on the current roster has done, something nobody in the league has done in Bucknell's last 31 home games.
There is also the pressure of the Crusaders' 12-game win streak, the second longest in the nation (behind Florida's 15).
Of course all the talk about pressure probably will mean very little when the two teams take the floor, unless you mean the defensive pressure both will look to apply. The two teams come in ranked 1-2 in scoring defense, with Holy Cross less than a point per game better in that category.
Bucknell will be without Donald Brown, who remains out with a broken hand suffered at Colgate. The Bison have gone 2-0 in his absence.
While they certainly will miss the presence of their leading scorer and the league's top rebounder, Darren Mastropaolo, who started on both of the Bison's NCAA Tournament teams, is a more than capable fill in.
For Bucknell, the keys to this one are pretty simple. On offense, they need to knock down some shots from the perimeter to keep Holy Cross from ganging up on Chris McNaughton in the paint. Abe Badmus did not score a point when HC beat the Bison in Worcester earlier this season. If that happens again, Bucknell will be in trouble.
On defense, they have to keep Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons away from the basket. Easier said than done. Guard penetration killed the Bison in the first game, not just in terms of scoring, but also by getting Brown and McNaughton into foul trouble. McNaughton only played 22 minutes, and scored only 4 points, in Worcester. Bucknell needs a lot more from him tonight.
Holy Cross won't make that easy. The Crusaders big men are strong inside defenders and they will get a lot of help from the guards. Simmons and Thomas both have the kind of jet pack quickness that allows them to dig down and still recover when the ball is kicked out.
A big (pardon the pun) key for the Crusaders will be center Tim Clifford. Like McNaughton, Clifford was in early foul trouble in the first game, going scoreless in just 9 minutes before the intermission. In the second half he went 5 for 6 from the field and pulled won 6 of his team-high 8 rebounds. If he plays like that the whole game tonight, it could be a long night for Bucknell.
For those who doubt how big this rivalry has become, here are a few factoids lifted straight from Bucknell's game notes:
Matchup | Bucknell notes | HC notes | AP | Telegram & Gazette | Boston Herald | College Hoops Net
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I've been caught inside this trap too many times
I must've walked these steps and said these words a thousand times before
It seems like I know everybody's lines.
-- David Bromberg
The whole league is better. It's not just Bucknell and Holy Cross anymore. Yeah, right.
That's what everybody tried to tell us back in November, when the whole league was 0-0 and tied in the standings. They kept it up throughout December, when teams like Army and Navy raced out to impressive records that had all the credibility of a house of cards. When Bucknell started out 0-4, and Holy Cross followed with a four-game losing streak of its own during a 2-5 month of December, it was hard not to wonder if it was true.
So why is it that David Bromberg song keeps running through my head on this fine, frigid February morning?
The answer to that one is pretty obvious. If you need a hint, click here.
Yes, there is more parity in the Patriot League. The bottom of the league is definitely better. Army is vastly improved. Navy is better. Lafayette is a slightly different story, but now that he has scholarships, give Fran O'Hanlon a recruiting class of two and they will get better in a hurry.
But the middle of the league is still the middle. Colgate remains an enigma, a team seemingly full of under performing talent and a coach that would be on the hot seat if there enough fans interested in the team to generate some heat and any media covering the team to write about it.
American is once again a talented roster -- this year you can even add the adjective "experienced" to that description -- that seems to lack chemistry and the mental toughness it takes to win close games.
Lehigh is still there in third, telling everybody it can win the league, but once again lacking the necessary big man to back those boasts (a caveat: if Jason Mgebroff is able to come back and play at the level he was at before being hurt in December, the Mountain Hawks could be a very different team down the stretch).
Which leaves us where we have been the last two seasons, getting set for another matchup between the Bison and the Crusaders with league championship implications.
Winning this game all but clinches the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for Holy Cross. Mathematically, a two-game lead with three to play is not insurmountable. Realistically, though, Bucknell has a better chance of the Easter bunny bringing them a championship than it has of Holy Cross losing all three down the stretch. Since Easter does not come until April 8, it seems they'd best take matters in their own hands tonight.
Even if Bucknell wins, Holy Cross is still in the driver's seat thanks to the RPI tiebreaker, which would kick in if both teams finish 13-1. The Crusaders are far enough ahead of Bucknell in those rankings to have a lock on the higher number under that scenario. But HC still has to run a three-game gauntlet that includes suddenly dangerous Colgate and a trip to Bethlehem to face a Lehigh team that likely will have Mgrebroff back by then.
In other words, win here and Bucknell's beacon of hope still flickers.
That would seem to mean all the pressure is on Bucknell. It's not.
Holy Cross is chasing history, and haunted by it a little, too. The Crusaders are trying to become just the second team in 17 seasons of Patriot League play to run the conference table. To do it, they need to win tonight in Sojka Pavilion, something nobody on the current roster has done, something nobody in the league has done in Bucknell's last 31 home games.
There is also the pressure of the Crusaders' 12-game win streak, the second longest in the nation (behind Florida's 15).
Of course all the talk about pressure probably will mean very little when the two teams take the floor, unless you mean the defensive pressure both will look to apply. The two teams come in ranked 1-2 in scoring defense, with Holy Cross less than a point per game better in that category.
Bucknell will be without Donald Brown, who remains out with a broken hand suffered at Colgate. The Bison have gone 2-0 in his absence.
While they certainly will miss the presence of their leading scorer and the league's top rebounder, Darren Mastropaolo, who started on both of the Bison's NCAA Tournament teams, is a more than capable fill in.
For Bucknell, the keys to this one are pretty simple. On offense, they need to knock down some shots from the perimeter to keep Holy Cross from ganging up on Chris McNaughton in the paint. Abe Badmus did not score a point when HC beat the Bison in Worcester earlier this season. If that happens again, Bucknell will be in trouble.
On defense, they have to keep Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons away from the basket. Easier said than done. Guard penetration killed the Bison in the first game, not just in terms of scoring, but also by getting Brown and McNaughton into foul trouble. McNaughton only played 22 minutes, and scored only 4 points, in Worcester. Bucknell needs a lot more from him tonight.
Holy Cross won't make that easy. The Crusaders big men are strong inside defenders and they will get a lot of help from the guards. Simmons and Thomas both have the kind of jet pack quickness that allows them to dig down and still recover when the ball is kicked out.
A big (pardon the pun) key for the Crusaders will be center Tim Clifford. Like McNaughton, Clifford was in early foul trouble in the first game, going scoreless in just 9 minutes before the intermission. In the second half he went 5 for 6 from the field and pulled won 6 of his team-high 8 rebounds. If he plays like that the whole game tonight, it could be a long night for Bucknell.
For those who doubt how big this rivalry has become, here are a few factoids lifted straight from Bucknell's game notes:
Game time is 7 p.m. on ESPNU and Sirius 107.The Bison and Crusaders have combined to win five of the last six Patriot League titles, and they are the only two league teams to have won in the postseason (Bucknell in the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Tournaments, Holy Cross in the 2005 NIT). These two teams have met 10 times in 16 Patriot League Tournaments, including three times in the championship game. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the 2005 and 2006 title tilts, while the Crusders topped the Bison in the final in 1993. Excluding games against each other, Bucknell and Holy Cross are a combined 71-3 against the rest of the Patriot League since the start of the 2004-05 season. The Bison have not lost to a PL team other than the Crusaders since Jan. 30, 2005 at Navy. The Bison and Crusaders had never met until the formation of the Patriot League in 1990-91, but in 16 years since then they have clashed 43 times, an average of 2.6 meetings per year. Bucknell had won four straight and six of the last seven in the series before Holy Cross ended that streak with a 65-60 win at the Hart Center earlier this season. Bucknell now leads the series 24-19. Bucknell is 11-7 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg, including 4-1 at Sojka Pavilion.
Matchup | Bucknell notes | HC notes | AP | Telegram & Gazette | Boston Herald | College Hoops Net
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Thursday, February 08, 2007
Colgate didn't shoot well, but it shot well enough to down even colder Lafayette.
Andrew Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer fell short, leaving the Leopards (8-16 overall, 2-7 Patriot) on the short end of a 54-51 score and in last place in the Patriot League. The win vaults suddenly surging Colgate (9-14, 4-6) into sole possession of fourth place.
In the rock-paper-scissors world that everybody not named Holy Cross and Bucknell lives in, had it won, Lafayette actually would have had the lead for that all-important No. 4 seeding, which brings with it a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
But the Leopards, usually sold shooters in Kirby, struggled from the field, going an atypical 16 for 51 (31.4 percent), making only 4 of 19 three-point tries.
The win was Colgate's third in their past four games. All three wins have come on the road. The Raiders won despite another in what has become a series of bad shooting nights. Colgate was 18 for 48 (37.5 percent) from the field, 9 of 24 from three-point range.
Jon Simon, who was 0 for 5 inside the arc and 0 for 2 at the foul line, hit 5 of 9 three-pointers for 15 points, leading all scorers. Kyle Chones turned in an 11-points, 11-rebound double-double for the Raiders.
Bilal Abdullah led Lafayette with 14 points. Ted Detmer came off the bench to post a 12-12 double-double, with 2 blocks and 4 steals. Brown finished with 10 for the Leopards, who can climb out of last place with a win Saturday over visiting Navy.
Colgate could actually climb into a tie with Lehigh for third if the Mountain Hawks lose Saturday to Army and the Raiders win at home Sunday against American. Army beat Lehigh in West Point in the first game between the two.
Box score | Morning Call | Express Times
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Andrew Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer fell short, leaving the Leopards (8-16 overall, 2-7 Patriot) on the short end of a 54-51 score and in last place in the Patriot League. The win vaults suddenly surging Colgate (9-14, 4-6) into sole possession of fourth place.
In the rock-paper-scissors world that everybody not named Holy Cross and Bucknell lives in, had it won, Lafayette actually would have had the lead for that all-important No. 4 seeding, which brings with it a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
But the Leopards, usually sold shooters in Kirby, struggled from the field, going an atypical 16 for 51 (31.4 percent), making only 4 of 19 three-point tries.
The win was Colgate's third in their past four games. All three wins have come on the road. The Raiders won despite another in what has become a series of bad shooting nights. Colgate was 18 for 48 (37.5 percent) from the field, 9 of 24 from three-point range.
Jon Simon, who was 0 for 5 inside the arc and 0 for 2 at the foul line, hit 5 of 9 three-pointers for 15 points, leading all scorers. Kyle Chones turned in an 11-points, 11-rebound double-double for the Raiders.
Bilal Abdullah led Lafayette with 14 points. Ted Detmer came off the bench to post a 12-12 double-double, with 2 blocks and 4 steals. Brown finished with 10 for the Leopards, who can climb out of last place with a win Saturday over visiting Navy.
Colgate could actually climb into a tie with Lehigh for third if the Mountain Hawks lose Saturday to Army and the Raiders win at home Sunday against American. Army beat Lehigh in West Point in the first game between the two.
Box score | Morning Call | Express Times
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Navy uses three-pointers to shoot down Lehigh.
Holy upset Batman, Navy beat Lehigh in Stabler Arena. The cellar dwelling Midshipmen came into the Mountain Hawks spacious concrete shed and left the 962 fans groping to find their way to the exits after shooting out the lights in a 70-65 win.
It was just the second home loss of the season for Lehigh (16-15, 5-4 Patriot), which saw its chances of catching Bucknell or Holy Cross for one of the top two seeds sverely damaaged after this one. It was Navy's first road league win.
Navy (12-12, 2-7) did it by building a 17-point lead and holding on. Up 39-28 at the half after hitting 7 treys and holding Lehigh to 29.6 percent (8 of 27) shooting in the half, the Mids stretched the lead to 55-38 on a Kaleo Kina three-pointer with 13:14 to play.
Lehigh battled back, getting as close as 3, but the Hawks could not get over the hump, despite Navy making just one free throw in the final nine minutes.
If there was a flaw in Navy's performance, that would be it. The best free throw shooting team in the league struggled at the line, making just 12 of 22 foul shots. The Mids might have been better off if the refs had allowed them to shoot their free throws from the three-point arc. They were 12 of 21 (57.1 percent) there. Navy actually shot better outside the arc than inside (11 of 20, 55 percent making them 23 of 41 56.1 percent overall).
Lehigh went 6 for 19 (31.6 percent) on three-pointers, 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) overall. The Hawks were 21 of 32 from the foul line.
The Mountain Hawks owned a 37-26 edge on the boards, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to 4 for Navy.
Trey Stanon Led Navy with 16 points. Kina added 16 and GReg Sprink had 10 points for the Mids, who scored 70 points against a Division I foe for the first time since they did it against Howard back on Dec. 4.
Bryan White had a monster night in a losing cause, putting up an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double. The 15 rebounds were a career high. Jose Olivero added 24 points for Lehigh.
Box score | Morning Call | Express Times
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Holy upset Batman, Navy beat Lehigh in Stabler Arena. The cellar dwelling Midshipmen came into the Mountain Hawks spacious concrete shed and left the 962 fans groping to find their way to the exits after shooting out the lights in a 70-65 win.
