Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
0-4
Saint Francis
1-2
Bucknell Drops Fourth Straight, 59-44 