It was just the second home loss of the season for Lehigh (16-15, 5-4 Patriot), which saw its chances of catching Bucknell or Holy Cross for one of the top two seeds sverely damaaged after this one. It was Navy's first road league win.
Navy (12-12, 2-7) did it by building a 17-point lead and holding on. Up 39-28 at the half after hitting 7 treys and holding Lehigh to 29.6 percent (8 of 27) shooting in the half, the Mids stretched the lead to 55-38 on a Kaleo Kina three-pointer with 13:14 to play.
Lehigh battled back, getting as close as 3, but the Hawks could not get over the hump, despite Navy making just one free throw in the final nine minutes.
If there was a flaw in Navy's performance, that would be it. The best free throw shooting team in the league struggled at the line, making just 12 of 22 foul shots. The Mids might have been better off if the refs had allowed them to shoot their free throws from the three-point arc. They were 12 of 21 (57.1 percent) there. Navy actually shot better outside the arc than inside (11 of 20, 55 percent making them 23 of 41 56.1 percent overall).
Lehigh went 6 for 19 (31.6 percent) on three-pointers, 19 of 54 (35.2 percent) overall. The Hawks were 21 of 32 from the foul line.
The Mountain Hawks owned a 37-26 edge on the boards, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to 4 for Navy.
Trey Stanon Led Navy with 16 points. Kina added 16 and GReg Sprink had 10 points for the Mids, who scored 70 points against a Division I foe for the first time since they did it against Howard back on Dec. 4.
Bryan White had a monster night in a losing cause, putting up an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double. The 15 rebounds were a career high. Jose Olivero added 24 points for Lehigh.
Box score | Morning Call | Express Times
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Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Lehigh looks to keep its lock on third when it hosts Navy, while Colgate could take over the lead in the race for the fourth and final first round home game when it visits Lafayette.
The Mountain Hawks open a two-game service academies homestand against the Midshipmen (matchup) needing to keep winning to have any shot of more than one home game in the playoffs. At 5-3 in the league, Lehigh pins its hopes of moving up to one of the top two seeds on the fact that it closes the regular season at home against second-place Bucknell and league-leading Holy Cross. Lehigh has good reason to be optimistic. The Hawks are 8-1 in Stabler this season, the lone loss coming on a disputed call in the final seconds.
Navy comes in riding a five-game losing streak, falling below .500 on the season with Saturday's home loss against Bucknell. Navy's upset hopes ride on their three-point shooting. That does not bode well against the Mountain Hawks, who are one of the league's top defensive sides, in Stabler, one of the toughest places to shoot in the league.
Mids dealing with growing pains (Examiner)
Colgate at Lafayette (matchup): In the crazy, mixed-up world that is the bottom half of the Patriot League, this battle between 5-14 Colgate and 8-15 Lafayette actually is a pretty important game. Somebody among a group of five teams currently below .500 in league play is actually goiung to have its mediocrity rewarded with a first round home game in the playoffs.
Lafayette could do itself, and the rest of the league, a huge favor by knocking off Colgate. Nobody, with the possible exception of Colgate's own players, wants to go to Hamilton if they can avoid it. Yet despite being absolutely horrible most of the season, the Raiders (3-6 in the league) could take the lead in the race for that final host spot with a win here.
On the other hand, Lafayette (2-6 Patriot) could make it a four-team logjam if it can join the three conference wins club tonight in Kirby. That is certainly a realistic possibility. The Leopards already own a 71-65 road win over Colgate.
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The Mountain Hawks open a two-game service academies homestand against the Midshipmen (matchup) needing to keep winning to have any shot of more than one home game in the playoffs. At 5-3 in the league, Lehigh pins its hopes of moving up to one of the top two seeds on the fact that it closes the regular season at home against second-place Bucknell and league-leading Holy Cross. Lehigh has good reason to be optimistic. The Hawks are 8-1 in Stabler this season, the lone loss coming on a disputed call in the final seconds.
Navy comes in riding a five-game losing streak, falling below .500 on the season with Saturday's home loss against Bucknell. Navy's upset hopes ride on their three-point shooting. That does not bode well against the Mountain Hawks, who are one of the league's top defensive sides, in Stabler, one of the toughest places to shoot in the league.
Colgate at Lafayette (matchup): In the crazy, mixed-up world that is the bottom half of the Patriot League, this battle between 5-14 Colgate and 8-15 Lafayette actually is a pretty important game. Somebody among a group of five teams currently below .500 in league play is actually goiung to have its mediocrity rewarded with a first round home game in the playoffs.
Lafayette could do itself, and the rest of the league, a huge favor by knocking off Colgate. Nobody, with the possible exception of Colgate's own players, wants to go to Hamilton if they can avoid it. Yet despite being absolutely horrible most of the season, the Raiders (3-6 in the league) could take the lead in the race for that final host spot with a win here.
On the other hand, Lafayette (2-6 Patriot) could make it a four-team logjam if it can join the three conference wins club tonight in Kirby. That is certainly a realistic possibility. The Leopards already own a 71-65 road win over Colgate.
Labels: CU, Laf, Leh, Navy, previews
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(Originally posted at 2:32 a.m., links added at 8:31 a.m.)
Freshman's heady play keys Bison win
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
The least experienced guy on the floor made the headiest play of the game to give Bucknell a hard-fought 69-63 win at American Tuesday night.
Bison freshman Stephen Tyree, who didn't even get off the bench in 12 of Bucknell's first 17 games, was on the floor with the game, and possibly Bucknell's hopes of at least a share of the Patriot League regular season title, on the line. Tyree, who played double-digit minutes for the fifth game in a row, re-entered the game with 32 seconds to play, his team clinging to a 67-66 lead and in need of a stop.
The stop came when American's 5-8 Derrick Mercer penetrated the lane with 6 seconds left on the clock and put up a running floater over Bucknell's 6-11 Chris McNaughton that spun around the rim and came off on the weakside. That was where Tyree was waiting for the biggest rebound of his young career.
"It was a helluva rebound," said Bison guard John Griffin, who had put Bucknell (15-8 overall, 9-1 Patriot) on top with a pair of free throws 26 seconds earlier. "There were about 12 hands up there and he pulled it down."
Getting the rebound might seem like a simple feat, but American (11-13, 3-7) crashed the offensive boards hard all night, keeping itself in the game with second, third and even fourth chance points. Nine of American's last 18 points came on possessions were Bucknell made at least one initial stop. Three came on an Andre Ingram three-pointer following not one, not two, but three offensive rebounds by the Eagles. Three more came on a trio of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius, who drew a whistle by taking a dive while missing a long three-point try after first Mercer, then Ingram missed layups that the Bison failed to corral.
"We were getting caught out of position and they were getting two and three shots," said Bucknell sophomore guard Justin Castleberry, who scored 10 points -- one of four Bison to finish in double figures. "You can't give a quality team like American two and three shots. They're going to hurt you."
Getting the rebound was key, but that was not the heady part of the play Tyree made. It was what he did with the ball once he got it that showed the poise of a veteran; Tyree put the ball in Griffin's hands before American could react by fouling him. That forced American to foul Griffin, sending Bucknell's best free throw shooter to the line with a chance to make it a three-point lead.
"I passed it to John because I know he's such a good free throw shooter," Tyree said. "He just made two, so I had to give him back the ball to seal the victory."
The difference was huge. Instead of an inexperienced freshman who has only shot nine free throws in his career (making five, 55.6 percent) being on the line with the game in the balance, it was the league's third-leading free throw shooter, a poised junior who has been in that situation many times before.
"It was a very smart, intelligent play. He had his head up and looked right for me," said Griffin, an 86.4 percent foul shooter who finished the game with a team-high 15 points after going 4 for 5 at the line.
It was the kind of play you'd expect from an experienced team like American, without a single freshman on its roster. It was also the kind of play AU has struggled to make all season. It was the Eagles' second straight game in which they had a chance to at least tie the game on the last possession. It was the second straight game lost when AU failed to convert that kind of opportunity. Of the Eagles' seven league losses, five have come by five points or less.
"It is definitely frustrating. We've been in these kinds of games before and we keep coming up with the same result," said Ingram, who finished with a game-high 23 points but came up short on a 30-footer to tie it at the final buzzer.
Ingram said AU had to know better than to let Griffin be the one who went to the charity stripe with the game on the line. Griffin went 10 for 10 against American at the line when the two teams met back in January in Lewisburg. It was Tyree the Eagles should have fouled.
"It was a lapse. (Tyree) had the ball for a couple seconds actually. We let him get it to Griffin, their best free throw shooter," Ingram said. "I definitely think it was a mental lapse . . . guys' minds went blank for a second."
The loss spoiled what was easily Ingram's finest showing against Bucknell in 10 career games against the Bison. Ingram, who failed to reach double figures in six games against Bucknell as a sophomore and a junior, was 9 of 14 from the floor, including 4 for 4 from three-point range. Ingram's previous best against BU was a 16-point showing as a freshman. He equalled that mark in the first half.
"Ingram really had it going," said Griffin.
The key for Ingram was getting into the lane early, using his height advantage on Bucknell's smallish guards to knock down some confidence building easy shots.
"I had some easy buckets early and then some threes started to fall," Ingram said. "Since I have struggled against Bucknell, to see some shots go down early was a good feeling."
Ingram was not the only hot shooter in the first half. Bucknell shot 14 of 29 (70 percent), including 6 of 8 three-point tries, before the break, easily their best shooting half of the season. American was equally accurate, posting the best shooting half the Bison have allowed all season (15 of 22, 68.2 percent).
"It seemed like at points there was nobody missing," said Bison coach Pat Flannery. "The way they shot the basketball, if we hadn't matched a little bit early, it might have been lights out."
American led 37-36 at the break, after a first half that included eight lead changes and a pair of ties. The game stayed tight all night, with neither team leading by more than 6 points as they swapped the lead 19 times and were tied 11 times.
Both teams cooled off after the intermission, with Bucknell finishing the game at 60.5 percent (14 of 29) from the field, 8 of 11 from three-point range AU was 24 for 44 from the field, 6 for 12 from the arc. The biggest difference in the game came at the foul line, where Bucknell (15 of 18) was three points better than American (12 of 17).
Center Chris McNaughton added 14 points for Bucknell. Abe Badmus had 10. Arvydas Eitutavicius joined Ingram in double figures with 12 points.
The win, Bucknell's seventh straight and 23rd in 24 league games, gives Bucknell its second straight season sweep of the Eagles and sets the stage for Friday night's highly anticipated rematch with league leader Holy Cross. American will be at Colgate Saturday, trying to keep alive its hopes of hosting a first round game in the playoffs.Box score | Postgame audio (Castleberry, Griffin, Flannery, Tyree, Ingram) | Daily Item | Washington Post
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Freshman's heady play keys Bison win
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
The least experienced guy on the floor made the headiest play of the game to give Bucknell a hard-fought 69-63 win at American Tuesday night.
Bison freshman Stephen Tyree, who didn't even get off the bench in 12 of Bucknell's first 17 games, was on the floor with the game, and possibly Bucknell's hopes of at least a share of the Patriot League regular season title, on the line. Tyree, who played double-digit minutes for the fifth game in a row, re-entered the game with 32 seconds to play, his team clinging to a 67-66 lead and in need of a stop.
The stop came when American's 5-8 Derrick Mercer penetrated the lane with 6 seconds left on the clock and put up a running floater over Bucknell's 6-11 Chris McNaughton that spun around the rim and came off on the weakside. That was where Tyree was waiting for the biggest rebound of his young career.
"It was a helluva rebound," said Bison guard John Griffin, who had put Bucknell (15-8 overall, 9-1 Patriot) on top with a pair of free throws 26 seconds earlier. "There were about 12 hands up there and he pulled it down."
Getting the rebound might seem like a simple feat, but American (11-13, 3-7) crashed the offensive boards hard all night, keeping itself in the game with second, third and even fourth chance points. Nine of American's last 18 points came on possessions were Bucknell made at least one initial stop. Three came on an Andre Ingram three-pointer following not one, not two, but three offensive rebounds by the Eagles. Three more came on a trio of free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius, who drew a whistle by taking a dive while missing a long three-point try after first Mercer, then Ingram missed layups that the Bison failed to corral.
"We were getting caught out of position and they were getting two and three shots," said Bucknell sophomore guard Justin Castleberry, who scored 10 points -- one of four Bison to finish in double figures. "You can't give a quality team like American two and three shots. They're going to hurt you."
Getting the rebound was key, but that was not the heady part of the play Tyree made. It was what he did with the ball once he got it that showed the poise of a veteran; Tyree put the ball in Griffin's hands before American could react by fouling him. That forced American to foul Griffin, sending Bucknell's best free throw shooter to the line with a chance to make it a three-point lead.
"I passed it to John because I know he's such a good free throw shooter," Tyree said. "He just made two, so I had to give him back the ball to seal the victory."
The difference was huge. Instead of an inexperienced freshman who has only shot nine free throws in his career (making five, 55.6 percent) being on the line with the game in the balance, it was the league's third-leading free throw shooter, a poised junior who has been in that situation many times before.
"It was a very smart, intelligent play. He had his head up and looked right for me," said Griffin, an 86.4 percent foul shooter who finished the game with a team-high 15 points after going 4 for 5 at the line.
It was the kind of play you'd expect from an experienced team like American, without a single freshman on its roster. It was also the kind of play AU has struggled to make all season. It was the Eagles' second straight game in which they had a chance to at least tie the game on the last possession. It was the second straight game lost when AU failed to convert that kind of opportunity. Of the Eagles' seven league losses, five have come by five points or less.
"It is definitely frustrating. We've been in these kinds of games before and we keep coming up with the same result," said Ingram, who finished with a game-high 23 points but came up short on a 30-footer to tie it at the final buzzer.
Ingram said AU had to know better than to let Griffin be the one who went to the charity stripe with the game on the line. Griffin went 10 for 10 against American at the line when the two teams met back in January in Lewisburg. It was Tyree the Eagles should have fouled.
"It was a lapse. (Tyree) had the ball for a couple seconds actually. We let him get it to Griffin, their best free throw shooter," Ingram said. "I definitely think it was a mental lapse . . . guys' minds went blank for a second."
The loss spoiled what was easily Ingram's finest showing against Bucknell in 10 career games against the Bison. Ingram, who failed to reach double figures in six games against Bucknell as a sophomore and a junior, was 9 of 14 from the floor, including 4 for 4 from three-point range. Ingram's previous best against BU was a 16-point showing as a freshman. He equalled that mark in the first half.
"Ingram really had it going," said Griffin.
The key for Ingram was getting into the lane early, using his height advantage on Bucknell's smallish guards to knock down some confidence building easy shots.
"I had some easy buckets early and then some threes started to fall," Ingram said. "Since I have struggled against Bucknell, to see some shots go down early was a good feeling."
Ingram was not the only hot shooter in the first half. Bucknell shot 14 of 29 (70 percent), including 6 of 8 three-point tries, before the break, easily their best shooting half of the season. American was equally accurate, posting the best shooting half the Bison have allowed all season (15 of 22, 68.2 percent).
"It seemed like at points there was nobody missing," said Bison coach Pat Flannery. "The way they shot the basketball, if we hadn't matched a little bit early, it might have been lights out."
American led 37-36 at the break, after a first half that included eight lead changes and a pair of ties. The game stayed tight all night, with neither team leading by more than 6 points as they swapped the lead 19 times and were tied 11 times.
Both teams cooled off after the intermission, with Bucknell finishing the game at 60.5 percent (14 of 29) from the field, 8 of 11 from three-point range AU was 24 for 44 from the field, 6 for 12 from the arc. The biggest difference in the game came at the foul line, where Bucknell (15 of 18) was three points better than American (12 of 17).
Center Chris McNaughton added 14 points for Bucknell. Abe Badmus had 10. Arvydas Eitutavicius joined Ingram in double figures with 12 points.
The win, Bucknell's seventh straight and 23rd in 24 league games, gives Bucknell its second straight season sweep of the Eagles and sets the stage for Friday night's highly anticipated rematch with league leader Holy Cross. American will be at Colgate Saturday, trying to keep alive its hopes of hosting a first round game in the playoffs.Box score | Postgame audio (Castleberry, Griffin, Flannery, Tyree, Ingram) | Daily Item | Washington Post
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Leftover tidbits and observations from Bucknell's 69-66 win at American. Another new starting lineup for American. Or should we say a different lineup. Jeff Jones went back to the lineup that started the first 11 games of the season, with Paulius Joneliunas returning to the first five, displacing Sekou Lewis, who had drawn a start in AU's previous three games. Jones likely made the move in an effort to match Bucknell's Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo with his "twin towers" front line of Joneliunas and Brayden Billbe.
After the Lehigh game, Jones said the four spot would be filled by committee the remainder of the season since nobody had clearly staked a claim to the job. Starting assignments would be a product of practice performance and matchups, Jones said.
Lewis, after three straight starts, did not play.
Andre Ingram has been a fixture in the Eagles lineup all season. Matter of fact, the 6-3 senior has been a fixture in the starting five for the past few seasons. The Bucknell game marked his 111th career start, setting a new school record. The old record of 110 was held by Darryl franklin, who played from 1992 to 1996. Ingram finished with 23 points, moving him past American Hall of Famer Wilbur Thomas into sixth place on AU's all-time scoring chart with 1,552 points.
Bucknell's injured Donald Brown has been fitted with a battery charged device to provide electrical stimulation to speed the healing of the broken right hand.
Bucknell opened the game going 6 for 6, including 4 three-pointers and a Chris McNaughton jumper with a foot on the arc. The Bison's first miss from the field came on a Justin Catleberry pull-up jumper in the lane at the 12:09 mark.
Ingram's three-pointer with 3:05 to go in the first half gave him 16 points, matching his career best against Bucknell, set back in his freshman season. Since then, Ingram had reached double figures once in six games against the Bison, that coming earlier this season when he scored 10 in Lewisburg. His 23 points were more than he scored in three games combined (20) against Bucknell last season. His 33 in two games this season equals his total in six games against Bucknell his sophomore and junior seasons.
The two teams combined to hit 29 of 42 shots in the first half (69 percent). Bucknell was 14 of 20 (70 percent), 6 of 8 from the three-point arc. But the Bison were just 2 of 5 from the free throw line in the half. American hit 15 of 22 (68.2 percent) from the field, 4 of 6 threes and was 3 for 3 at the line.
Bucknell's first half shooting was its best effort of the season. The previous best half was against Army in Lewisburg, when the Bison hit 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) in the first half. The Bison's previous worst defensive half came against Wake Forest, when the Demon Deacons hit 59.1 percent in the second half.
Brayden Billbe fouled out with 2:30 to go on a questionable call. Billbe and Bucknell's John Griffin got their feet tangled near the top of the arc, with Griffin ending up on the floor and Billbe ending up on the bench the rest of the night. Billbe's fourth personal, which came at the 4:08 mark, was also an offensive foul away from the ball. Billbe checked out with 8 points on 4 for 5 shooting but the 6-10 senior had no rebounds and turned the ball over 4 times.
The officials evened it out a minute later, sending Arvydas Eitutavicius to the line for three shots after he took a dive in Justin Caslteberry's vicinity while missing a long three. Eitutaviciua hit all three to put AU up 64-63 with 1:23 to play.
Bucknell held a 23-18 edge on the boards, but American had an 11-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Eagles managed only 7 defensive rebounds.
The win was Bucknell's second straight in Bender, where they were 0-4 in Patriot League play prior to last season. It was Bucknell's seventh straight win over AU , a streak that includes wins in the conference semifinals the past two seasons.
Bucknell's 22-14 advantage in the paint marked the seventh straight game the Bison outscored an opponent on the inside. The Bison have not outscored their foes in the paint in 9 of their 10 league games, the lone exception being a 22-22 standoff in the loss at Holy Cross.
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After the Lehigh game, Jones said the four spot would be filled by committee the remainder of the season since nobody had clearly staked a claim to the job. Starting assignments would be a product of practice performance and matchups, Jones said.
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Army pushed the league leaders to the limit in regulation, but form held in the extra session.
After battling Holy Cross tooth and nail through 40 even minutes of regulation play, the Black Knights' upset bid came apart like a trailer in a twister in overtime, allowing the Crusaders to escape with a 70-54 overtime win to remain unbeaten in league play.
The win sets up Friday's much-anticipated showdown at Bucknell, which also escaped a trap last night at American. Holy Cross' 12th straight win was in jeopardy in the second half when Army used a pair of three-pointers from little used freshman guard Josh Miller to build a 40-33 lead with 8:05 to go in regulation.
Keith Simmons, who finished with 26 points, led Holy Cross back, tying the game at 49-49 after Simmons hit a pair of free throws and a layup with 2:10 to play in regulation. After each team added a free throw, a short jumper by Simmons put the Crusaders up with 15 seconds to go. Army sent it to OT when Jarrell Brown (21 points) made a little running scoop shot with 0.5 seconds to go.
The overtime, though, was all HC. The Crusaders opened with a 12-0 run and held Army to a pair of free throws in the extra session. Army, which shot 17 for 45 (37.8 percent) in regulation, including 5 of 10 from the arc, went 0 for 6 in overtime, five of the misses coming from the arc.
Holy Cross was perfect in the OT, going 5 for 5 from the field, including a pair of Pat Doherty treys and 6 for 6 at the foul line. For the game, HC shot 46 percent (23 of 50), 8 for 18 on three-point tries.
Matt Bell added 12 points for Army (13-11, 3-6 Patriot), which lost its fourth in a row after starting conference play 3-2.
Torey Thomas had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals for HC. Tim Clifford finished with 11 points, 8 boards and 6 steals.
Simmons became thefirst 11th HC player to score 1,500 career points on a layup with 11:59 to go in regulation.
Box score | Times Herald-Record | Telegram & Gazette
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After battling Holy Cross tooth and nail through 40 even minutes of regulation play, the Black Knights' upset bid came apart like a trailer in a twister in overtime, allowing the Crusaders to escape with a 70-54 overtime win to remain unbeaten in league play.
The win sets up Friday's much-anticipated showdown at Bucknell, which also escaped a trap last night at American. Holy Cross' 12th straight win was in jeopardy in the second half when Army used a pair of three-pointers from little used freshman guard Josh Miller to build a 40-33 lead with 8:05 to go in regulation.
Keith Simmons, who finished with 26 points, led Holy Cross back, tying the game at 49-49 after Simmons hit a pair of free throws and a layup with 2:10 to play in regulation. After each team added a free throw, a short jumper by Simmons put the Crusaders up with 15 seconds to go. Army sent it to OT when Jarrell Brown (21 points) made a little running scoop shot with 0.5 seconds to go.
The overtime, though, was all HC. The Crusaders opened with a 12-0 run and held Army to a pair of free throws in the extra session. Army, which shot 17 for 45 (37.8 percent) in regulation, including 5 of 10 from the arc, went 0 for 6 in overtime, five of the misses coming from the arc.
Holy Cross was perfect in the OT, going 5 for 5 from the field, including a pair of Pat Doherty treys and 6 for 6 at the foul line. For the game, HC shot 46 percent (23 of 50), 8 for 18 on three-point tries.
Matt Bell added 12 points for Army (13-11, 3-6 Patriot), which lost its fourth in a row after starting conference play 3-2.
Torey Thomas had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals for HC. Tim Clifford finished with 11 points, 8 boards and 6 steals.
Simmons became the
Box score | Times Herald-Record | Telegram & Gazette
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Everybody is talking about Friday's Holy Cross-Bucknell rematch, but first they both have to get by tough road opponents tonight.
It's a classic trap situation for both teams. Both are coming off emotional wins Saturday -- Holy Cross's winter homecoming thrashing of Lafayette and Bucknell's big win at Navy in its first game without senior leader Donald Brown -- and headed into a game with potential league championship implications. But if either lets down, or if looks past tonight to even sneak a peek at the other, Friday's ESPNU matchup could end up taking on a very different context.
Holy Cross throttled Army when they met in Worcester back on Jan. 10, winning by 24 points. It would be understandable if a bunch of 20-year-old kids would take Army lightly in the rematch (matchup). It could also be fatal to HC's championship dreams. The Black Knights are a very different team in West Point, where they are 9-2 on the season.
Ralph Willard knows the danger. In 2002, his team went into West Point one game before a big showdown with American and came out with a loss that eventually forced it to go on the road for the league final against AU. All worked out in the end for the Crusaders, who won the second of its three titles under Willard by beating the Eagles in Bender. But nobody wants to have to win the championship final on someone else's floor.
No need to harken back to that 2002 slip-up to make the point about needing to stay focused in a tough road game in an empty gym. Willard can simply remind his team what happened two weeks ago in its last trip to New York, when they needed a Keith Simmons three-pointer at the end of the game to get past Colgate.
Bucknell faces a similar challenge at American (matchup). The Bison didn't win by a big margin when the two met in Lewisburg, but they did win pretty convincingly.
The Bison were dominant inside, but allowed Au to knock down 7 threes in the second half to keep it close. If the Eagles are able to shoot like that at home tonight, it could be a very long night for Bucknell.
Bucknell's defense has improved considerably since the two met back on Jan. 10. We'll see how much it has improved tonight.
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It's a classic trap situation for both teams. Both are coming off emotional wins Saturday -- Holy Cross's winter homecoming thrashing of Lafayette and Bucknell's big win at Navy in its first game without senior leader Donald Brown -- and headed into a game with potential league championship implications. But if either lets down, or if looks past tonight to even sneak a peek at the other, Friday's ESPNU matchup could end up taking on a very different context.
Holy Cross throttled Army when they met in Worcester back on Jan. 10, winning by 24 points. It would be understandable if a bunch of 20-year-old kids would take Army lightly in the rematch (matchup). It could also be fatal to HC's championship dreams. The Black Knights are a very different team in West Point, where they are 9-2 on the season.
Ralph Willard knows the danger. In 2002, his team went into West Point one game before a big showdown with American and came out with a loss that eventually forced it to go on the road for the league final against AU. All worked out in the end for the Crusaders, who won the second of its three titles under Willard by beating the Eagles in Bender. But nobody wants to have to win the championship final on someone else's floor.
No need to harken back to that 2002 slip-up to make the point about needing to stay focused in a tough road game in an empty gym. Willard can simply remind his team what happened two weeks ago in its last trip to New York, when they needed a Keith Simmons three-pointer at the end of the game to get past Colgate.
Bucknell faces a similar challenge at American (matchup). The Bison didn't win by a big margin when the two met in Lewisburg, but they did win pretty convincingly.
The Bison were dominant inside, but allowed Au to knock down 7 threes in the second half to keep it close. If the Eagles are able to shoot like that at home tonight, it could be a very long night for Bucknell.
Bucknell's defense has improved considerably since the two met back on Jan. 10. We'll see how much it has improved tonight.
Labels: Army, AU, BU, HC, previews
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Monday, February 05, 2007
Now available in the Hoop Time store -- show your purple pride with our new Vox Purpoli gear. Available in a white T-shirt or a sweatshirt in your choice of ash or white. Just click on the shirt to visit the store.
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The good news: Holy Cross got one of the televised games in the BracketBusters.
The bad news: It won't be easy to see it. The game at Hofstra, set for Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. will be shown on ESPNU. ESPNU, or ESPN Unavailable, as some call it, is available in about 7 million homes nationwide. By comparison, the WWLIS' main property, good old ESPN, is available in 92.2 million.
For many fans, the best hope for seeing the game on TV is probaly to find a sports bar or restaurant with a dish package that includes ESPNU. One tip: Many places pre-program their dish offerings. Best to call ahead to make sure they will include the game on one of their screens. Offering to arrange a gathering of fellow fans can't hurt.
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The bad news: It won't be easy to see it. The game at Hofstra, set for Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. will be shown on ESPNU. ESPNU, or ESPN Unavailable, as some call it, is available in about 7 million homes nationwide. By comparison, the WWLIS' main property, good old ESPN, is available in 92.2 million.
For many fans, the best hope for seeing the game on TV is probaly to find a sports bar or restaurant with a dish package that includes ESPNU. One tip: Many places pre-program their dish offerings. Best to call ahead to make sure they will include the game on one of their screens. Offering to arrange a gathering of fellow fans can't hurt.
Labels: HC
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Holy Cross climbed two more spots in the latest Mid-Major Top 25.
The Crusaders are up to No. 15 in the latest edition of CollegeInsider.com's weekly poll. Bucknell remains among the others receiving votes with 16, good for unofficial No. 34 in the rankings.
Once again, no respect for the league in either of the two major polls.
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The Crusaders are up to No. 15 in the latest edition of CollegeInsider.com's weekly poll. Bucknell remains among the others receiving votes with 16, good for unofficial No. 34 in the rankings.
Once again, no respect for the league in either of the two major polls.
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Sunday, February 04, 2007
Checked out all yesterday's games and still crave more hoops? Here are few other items of interest.
Tom Housenick of The Daily Item spent his spare time between Friday night's Bucknell-Navy men's game and yesterday afternoon's women's game between the same two schools to put together a column on the Donald Brown situation.
Navy beat guy Bill Wagner does a nice job covering the Mids for the Annapolis Capital. Often it goes unmentioned here because the paper does not update its Web site until late in the day, well after we have finished our updates. Here is his account of Friday night's game.
You need a lot of institutional memory to recall the play of Holy Cross center Jim Nairus, an academic all-American who was a first-team all league pick and also made the all-tournament team back when this thing of ours began in 1991. A guy who has that kind of recall is Holy Cross play-by-play man Bob Fouracre, who has called over 2,500 HC games in his 37 years behind the mic. Both are set to enter the Holy Cross athletics hall of fame in May.
Army's freshman center, Chris Walker, Saturday got some ink back home in Georgia in a little where-are-they-now type piece from the Gwinnett Daily Post.
We don't cover much of the ladies' side of the league. Matter of fact, aside from the HC games we cover for the Telegram & Gazette and the occasional Bucknell women's game with the daughters, we pay next to no attention to the women's games. Time constraints and a lack of media coverage make it impossible to keep up with the whole league, so we didn't know (Celtics player) Wally Szczerbiak's little sister Wendy played for Lehigh until we read Bill Doyle's column in today's Telegram & Gazette.
If you are looking to catch up on the women's side of the league, here's a quick primer: Bucknell is in first place following a win Saturday at Navy. Defending champion Army is one game back after beating Colgate. Longtime league powerhouse Holy Cross has struggled after losing its top two point guards to knee injuries, but seems to be starting to pick up the pieces after a win Saturday over Lafayette that got the Crusaders back to .500 after a 1-4 start in league play.
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Labels: Army, BU, CU, HC, Laf, Navy
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Originally posted Sat., 5 p.m.; updated with links at 9:31 a.m.)
Ever wonder why Army and Colgate draw so few fans for their games? Maybe it's because too many folks have watched a game like the one the two played Saturday afternoon.
Thankfully, only 432 were forced to suffer through what was passed off as a Division I basketball game in Christl Arena. Colgate's 42-38 win was as ugly as they come.
How ugly was it? Consider this:
Colgate won despite shooting 30.2 percent from the field (13 of 43)
Army shot even worse, going 14 of 51 (27.5 percent
Neither team managed to make more than 8 field goals in either half (Army had 8 in the second)
Both teams had more turnovers than field goals -- Army turning it over 15 times, Colgate topping that with 17
After the first 5 minutes, the score was 2-0, a bucket by Army's Matt Bell at the 19:05 mark accounting for the only scoring
That was the only points Army scored in the first 9:39 of the game
During that span, Colgate scored all of three points -- all on a three-point play by Kyle Chones at the 14:56 mark
Army's 38 points were the fewest by a league team all season
Colgate's 42 ties for the third lowest offensive output on that list
If the game had a saving grace, it was the fact that it was competitive right to the end. Tied at 38-38 after a Jarell Brown bucket with 1:03 to play, Colgate scored what proved to be the game-winner when Army's Matt Bell partially blocked a Jon Simon shot, deflecting the ball to the Raiders' Marc Daniels, who put it home with 25 seconds to play.
Army had a chance to tie it, but Bell missed a jumper and Colgate's Daniel Waddy made a pair of free throws to seal it.
Box score | AP | Times Herald-Record
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Ever wonder why Army and Colgate draw so few fans for their games? Maybe it's because too many folks have watched a game like the one the two played Saturday afternoon.
Thankfully, only 432 were forced to suffer through what was passed off as a Division I basketball game in Christl Arena. Colgate's 42-38 win was as ugly as they come.
How ugly was it? Consider this:
If the game had a saving grace, it was the fact that it was competitive right to the end. Tied at 38-38 after a Jarell Brown bucket with 1:03 to play, Colgate scored what proved to be the game-winner when Army's Matt Bell partially blocked a Jon Simon shot, deflecting the ball to the Raiders' Marc Daniels, who put it home with 25 seconds to play.
Army had a chance to tie it, but Bell missed a jumper and Colgate's Daniel Waddy made a pair of free throws to seal it.
Box score | AP | Times Herald-Record
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Seven seconds and 4 points seperate Lehigh and American after the Mountain Hawks completed a series sweep Saturday in D.C.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
American and Lehigh have played 80 minutes of basketball this season, and after Lehigh's 56-54 win Saturday in Bender Arena, the difference between the two in the combined box score comes down to this: 4 points and 7 seconds.
It's ever so slight an advantage on the scoreboard for the Mountain Hawks, who won the first game in Bethlehem by the same margin on a Phil Anderson putback with less than three seconds to play and completed the sweep thanks to a pair of Jose Olivero free throws Saturday with 4.5 showing on the clock. The difference in the league standings, though, is far more significant.
Instead of being tied with Lehigh for third, each a game ahead of Army and Colgate in the race for one of the four first round home games in the postseason playoffs, American (11-12 overall, 3-6 Patriot) now finds itself in a virtual tie with the Raiders and Black Knights (who actually have a half-game lead with a game in hand) for the fourth and final home spot, while Lehigh has a two-game edge on the whole bunch.
At the end of the regular season, if the Eagles find themselves one win shy of staying home for the first round, chances are they will spend a lot of their bus ride looking back at this one as the game that sent them packing. After squandering a six-point lead, at home, with Lehigh's best player stuck on the bench with foul trouble, it would be hard to look at it any other way. Adding to that misery will be the knowledge that had a trio of guys who are normally pretty fair foul shooters knocked down a few free throws against Lehigh, they'd be sleeping in their own beds instead of heading to some distant hotel.
"It's frustrating," said AU coach Jeff Jones. "It's not easy. It's discouraging."
Jones' sentiments are understandable. Here was a game in which his team shot the ball well (24 of 46, 52.2 percent from the field), played solid defense (Lehigh shot 34.9 percent, 15 of 43), and outrebounded the opposition by a healthy 32-23 margin. yet the Eagles wasted that good play by only making 5 of 10 free throws. It was a game where American held Lehigh to 7 first half field goals (7 of 26, 26.9 percent), yet trailed by two -- the same as the final margin -- at the half, after turning the ball over more times (12) than they put it in the hole (9 field goals on 21 tries -- 42.9 percent).
"Statistics aren't everything, but when you look at the statistics, and you look at the 12 turnovers in the first half, and you look at the missed free throws of our guys who usually are very reliable free throw shooters, you can pretty much sum it up and say that is the difference in the game," Jones said.
That was a big difference in the game, but far from the only one. Another key difference was the play of Lehigh freshman Zahir Carrington during the almost six minute stretch of the second half when Olivero was sitting next to Billy Taylor, saddled with four personals. When Olivero, who led Lehigh with 14 points, sat down, American was up 38-32 with Linas Lekavicius -- a 71 percent free throw shooter -- at the line for a one-and-one and a chance to extend the lead to 8.
"That was at least a chance for us, while their big gun was on the bench, to maybe extend that lead a little, but we weren't able to do that," Jones said.
Lekavicius missed the front end; 21 seconds later AU's lead was cut in half thanks to a three-point play by Carrington and the tide was changed. By the time Olivero returned with 4:39 to play, Lehigh was up 49-44, a cushion that proved to be enough down the stretch. Carrington finished with 9 points, all three of his field goals coming during that game-changing stretch.
"(Carrington) was terrific. His ability to catch and finish in the paint," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said. "We needed him and he stepped up for us."
American didn't go down easily. trailing by 4 with 50 seconds left, they managed to draw even. First 5-8 sophomore point guard Derrick Mercer took matters into his own hands, driving right the left baseline for a layup to cut the Lehigh lead to 54-52. Then at the other end, Andre Ingram made a huge defensive play on a Lehigh inbounds play under their own basket. Ingram managed to knock the ball out of Olivero's hands and off Olivero's leg out of bounds, giving the Eagles possession with 24 seconds to go.
With Taylor subbing sophomore Matt Szalachowski for Olivero on defense to protect Olivero from fouling out in case the game went to overtime, American was able to take advantage of a mismatch by giving the ball to Arvydas Eitutavicius (13 points), who beat Szalachowski in the paint for a four-foot jumper to tie the game with 14 seconds left.
With the possible exception of the host of Girl Scouts on hand for some sort of promotion, every one of the 1,828 folks in Bender knew where tthe ball was going when Olivero checked back.
"(Olivero) is a guy who has done it so many times in the clutch," said Taylor. "We certainly knew who we wanted to get the ball to."
Once it was in his hands, Olivero didn't hesitate. Olivero took it straight to the hole, missing a runner over 6-10 Brayden Billbe but drawing a foul on Eitutavicius.
"I just tried to be aggressive before their defense got set," Olivero said.
After Olivero's free throws, American had a chance to tie with 4.5 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles never got off a shot though, when Eitutavicius, pressured by Szalachowski, fumbled a kickout pass from Mercer.
The win was just the second on the road this season for Lehigh. It was just the second loss at home for American.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Jose Olivero, Jeff Jones)
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
American and Lehigh have played 80 minutes of basketball this season, and after Lehigh's 56-54 win Saturday in Bender Arena, the difference between the two in the combined box score comes down to this: 4 points and 7 seconds.
It's ever so slight an advantage on the scoreboard for the Mountain Hawks, who won the first game in Bethlehem by the same margin on a Phil Anderson putback with less than three seconds to play and completed the sweep thanks to a pair of Jose Olivero free throws Saturday with 4.5 showing on the clock. The difference in the league standings, though, is far more significant.
Instead of being tied with Lehigh for third, each a game ahead of Army and Colgate in the race for one of the four first round home games in the postseason playoffs, American (11-12 overall, 3-6 Patriot) now finds itself in a virtual tie with the Raiders and Black Knights (who actually have a half-game lead with a game in hand) for the fourth and final home spot, while Lehigh has a two-game edge on the whole bunch.
At the end of the regular season, if the Eagles find themselves one win shy of staying home for the first round, chances are they will spend a lot of their bus ride looking back at this one as the game that sent them packing. After squandering a six-point lead, at home, with Lehigh's best player stuck on the bench with foul trouble, it would be hard to look at it any other way. Adding to that misery will be the knowledge that had a trio of guys who are normally pretty fair foul shooters knocked down a few free throws against Lehigh, they'd be sleeping in their own beds instead of heading to some distant hotel.
"It's frustrating," said AU coach Jeff Jones. "It's not easy. It's discouraging."
Jones' sentiments are understandable. Here was a game in which his team shot the ball well (24 of 46, 52.2 percent from the field), played solid defense (Lehigh shot 34.9 percent, 15 of 43), and outrebounded the opposition by a healthy 32-23 margin. yet the Eagles wasted that good play by only making 5 of 10 free throws. It was a game where American held Lehigh to 7 first half field goals (7 of 26, 26.9 percent), yet trailed by two -- the same as the final margin -- at the half, after turning the ball over more times (12) than they put it in the hole (9 field goals on 21 tries -- 42.9 percent).
"Statistics aren't everything, but when you look at the statistics, and you look at the 12 turnovers in the first half, and you look at the missed free throws of our guys who usually are very reliable free throw shooters, you can pretty much sum it up and say that is the difference in the game," Jones said.
That was a big difference in the game, but far from the only one. Another key difference was the play of Lehigh freshman Zahir Carrington during the almost six minute stretch of the second half when Olivero was sitting next to Billy Taylor, saddled with four personals. When Olivero, who led Lehigh with 14 points, sat down, American was up 38-32 with Linas Lekavicius -- a 71 percent free throw shooter -- at the line for a one-and-one and a chance to extend the lead to 8.
"That was at least a chance for us, while their big gun was on the bench, to maybe extend that lead a little, but we weren't able to do that," Jones said.
Lekavicius missed the front end; 21 seconds later AU's lead was cut in half thanks to a three-point play by Carrington and the tide was changed. By the time Olivero returned with 4:39 to play, Lehigh was up 49-44, a cushion that proved to be enough down the stretch. Carrington finished with 9 points, all three of his field goals coming during that game-changing stretch.
"(Carrington) was terrific. His ability to catch and finish in the paint," Lehigh coach Billy Taylor said. "We needed him and he stepped up for us."
American didn't go down easily. trailing by 4 with 50 seconds left, they managed to draw even. First 5-8 sophomore point guard Derrick Mercer took matters into his own hands, driving right the left baseline for a layup to cut the Lehigh lead to 54-52. Then at the other end, Andre Ingram made a huge defensive play on a Lehigh inbounds play under their own basket. Ingram managed to knock the ball out of Olivero's hands and off Olivero's leg out of bounds, giving the Eagles possession with 24 seconds to go.
With Taylor subbing sophomore Matt Szalachowski for Olivero on defense to protect Olivero from fouling out in case the game went to overtime, American was able to take advantage of a mismatch by giving the ball to Arvydas Eitutavicius (13 points), who beat Szalachowski in the paint for a four-foot jumper to tie the game with 14 seconds left.
With the possible exception of the host of Girl Scouts on hand for some sort of promotion, every one of the 1,828 folks in Bender knew where tthe ball was going when Olivero checked back.
"(Olivero) is a guy who has done it so many times in the clutch," said Taylor. "We certainly knew who we wanted to get the ball to."
Once it was in his hands, Olivero didn't hesitate. Olivero took it straight to the hole, missing a runner over 6-10 Brayden Billbe but drawing a foul on Eitutavicius.
"I just tried to be aggressive before their defense got set," Olivero said.
After Olivero's free throws, American had a chance to tie with 4.5 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles never got off a shot though, when Eitutavicius, pressured by Szalachowski, fumbled a kickout pass from Mercer.
The win was just the second on the road this season for Lehigh. It was just the second loss at home for American.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Taylor, Jose Olivero, Jeff Jones)
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Notes and observations from Lehigh's 56-54 win at American Saturday.
For the first time this season, Kyle Neptune did not start for Lehigh. In his place, sophomore Matt Szalachowski, who made his first start of the season, second of his career. Neptune checked in at the 17:30 mark. Lehigh coach Billy Taylor termed it a coaches decision saying it was not disciplinary in nature. Taylor said the move was an effort to give the Mountain Hawks more energy off the bench.
Sekou Lewis drew his third straight start for AU. Lewis has gone from not playing in 10 of American's first 16 games to the starting lineup. He has played more minutes in each of two of American's last three games than he played total the first 16 games (15 minutes). Linas Lekavicius also returned to the AU starting five after starting the last three games on the bench. It was the eighth different starting lineup AU coach Jeff Jones has tried this season. In all, 10 of the 14 guys on AU's roster have made at least one start.
The lineup tinkering will likely continue, Jones said. Nobody has emerged all seasonto stake an outright claim on the four spot, so it will be filled game-by-game with the decision on who starts determined by matchups and what Jones sees in practice.
Through the first nine minutes of the game, the two teams combined for an Army-Colgate-like five field goals and 11 turnovers. Keeping with that Army-Colgate theme, American scored 2 points in the first 6:29 of the game. At the 11 minute mark of the first half, Lehigh was 2 for 9 from the field (with 4 turnovers), American 3 for 10 (with 7). Both also had more personal fouls (4 for Lehigh, 5 for AU) than field goals at that point.
By the next timeout, with 7:53 to go in the half, it got even worse. At that point, AU was shooting 25 percent (3 of 12) with 10 turnovers. Lehigh was 3 for 13 (23.1 percent) with 5 turnovers. Adding to the ugliness, Lehigh came out of the timeout and missed two layups on its next possession.
AU actually heated up late in the half, improving to 9 of 21 (42.9 percent) from the field at the intermission. They still had more turnovers (12) than field goals, though. Lehigh stayed icy, finishing the half 7 of 26 from the field (26.9 percent). The Mountain Hawks still managed to eke out a 24-22 halftime lead, thanks to 9 of 12 shooting at the foul line. Lehigh finished the half plus-2 in field goals to turnovers ratio (7-5), but combined the two teams were minus-1 (16-17).
NOTABLE FIRST HALF BOX SCORE LINES:
Lehigh: Zahir Carrington -- 0 for 3 from the field, 0 everything else in 4 minutes; John Gourlay -- 0 for 2 from the field, 2 fouls, 7 minutes
American: Sekou Lewis -- 0 for 1, 2 fouls, 1 turnover in 5 minutes; Linas Lekavicius, 2 fouls, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 6 minutes; Garrison Carr -- 0 for 1, the rest zeroes in 4 minutes
Dubious stat of the half: Derrick Mercer -- all 5-8 of him --had the only two blocked shots in the first half.
Lehigh's shooting woes continued in the second half. The Hawks had just two field goals in the first 9 minutes of the half, going 2 for 7 (28.6 percent) in that stretch. AU, on the other hand, went 8 for 14 (57.1 percent) in that stretch. Only Lehigh's 4 for 4 free throw shooting in that stretch kept the Jawks from trailing by more than the 38-32 hole it found itself in at the 11 minute mark.
Adding to Lehigh's woes, Jose Olivero, who had one foul at the half, picked up three in the first 9:13 of the second, forcing coach Billy Taylor to sit his leading scorer with 10:43 to go in the game. At that point, Olivero had more fouls (4) than field goals (3 -- on 9 shots).
Lehigh actually played better offense without Olivero than it did with him. When Olivero sat down the Hawks were shooting under 30 percent from the field. By the time he returned they had turned a 6-point deficit into a 5 point lead and had their second-half field goal percentage above 50 percent.
Both teams were much better offensiveloy the second half. Lehigh was 8 for 17 (47.1 percent) from the field after the break with just four second half turnovers. AU hit 60 percent (15 of 25) from the field the second half with 4 turnovers.
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The lineup tinkering will likely continue, Jones said. Nobody has emerged all seasonto stake an outright claim on the four spot, so it will be filled game-by-game with the decision on who starts determined by matchups and what Jones sees in practice.
Lehigh: Zahir Carrington -- 0 for 3 from the field, 0 everything else in 4 minutes; John Gourlay -- 0 for 2 from the field, 2 fouls, 7 minutes
American: Sekou Lewis -- 0 for 1, 2 fouls, 1 turnover in 5 minutes; Linas Lekavicius, 2 fouls, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 6 minutes; Garrison Carr -- 0 for 1, the rest zeroes in 4 minutes
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Lafayette's undersized frontline was no match Saturday for the league-leading Crusaders of Holy Cross.
In front of a sellout Winter Homecoming crowd of 4,000 in the Hart Center, HC simply dominated the Leopards inside, pounding out a 74-52 win to remain unbeaten in league play. Holy Cross (18-6, 9-0 Patriot) outsocred Lafayette 43-10 in the paint and piled up a 32-17 edge on the boards.
Two Holy Cross centers reached double figures, with starter Tim Clifford and backup Greg McCarthy each scoring 11 points. Keith Simmons added 17 and Torey Thomas had a game-high 19 for the Crusaders. Thomas was the only HC player with more than one three-pointer (he had three). He was also one of three players with five assists (Alex Vander Baan and Clifford also had 5) for Holy Cross, which recorded assists on 20 of its 28 field goals (28 of 52, 53.8 percent).
The inside domination extended to the defensive end for Holy Cross. Lafayette finished with 16 field goals (16 of 41, 39 percent), nine of them coming from beyond the arc, where the Leopards jacked up 25 of their 41 shots. Adding to Lafayette's offensive woes were 21 turnovers, 15 coming on HC steals. Bilal Abdullah (13 points) and Jesper Andersson (10) had three treys each for the 'Pards (8-15, 2-6), who are now alone in seventh place following Colgate's win at Army.
Box score | Telegram & Gazette
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In front of a sellout Winter Homecoming crowd of 4,000 in the Hart Center, HC simply dominated the Leopards inside, pounding out a 74-52 win to remain unbeaten in league play. Holy Cross (18-6, 9-0 Patriot) outsocred Lafayette 43-10 in the paint and piled up a 32-17 edge on the boards.
Two Holy Cross centers reached double figures, with starter Tim Clifford and backup Greg McCarthy each scoring 11 points. Keith Simmons added 17 and Torey Thomas had a game-high 19 for the Crusaders. Thomas was the only HC player with more than one three-pointer (he had three). He was also one of three players with five assists (Alex Vander Baan and Clifford also had 5) for Holy Cross, which recorded assists on 20 of its 28 field goals (28 of 52, 53.8 percent).
The inside domination extended to the defensive end for Holy Cross. Lafayette finished with 16 field goals (16 of 41, 39 percent), nine of them coming from beyond the arc, where the Leopards jacked up 25 of their 41 shots. Adding to Lafayette's offensive woes were 21 turnovers, 15 coming on HC steals. Bilal Abdullah (13 points) and Jesper Andersson (10) had three treys each for the 'Pards (8-15, 2-6), who are now alone in seventh place following Colgate's win at Army.
Box score | Telegram & Gazette
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Saturday, February 03, 2007
Holy Cross tries to stay on top while the rest of the league jostles for playoff position in a trio of games today.
The biggest game of the day takes place in the nation's capital, where Lehigh (9-14 overall, 4-3 Patriot) takes on host American (11-10, 3-4) (matchup) in a game (7:30 p.m., Sirius 181) that is close to a must win for the Eagles if they hope to host a first round game in the postseason playoffs.
Lehigh is not mathematically eliminated from the regular season championship, but they are realistically out of contention. Second-place, and the possibility of two home playoff games, is still within the Mountain Hawks grasp. If they can beat the two teams ahead of them in the standings (Holy Cross and Bucknell) at home, and HC beats the Bison in Lewisburg, Lehigh would have a tiebreaker edge (the win over HC) over the Bison should both win out.
For that to happen, though, Lehigh needs to win on the road, something it has done just once in 11 games. It won't be easy in bender, where American's only loss this season came in overtime to Holy Cross.
Senior center Jason Mgebroff out since mid-December with a stress fracture in a leg, has returned to Lehigh's practice, but is unlikely to be available tonight. The Hawks got by without him in Stabler -- barely -- pulling out a 51-49 win on a Phil Andersen putback with less than three seconds to play.
American shot 26.1 percent in that game. Lehigh's seven-foot sophomore John Gourlay scored 10 points. Don't expect either performance to be repeated.
Examiner preview
Lafayette at Holy Cross (matchup) -- The Crusaders, riding a nine-game win streak, are unbeaten in conference play heading into this evening's sold-out Hart Center rematch with Lafayette. Their first league win came in Easton over Lafayette in a game that was still in question late in the second half.
It should not have been. But after building a 15-point lead, the Crusaders exhaled, allowing the hot-shooting Leopards to make a game of it down the stretch. It took HC 84 points to put away Lafayette, an uncharacteristic showing for Ralph Willard's defense first club. That's the most HC scored all season and around 20 more than it has averaged in six other league wins.
The way Lafayette shot the ball (56.8 percent from the field) against the 'Saders zone, it needed nearly all those points to escape with the W.
With Pat Doherty having since returned from his broken hand, HC probably could muster even more offense if need be. But expect a different style at Hart, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season. Lafayette's only road conference win came at Colgate. They will need to repeat their 56.8 percent shooting to stay in the game in Worcester, something that is highly unlikely.
Colgate at Army (matchup) -- The Raiders won in overtime the first meeting in Hamilton. It won't be easy to repeat that feat in Christl Arena, where the Black Knights are 9-1 this season.
Army (13-9, 3-4) needs a win to stay in the mix for a home playoff game. Colgate (7-13, 2-5) needs a win to try to get into that mix.
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The biggest game of the day takes place in the nation's capital, where Lehigh (9-14 overall, 4-3 Patriot) takes on host American (11-10, 3-4) (matchup) in a game (7:30 p.m., Sirius 181) that is close to a must win for the Eagles if they hope to host a first round game in the postseason playoffs.
Lehigh is not mathematically eliminated from the regular season championship, but they are realistically out of contention. Second-place, and the possibility of two home playoff games, is still within the Mountain Hawks grasp. If they can beat the two teams ahead of them in the standings (Holy Cross and Bucknell) at home, and HC beats the Bison in Lewisburg, Lehigh would have a tiebreaker edge (the win over HC) over the Bison should both win out.
For that to happen, though, Lehigh needs to win on the road, something it has done just once in 11 games. It won't be easy in bender, where American's only loss this season came in overtime to Holy Cross.
Senior center Jason Mgebroff out since mid-December with a stress fracture in a leg, has returned to Lehigh's practice, but is unlikely to be available tonight. The Hawks got by without him in Stabler -- barely -- pulling out a 51-49 win on a Phil Andersen putback with less than three seconds to play.
American shot 26.1 percent in that game. Lehigh's seven-foot sophomore John Gourlay scored 10 points. Don't expect either performance to be repeated.
Examiner preview
Lafayette at Holy Cross (matchup) -- The Crusaders, riding a nine-game win streak, are unbeaten in conference play heading into this evening's sold-out Hart Center rematch with Lafayette. Their first league win came in Easton over Lafayette in a game that was still in question late in the second half.
It should not have been. But after building a 15-point lead, the Crusaders exhaled, allowing the hot-shooting Leopards to make a game of it down the stretch. It took HC 84 points to put away Lafayette, an uncharacteristic showing for Ralph Willard's defense first club. That's the most HC scored all season and around 20 more than it has averaged in six other league wins.
The way Lafayette shot the ball (56.8 percent from the field) against the 'Saders zone, it needed nearly all those points to escape with the W.
With Pat Doherty having since returned from his broken hand, HC probably could muster even more offense if need be. But expect a different style at Hart, where Holy Cross is 8-0 this season. Lafayette's only road conference win came at Colgate. They will need to repeat their 56.8 percent shooting to stay in the game in Worcester, something that is highly unlikely.
Colgate at Army (matchup) -- The Raiders won in overtime the first meeting in Hamilton. It won't be easy to repeat that feat in Christl Arena, where the Black Knights are 9-1 this season.
Army (13-9, 3-4) needs a win to stay in the mix for a home playoff game. Colgate (7-13, 2-5) needs a win to try to get into that mix.
Labels: Army, AU, CU, HC, Laf, Leh, previews
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Bucknell's Donald Brown hopes to return by the Patriot League tournament.
If Brown's broken hand happened to you or I, we'd be looking at two months in a cast, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery said after Friday night's win at Navy.
But Brown is not you or I. Brown is a college senior playing his final season, hoping to close out his career with a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. So doctors are treating Brown's injury differently.
After X-rays confirmed the hand was broken, doctors operated to place pins in the 6-6 forward's hand to speed his recovery. One of the team's doctors even traveled tgo Annapolis with the team to look after th eteam's star patient.
Flannery said doctors are working with Brown to try to maintain flexibility in the hand, which is heavily wrapped in what looked to be a soft cast. The injury is to Brown's right -- shooting -- hand.
While Flannery refused to set a timetable for Brown's return, Brown said doctors have told him they hope he can come back in three to four weeks. Three weeks would mean the final week of the regular season. Four would mean brown's return would coincide with the start of the Patriot League Tournament.
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If Brown's broken hand happened to you or I, we'd be looking at two months in a cast, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery said after Friday night's win at Navy.
But Brown is not you or I. Brown is a college senior playing his final season, hoping to close out his career with a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. So doctors are treating Brown's injury differently.
After X-rays confirmed the hand was broken, doctors operated to place pins in the 6-6 forward's hand to speed his recovery. One of the team's doctors even traveled tgo Annapolis with the team to look after th eteam's star patient.
Flannery said doctors are working with Brown to try to maintain flexibility in the hand, which is heavily wrapped in what looked to be a soft cast. The injury is to Brown's right -- shooting -- hand.
While Flannery refused to set a timetable for Brown's return, Brown said doctors have told him they hope he can come back in three to four weeks. Three weeks would mean the final week of the regular season. Four would mean brown's return would coincide with the start of the Patriot League Tournament.
Labels: BU
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Friday, February 02, 2007
Bucknell showed no sign of slowing down without its leading scorer in the lineup.
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Donald who?
That seemed to be Bucknell's attitude as they pasted Navy 78-63 Friday night in Alumni Hall.
It was the Bison's first game without their leading scorer and the league's leading rebounder -- Donald Brown -- who broke his right hand in Tuesday's win over Colgate. For one night, anyhow, he was hardly missed.
Darren Mastropaolo, who lost his starting job to Brown early in the second, stepped in and put up Brown like numbers. Other Bison picked up their games as well.
Brown was averaging 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game when he got hurt. Mastropaolo's numbers against Navy: 12 points and 7 rebounds. Brown also leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage. Mastropaolo went 5 for 5.
"Darren is the kind of kid that will take it on himself with Donald out. He will say to himself coming in he will get this many more rebounds and this many more points," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery. "That's a kid that started on two NCAA Tournament teams."
That point was not lost on Navy coach Billy Lange, who pointed out even with Brown out, Chris McNaughton, Abe Badmus, John Griffin and Mastropaolo were still in the lineup.
"Those four kids were on the floor when they beat Kansas. They don't come into a game thinking they can't win without Donald Brown," Lange said. "They just played other guys. They didn't do anything different. They just keep doing what they do -- playing Bucknell basketball."
In this game that meant finding a nice blend of inside power and outside finesse on offense, playing stingy defense and treating the boards like they had annexed Alumni hall.
Mastropaolo and McNaughton simply overmatched Navy's young, thin frontcourt. McNaughton added 13 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Between the pair they had five offensive boards -- one more than the entire Navy team.
On the perimeter, John Griffin led the offense with a team-high 15 points, including four of Bucknell's 11 three-pointers. Griffin also dished off six assists, turning the ball over only once.
On the boards, Bucknell held a commanding 40-22 edge, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
Lange tried to downplay that. "Rebounding can be a misleading stat at times," he said.
But there was nothing misleading about the way Bucknell dominated in the paint. Navy finished with 10 points in the paint, but most of those came when the outcome was already decided. In the first half, the Mids scored 28 points before Clif Colbert made a layup for their first points from closer than the foul line. Navy's first 24 points came on six three-pointers, two shots within a foot of the arc and one 10-foot jumper by Greg Sprink, who was going away from the basket when he shot it.
Early on, the threes were enough. The Mids hit 6 of 10 in the first 11 minutes, using the treys to build a lead of as many as 8 points.
"It seemed like every shot they tok was going down," Griffin said. "When those threes were going down, I figured it has to stop sooner or later."
It did, and when the threes stopped falling on a regular basis, the Mids lost their lead in a hurry. Bucknell battled back to take a 39-37 lead at the half, then blitzed the Mids with an 18-6 run to start the second half.
"I didn't think in the first half we were getting a hand up. We weren't closing out on the shooters. We did a much better job in the second half closing out, making them think about it instead of getting a set look," said Flannery.
The difference was reflected in the box score. After Navy shot 12 for 27 (44.4 percent) in the first half, they cooled off to 9 for 26 (34.6 percent) in the second. The 7 for 15 (48.7 percent) three-point shooting of the first half dropped to 6 of 17 (35.3 percent) after the break.
At the same time, Bucknell, after a solid 14 for 29 (48.3 percent) first half, stepped up its offense after the intermission, knocking down 11 of 21 (52.4 percent), including 6 of 10 from the arc.
The win is Bucknell's second in a row and third in the past four games in Alumni Hall, which used to be a house of horror for the Bison. Prior to the past four seasons, Bucknell had not won a game at Navy under Flannery, going 0 for his first 12 trips to Annapolis.
It is also Bucknell's sixth straight win, a season-long streak.
Navy lost for the fifth game in a row, extending its longest skid of the season.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Lange, Pat Flannery, John Griffin) | Daily Item | Baltimore Sun | Darren Mastropaolo postgame on ESPNU (video)
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By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Donald who?
That seemed to be Bucknell's attitude as they pasted Navy 78-63 Friday night in Alumni Hall.
It was the Bison's first game without their leading scorer and the league's leading rebounder -- Donald Brown -- who broke his right hand in Tuesday's win over Colgate. For one night, anyhow, he was hardly missed.
Darren Mastropaolo, who lost his starting job to Brown early in the second, stepped in and put up Brown like numbers. Other Bison picked up their games as well.
Brown was averaging 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game when he got hurt. Mastropaolo's numbers against Navy: 12 points and 7 rebounds. Brown also leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage. Mastropaolo went 5 for 5.
"Darren is the kind of kid that will take it on himself with Donald out. He will say to himself coming in he will get this many more rebounds and this many more points," said Bucknell coach Pat Flannery. "That's a kid that started on two NCAA Tournament teams."
That point was not lost on Navy coach Billy Lange, who pointed out even with Brown out, Chris McNaughton, Abe Badmus, John Griffin and Mastropaolo were still in the lineup.
"Those four kids were on the floor when they beat Kansas. They don't come into a game thinking they can't win without Donald Brown," Lange said. "They just played other guys. They didn't do anything different. They just keep doing what they do -- playing Bucknell basketball."
In this game that meant finding a nice blend of inside power and outside finesse on offense, playing stingy defense and treating the boards like they had annexed Alumni hall.
Mastropaolo and McNaughton simply overmatched Navy's young, thin frontcourt. McNaughton added 13 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Between the pair they had five offensive boards -- one more than the entire Navy team.
On the perimeter, John Griffin led the offense with a team-high 15 points, including four of Bucknell's 11 three-pointers. Griffin also dished off six assists, turning the ball over only once.
On the boards, Bucknell held a commanding 40-22 edge, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
Lange tried to downplay that. "Rebounding can be a misleading stat at times," he said.
But there was nothing misleading about the way Bucknell dominated in the paint. Navy finished with 10 points in the paint, but most of those came when the outcome was already decided. In the first half, the Mids scored 28 points before Clif Colbert made a layup for their first points from closer than the foul line. Navy's first 24 points came on six three-pointers, two shots within a foot of the arc and one 10-foot jumper by Greg Sprink, who was going away from the basket when he shot it.
Early on, the threes were enough. The Mids hit 6 of 10 in the first 11 minutes, using the treys to build a lead of as many as 8 points.
"It seemed like every shot they tok was going down," Griffin said. "When those threes were going down, I figured it has to stop sooner or later."
It did, and when the threes stopped falling on a regular basis, the Mids lost their lead in a hurry. Bucknell battled back to take a 39-37 lead at the half, then blitzed the Mids with an 18-6 run to start the second half.
"I didn't think in the first half we were getting a hand up. We weren't closing out on the shooters. We did a much better job in the second half closing out, making them think about it instead of getting a set look," said Flannery.
The difference was reflected in the box score. After Navy shot 12 for 27 (44.4 percent) in the first half, they cooled off to 9 for 26 (34.6 percent) in the second. The 7 for 15 (48.7 percent) three-point shooting of the first half dropped to 6 of 17 (35.3 percent) after the break.
At the same time, Bucknell, after a solid 14 for 29 (48.3 percent) first half, stepped up its offense after the intermission, knocking down 11 of 21 (52.4 percent), including 6 of 10 from the arc.
The win is Bucknell's second in a row and third in the past four games in Alumni Hall, which used to be a house of horror for the Bison. Prior to the past four seasons, Bucknell had not won a game at Navy under Flannery, going 0 for his first 12 trips to Annapolis.
It is also Bucknell's sixth straight win, a season-long streak.
Navy lost for the fifth game in a row, extending its longest skid of the season.
Box score | Notebook | Postgame audio (Billy Lange, Pat Flannery, John Griffin) | Daily Item | Baltimore Sun | Darren Mastropaolo postgame on ESPNU (video)
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Notes and observations from Bucknell's 78-63 win at Navy
If you have not seen Navy's offense, it really is different. There is nobody in the low post, only occasionally someone in the high post. Basically they put five guys around the arc, then make cuts from one side of the arc to the other. There is very little in terms of trying to make cuts actually towards the basket. instead, they throw it around the outside, then usually fire up a three.
Even their two-pointers tend to be long jumpers. Of Navy's first 24 points, the closest shot was from 10-feet. The rest were either threes -- six of them -- or within a foot of the arc.
Talk about good anticipation. On John Griffin's first personal foul, which came with 12:26 to go in the first half, the ref actually blew the whistle before Griffin made contact. The call was correct, but premature.
Somebody ought to clue the Patriot League folks on a secret Major League Soccer learned long ago. When your building is far from full for a TV game, try to make sure you fill the seats on the side opposite the cameras to create the illusion of a bigger crowd. Navy reserves the first four rows at center court for brass and they are only about half full, which doesn't look good on TV.
Speaking of TV, is it true the U in ESPNU stands for Unavailable? Don't have the stats, but it doesn't seem ESPNU is available in many more homes than CSTV was. That doesn't mean it has not been a good move for the league shifting networks. The ESPN branding does present a stronger image and unlike CSTV, ESPNU does not force games to be played at odd times so it can show women's curling.
A Clif Colbert layup with 5:47 to go in the first half marked Navy's first points in the paint, after their first 28 came outside or at the foul line.
Bucknell had two buckets wiped out in the first half. The first came on a questionable charge on Justin Castleberry. The second came on an offensive interference call on Chris McNaughton, who tipped in a Jason Vegotsky miss. The refs ruled the ball was still in the cylinder when McNaughton touched it.
That call brought a furious protest from Pat Flannery, who was nearly to halfcourt when assistant Nathan Davis reeled him back in.
The officials stopped the game and checked a replay on a monitor at the scoring table. On the scoreboard video screen, it appeared the officials got the call right.
It has been total domination on the boards by Bucknell in the first half. The Bison hold a 22-11 edge on the boards, with 8 offensive caroms to 1 for Navy.
HALFTIME STATS:
Bucknell 39, Navy 37
Scoring: Bucknell -- John Griffin 8, Stephen Tyree and Chris McNaughton 7 each, Jason Vegotsky 6
Navy -- Greg Sprink 10, Adam Teague 6
Shooting: Bucknell 14 for 29 (48.3 percent) 5 for 12 on threes
Navy -- 12 of 27 (44.4 percent), 7 of 15 threes
Points in the paint: Bucknell 16, Navy 4
Turnovers: Bucknell 9, Navy 5
Points off Turnovers: Bucknell 11, Navy 14
The answer to who would pick up Donald Brown's minutes appears to be Patrick Behan. Behan has been part of a three-man rotation with McNaughton and Mastropaolo in the 4 and 5 spots.
Stephen Tyree played 12 minutes in the first half, picking up a career-high already with 7 points on 3 for 3 shooting. That is one of the answers to who will pick up some of Brown's scoring. He also has 4 rebounds, answering that part of the Brown question.
Navy was 6 of 10 from the arc the first 11 minutes, 1 for 5 after that.
SECOND HALF
If the game comes down to the wire, somebody will look back at what happened when Abe Badmus was at the foul line with 15:11 to go in the half. Badmus missed the free throw and the rebound was tipped out of bounds. The refs stopped play when the clock showed 15:06 and reset it to 15:08, meaning the carom and tip took 3 seconds. No word on whether or not Navy had borrowed Duke's clock guy for the night.
Bucknell opened the second half with an 11-3 run and stretched it to 18-6 over the first 7 minutes of the half. All six of Navy's points came on threes by freshman guard Chris Harris, who added another at the 12:18 mark to account for all 9 of the Mids points in the half. At that point, Navy was shooting 3 for 9 in the half, 7 of the shots being threes. Bucknell was 7 for 10 in that span, 3 of 5 at the arc.
Navy's Greg Sprink joined the Midshipmen's 1,000-points club with a three at the 8:52 mark of the second half.
Navy might be in last place in the standings, but its pep band is easily tops in the league. It's all brass, save the drummer on a trap kit -- not a woodwind in sight. Alumni Hall's new scoreboard is also the best in the league. The video screen actually looks like television, unlike that low def. thing in the corner of Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. It hangs above the middle of the floor, offering every fan a good view and they are great about showing replays. All in all, it just adds to the first class feel of Alumni Hall. Your tax dollars at work, eh?
Bucknell walk-on George Medrano scored the first points of his career on a pair of free throws with 8 seconds left.
Bucknell's 78 points were the second most allowed by the Mids this season. Only Penn (79) has scored more.
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Even their two-pointers tend to be long jumpers. Of Navy's first 24 points, the closest shot was from 10-feet. The rest were either threes -- six of them -- or within a foot of the arc.
That call brought a furious protest from Pat Flannery, who was nearly to halfcourt when assistant Nathan Davis reeled him back in.
The officials stopped the game and checked a replay on a monitor at the scoring table. On the scoreboard video screen, it appeared the officials got the call right.
HALFTIME STATS:
Bucknell 39, Navy 37
Scoring: Bucknell -- John Griffin 8, Stephen Tyree and Chris McNaughton 7 each, Jason Vegotsky 6
Navy -- Greg Sprink 10, Adam Teague 6
Shooting: Bucknell 14 for 29 (48.3 percent) 5 for 12 on threes
Navy -- 12 of 27 (44.4 percent), 7 of 15 threes
Points in the paint: Bucknell 16, Navy 4
Turnovers: Bucknell 9, Navy 5
Points off Turnovers: Bucknell 11, Navy 14
Stephen Tyree played 12 minutes in the first half, picking up a career-high already with 7 points on 3 for 3 shooting. That is one of the answers to who will pick up some of Brown's scoring. He also has 4 rebounds, answering that part of the Brown question.
SECOND HALF
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Lehigh's senior center could soon return to action.
In his notes piece today, Stephen Miller of The Morning Call reports Lehigh center Jason Mgebroff returned to practice Wednesday. Miller reports Lehigh hopes to have Mgebroff cleared to play in a week.
The 6-10, 275-pounder has been out since mid-December, after averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg in 13 games before he got hurt.
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In his notes piece today, Stephen Miller of The Morning Call reports Lehigh center Jason Mgebroff returned to practice Wednesday. Miller reports Lehigh hopes to have Mgebroff cleared to play in a week.
The 6-10, 275-pounder has been out since mid-December, after averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg in 13 games before he got hurt.
Labels: Leh
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We'll find out a lot about the Bucknell Bison tonight in Annapolis.
A lot of people wrote off the preseason favorites in the Patriot League when they stumbled to an 2-5 start. The media stopped treating them as darlings. Many of their own classmates stopped coming out to home games. At times it seemed the only people who still thought they had a chance of making a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament were their own players and coaches.
After that start, things began to look up for Bucknell. A win over George Mason in the BB&T Classic seemed to right the listing BU ship. Since then, Bucknell has gone 11-3. Toss out the loss to Central Arkansas, and the Bison have played pretty good basketball. The other two losses were both on the road -- at Texas Tech and at league-leading Holy Cross.
It is probably no coincidence that the winning started when coach Pat Flannery switched his starting lineup, benching junior Darren Mastropaolo to allow Donald Brown to move to his natural position at the four.
The move allowed Brown, the team's sixth man the past two seasons, to blossom. The 6-6 senior from Long Island leads the league in rebounding and field goal percentage and leads the team in scoring.
Bucknell sports information director Jon Terry like to mimic those UPS commercials in his game notes, headlining a section on Brown's contributions "What can Brown do for you."
Now Terry is going to have to add a new category: "What can you do without Brown." Brown suffered a broken bone in his right (shooting) hand in Tuesday's win over Colgate and is out of the rotation indefinitely.
Brown's absence ups the intrigue for tonight's Bucknell at Navy game (matchup) (9 p.m., ESPNU - Sirius 155). Navy's 1-6 conference record makes it seem like a mismatch on paper, but Brown's absence could cause some mismatchs on the floor.
The three-point happy Midshipmen play the game very differently than most teams. Billy Lange's play-the-cards-dealt-ya style has no legitimate post presence. The most recent version of Navy's starting lineup has added 6-8 freshman Bobby Fenske to the mix. But the added height has not changed the Midshipmen's style of play.
Like fellow freshman starter 6-10 Trey Stanton, Fenske is a skinny perimeter guy, not a low post banger. Almost half his shots thus far have come from the three-point arc, as have more than half of Stanton's.
It's like that up and down the Navy lineup. Leading scorer Greg Sprink (16.5 ppg) takes 12 shots a game; at least 6 of them from the arc. All together, 48.5 percent of Navy's shots this season have come from three-point range.
That is why Brown's absence could prove critical. When the two teams met earlier this season in Lewisburg, it was Brown who helped take Sprink out of the game in the second half.
Bucknell is fortunate to have an experienced guy like Mastropaolo to plug into the starting five. Mastropaolo is a tenacious defender who has shown flashes of being able to score in the paint. Against a team like Navy, without strong post defenders, it is not unreasonable to expect Mastropaolo to be able to pick up much of the offensive slack for Brown.
But Mastropaolo is more a stay at home post defender, lacking Brown's speed and quickness. That could cause Bucknell problems defending on the perimeter. Navy's three-point shooting percentage is the lowest in the league, but that doesn't mean they can't knock them down if nobody is there to put a hand in their face.
Don't expect Pat Flannery to try to simply overpower Navy with inside offense. The duo of Mastropaolo and center Chris McNaughton out to be able to dominate in the paint, at least if the Bison guards hit enough jumpers to keep Navy from being able to double and triple down all night. But Flannery always looks at defensive matchups first. He is not about to sacrifice at the defensive end, running the risk of swapping two-point baskets for Navy treys.
Patrick Behan should be the first guy off the bench up front. The 6-8 freshman has appeared in 19 of Bucknell's 21 games and ought to match up better against Navy's big guys than he does against stronger, in-the-paint types.
Freshman Stephen Tyree has seen increased minutes in recent games and could play a key role here. Flannery has repeatedly said Tyree has the potential to be the best defensive player he has had at Bucknell. While Tyree is not at that level yet, his length and quickness could be a key to slowing Navy on the arc.
Sophomore Josh Linthicum is another guy who might have an opportunity. The 6-11 Linthicum was expected to get more minutes this season, but between Brown moving back to the four and his own struggles at the defensive end early in the season, those minutes have not materialized. If he is able to take advantage of the opportunity Brown's absence presents, it will be a big plus for the Bison both the remainder of this season and next season, when McNaughton and Brown will both have graduated.
Another guy who could get a shot at redemption is 6-3 junior Rob Thomas, whose minutes diminished when Justin Castleberry emerged as Flannery's first guard off the bench. Offense has never been Thomas' problem. If he can harness some of his quickness and athleticism at the other end, he could find himself back in the rotation.
The bottom line is pretty simple: Brown's injury can be either a problem or an opportunity. If somebody steps up to take advantage of the opportunity it presents, it won't be a problem. If not, Bucknell could start to slide towards the middle of the Patriot League pack.
Despite Navy's record, this was not going to be an easy game even with a healthy Brown. Annapolis has never been kind to the Bison. A win tonight would make Bucknell the first team in the league to win 150 conference games. But it would be just their fifth in 18 games in Alumni Hall. Even the NCAA Tournament Bison two seasons ago lost in Annapolis. Prior to winning their last season, Bucknell was 1-13 there under Flannery.
NOTE: Harrisburg area fans can catch the game at Damons off the Progress Ave. exit of I-81 in Susquehanna Twp.
Daily Item preview
Bonus link: Tom Housenick's college hoops column (Daily Item)
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A lot of people wrote off the preseason favorites in the Patriot League when they stumbled to an 2-5 start. The media stopped treating them as darlings. Many of their own classmates stopped coming out to home games. At times it seemed the only people who still thought they had a chance of making a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament were their own players and coaches.
After that start, things began to look up for Bucknell. A win over George Mason in the BB&T Classic seemed to right the listing BU ship. Since then, Bucknell has gone 11-3. Toss out the loss to Central Arkansas, and the Bison have played pretty good basketball. The other two losses were both on the road -- at Texas Tech and at league-leading Holy Cross.
It is probably no coincidence that the winning started when coach Pat Flannery switched his starting lineup, benching junior Darren Mastropaolo to allow Donald Brown to move to his natural position at the four.
The move allowed Brown, the team's sixth man the past two seasons, to blossom. The 6-6 senior from Long Island leads the league in rebounding and field goal percentage and leads the team in scoring.
Bucknell sports information director Jon Terry like to mimic those UPS commercials in his game notes, headlining a section on Brown's contributions "What can Brown do for you."
Now Terry is going to have to add a new category: "What can you do without Brown." Brown suffered a broken bone in his right (shooting) hand in Tuesday's win over Colgate and is out of the rotation indefinitely.
Brown's absence ups the intrigue for tonight's Bucknell at Navy game (matchup) (9 p.m., ESPNU - Sirius 155). Navy's 1-6 conference record makes it seem like a mismatch on paper, but Brown's absence could cause some mismatchs on the floor.
The three-point happy Midshipmen play the game very differently than most teams. Billy Lange's play-the-cards-dealt-ya style has no legitimate post presence. The most recent version of Navy's starting lineup has added 6-8 freshman Bobby Fenske to the mix. But the added height has not changed the Midshipmen's style of play.
Like fellow freshman starter 6-10 Trey Stanton, Fenske is a skinny perimeter guy, not a low post banger. Almost half his shots thus far have come from the three-point arc, as have more than half of Stanton's.
It's like that up and down the Navy lineup. Leading scorer Greg Sprink (16.5 ppg) takes 12 shots a game; at least 6 of them from the arc. All together, 48.5 percent of Navy's shots this season have come from three-point range.
That is why Brown's absence could prove critical. When the two teams met earlier this season in Lewisburg, it was Brown who helped take Sprink out of the game in the second half.
Bucknell is fortunate to have an experienced guy like Mastropaolo to plug into the starting five. Mastropaolo is a tenacious defender who has shown flashes of being able to score in the paint. Against a team like Navy, without strong post defenders, it is not unreasonable to expect Mastropaolo to be able to pick up much of the offensive slack for Brown.
But Mastropaolo is more a stay at home post defender, lacking Brown's speed and quickness. That could cause Bucknell problems defending on the perimeter. Navy's three-point shooting percentage is the lowest in the league, but that doesn't mean they can't knock them down if nobody is there to put a hand in their face.
Don't expect Pat Flannery to try to simply overpower Navy with inside offense. The duo of Mastropaolo and center Chris McNaughton out to be able to dominate in the paint, at least if the Bison guards hit enough jumpers to keep Navy from being able to double and triple down all night. But Flannery always looks at defensive matchups first. He is not about to sacrifice at the defensive end, running the risk of swapping two-point baskets for Navy treys.
Patrick Behan should be the first guy off the bench up front. The 6-8 freshman has appeared in 19 of Bucknell's 21 games and ought to match up better against Navy's big guys than he does against stronger, in-the-paint types.
Freshman Stephen Tyree has seen increased minutes in recent games and could play a key role here. Flannery has repeatedly said Tyree has the potential to be the best defensive player he has had at Bucknell. While Tyree is not at that level yet, his length and quickness could be a key to slowing Navy on the arc.
Sophomore Josh Linthicum is another guy who might have an opportunity. The 6-11 Linthicum was expected to get more minutes this season, but between Brown moving back to the four and his own struggles at the defensive end early in the season, those minutes have not materialized. If he is able to take advantage of the opportunity Brown's absence presents, it will be a big plus for the Bison both the remainder of this season and next season, when McNaughton and Brown will both have graduated.
Another guy who could get a shot at redemption is 6-3 junior Rob Thomas, whose minutes diminished when Justin Castleberry emerged as Flannery's first guard off the bench. Offense has never been Thomas' problem. If he can harness some of his quickness and athleticism at the other end, he could find himself back in the rotation.
The bottom line is pretty simple: Brown's injury can be either a problem or an opportunity. If somebody steps up to take advantage of the opportunity it presents, it won't be a problem. If not, Bucknell could start to slide towards the middle of the Patriot League pack.
Despite Navy's record, this was not going to be an easy game even with a healthy Brown. Annapolis has never been kind to the Bison. A win tonight would make Bucknell the first team in the league to win 150 conference games. But it would be just their fifth in 18 games in Alumni Hall. Even the NCAA Tournament Bison two seasons ago lost in Annapolis. Prior to winning their last season, Bucknell was 1-13 there under Flannery.
NOTE: Harrisburg area fans can catch the game at Damons off the Progress Ave. exit of I-81 in Susquehanna Twp.
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Bonus link: Tom Housenick's college hoops column (Daily Item)
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Thursday, February 01, 2007
Bucknell forward Donald Brown is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right hand.
Bucknell sports information director Jon Terry said this morning doctors have not set a timetable for brown's return.
Brown suffered the injury Tuesday when he was fouled hard by Colgate's Kyle Chones with 6:48 to go in Bucknell's win over the Raiders. Brown stayed in the game after the foul, but missed both free throws after the foul and took only one more shot -- a missed layup -- the rest of the game.
The loss is significant for the Bison. After spending the last two seasons as Bucknell's spark off the bench, Brown has started all 21 games this season, leading the team in minutes played (31.8 mpg), scoring (11.8 ppg), rebounds (6.6 rpg) and steals (1.7 spg). Brown leads the patriot League in rebounding and field goal percentage (58.2 percent).
With Brown out, junior Darren Mastropaolo will likely return to the starting lineup. Mastropaolo started 13 games as a freshman and 30 of 32 last season before moving to the bench after starting the first 7 games this season to allow Brown to move back to the four, his more natural position.
Mastropaolo is more of a conventional power forward, lacking the versatility of Brown, who has the quickness and speed to defend smaller guys on the perimeter and the length and hops to guard bigger opponents in the paint. A solid defender in the post, Mastropaolo lacks brown's quickness to get out on wings in the corner from Bucknell's 2-3 matchup. Mastropaolo has shown flashes of improved offense this season. With Brown out, the Bison will need him, and freshman Patrick Behan, to pick up their offensive production.
Six-three freshman Stephen Tyree, who is becoming known for his defense, could also see increased minutes, especially against smaller lineups. Josh Linthicum, a 6-11 sophomore, could also see more minutes in Brown's absence.
The injury is the most significant one to hit the Bison since forward John Clark's bad feet forced him out of the lineup in the 2004-2005 season. That injury eventually ended the career of Clark, who would be a senior this year. It also led to Mastropaolo joining the starting lineup his freshman season.
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Bucknell sports information director Jon Terry said this morning doctors have not set a timetable for brown's return.
Brown suffered the injury Tuesday when he was fouled hard by Colgate's Kyle Chones with 6:48 to go in Bucknell's win over the Raiders. Brown stayed in the game after the foul, but missed both free throws after the foul and took only one more shot -- a missed layup -- the rest of the game.
The loss is significant for the Bison. After spending the last two seasons as Bucknell's spark off the bench, Brown has started all 21 games this season, leading the team in minutes played (31.8 mpg), scoring (11.8 ppg), rebounds (6.6 rpg) and steals (1.7 spg). Brown leads the patriot League in rebounding and field goal percentage (58.2 percent).
With Brown out, junior Darren Mastropaolo will likely return to the starting lineup. Mastropaolo started 13 games as a freshman and 30 of 32 last season before moving to the bench after starting the first 7 games this season to allow Brown to move back to the four, his more natural position.
Mastropaolo is more of a conventional power forward, lacking the versatility of Brown, who has the quickness and speed to defend smaller guys on the perimeter and the length and hops to guard bigger opponents in the paint. A solid defender in the post, Mastropaolo lacks brown's quickness to get out on wings in the corner from Bucknell's 2-3 matchup. Mastropaolo has shown flashes of improved offense this season. With Brown out, the Bison will need him, and freshman Patrick Behan, to pick up their offensive production.
Six-three freshman Stephen Tyree, who is becoming known for his defense, could also see increased minutes, especially against smaller lineups. Josh Linthicum, a 6-11 sophomore, could also see more minutes in Brown's absence.
The injury is the most significant one to hit the Bison since forward John Clark's bad feet forced him out of the lineup in the 2004-2005 season. That injury eventually ended the career of Clark, who would be a senior this year. It also led to Mastropaolo joining the starting lineup his freshman season.
Labels: BU
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Thursday morning readaround
Matt Griffin, younger brother of Bucknell's John Griffin, has made a decision where he will play next season.
The 5-11 point guard for St. Joseph's prep in Philadelphia has made an oral commitment to Rider, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.
In other Patriot League related stories:
Chay Rao of the Maryland Gazette takes a look at the tough transition to college ball for Lafayette freshman Michael Gruner. Rao says Gruner chose Lafayette over Bucknell and Navy because he thought he had a chance to play right away at the when Andrew Brown announced he was leaving Lafayette. That might be a bit of a stretch. During the summer, before Brown decided to return, Fran O'Hanlon talked about Marcus Harley and Derek Heckendorn as the top two candidates for the point. Gruner, O'Hanlon said then, was plan C.
Of course with Heckendorn unable to play again this season due to foot problems, Gruner might have gotten some backup minutes if Brown had not come back.
If Gruner was considering Bucknell, it would likely have been as a walk-on. The Bison's three scholarships were already spoken for before last season started, due to early commits from Stephen Tyree, Patrick Behan and Zach Evans. It is possible the Bison talked to gruner about the roster spot now held by walk-on George Medrano.
It is also unclear if Gruner is actually a scholarship kid at Lafayette, as the story claims. As we reported when his commitment was announced in May, the Leopards already had commits from three players believed to be the recipients of Lafayette's three available full rides.
Any Ivy League postseason tournament? It could be possible, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, which says it is on the agenda when the league's athletic directors meet today.
The Daily Press in Newport News, Va. says Bucknell is among the schools showing interest in 6-4 junior guard Michael Lyons of Woodside High.
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Matt Griffin, younger brother of Bucknell's John Griffin, has made a decision where he will play next season.
The 5-11 point guard for St. Joseph's prep in Philadelphia has made an oral commitment to Rider, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.
In other Patriot League related stories:
Of course with Heckendorn unable to play again this season due to foot problems, Gruner might have gotten some backup minutes if Brown had not come back.
If Gruner was considering Bucknell, it would likely have been as a walk-on. The Bison's three scholarships were already spoken for before last season started, due to early commits from Stephen Tyree, Patrick Behan and Zach Evans. It is possible the Bison talked to gruner about the roster spot now held by walk-on George Medrano.
It is also unclear if Gruner is actually a scholarship kid at Lafayette, as the story claims. As we reported when his commitment was announced in May, the Leopards already had commits from three players believed to be the recipients of Lafayette's three available full rides.
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Down three at the half, the Crusaders blitzed American after the break to stay unbeaten in Patriot League play with a 58-47 win.
Holy Cross' 10th straight win was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Andre Ingram score 8 points for American (11-11 overall, 3-5 Patriot) and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 7. Keith Simmons was 0 for 3 and scoreless for the Holy Cross (17-6, 8-0), which trailed 25-22 at halftime.
Simmons scored all of his 11 points after intermission. Ingram had just three more points and Eitutavicius, who torched the Crusaders defense for 24 points in the first meeting between the two teams, went scoreless in the second half.
Holy Cross kept American off the scoreboard the first five minutes of the second half, using a 7-0 spurt to take the lead. After American tied it at 29-29, HC went on a 10-1 run to take the lead for good.
American shot 36.7 percent (18 of 49) for the game, 4 of 18 from three-point range. In the second half, American was 8 for 26 (30.8 percent) from the field, 1 for 11 from the arc.
Holy Cross was 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) from the field, 5 of 15 on three-pointers. But the Crusaders went 19 for 26 at the free throw line, while AU made just 12 trips to the line, converting 7 times. The Crusaders also held a 38-32 edge on the boards.
Usual AU nemesis Tim Clifford was plagued by foul trouble, finishing with just 6 points in 27 minutes. But Alex Vander Baan and Pat Doherty pitched in with 10 points each to pick up the offensive slack. Torey Thomas led all scorers with 16 points, including 7 free throws in the final 2:24 to help seal the deal.
The 3,118 fans in the Hart Center were the fourth straight 3,000-plus crowd for the Crusaders, who are now averaging 2,827 per game, second in the league behind Bucknell (3,829).
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (sidebar)
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Holy Cross' 10th straight win was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Andre Ingram score 8 points for American (11-11 overall, 3-5 Patriot) and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 7. Keith Simmons was 0 for 3 and scoreless for the Holy Cross (17-6, 8-0), which trailed 25-22 at halftime.
Simmons scored all of his 11 points after intermission. Ingram had just three more points and Eitutavicius, who torched the Crusaders defense for 24 points in the first meeting between the two teams, went scoreless in the second half.
Holy Cross kept American off the scoreboard the first five minutes of the second half, using a 7-0 spurt to take the lead. After American tied it at 29-29, HC went on a 10-1 run to take the lead for good.
American shot 36.7 percent (18 of 49) for the game, 4 of 18 from three-point range. In the second half, American was 8 for 26 (30.8 percent) from the field, 1 for 11 from the arc.
Holy Cross was 17 of 49 (34.7 percent) from the field, 5 of 15 on three-pointers. But the Crusaders went 19 for 26 at the free throw line, while AU made just 12 trips to the line, converting 7 times. The Crusaders also held a 38-32 edge on the boards.
Usual AU nemesis Tim Clifford was plagued by foul trouble, finishing with just 6 points in 27 minutes. But Alex Vander Baan and Pat Doherty pitched in with 10 points each to pick up the offensive slack. Torey Thomas led all scorers with 16 points, including 7 free throws in the final 2:24 to help seal the deal.
The 3,118 fans in the Hart Center were the fourth straight 3,000-plus crowd for the Crusaders, who are now averaging 2,827 per game, second in the league behind Bucknell (3,829).
Box score | Telegram & Gazette (gamer) | Telegram & Gazette (sidebar)
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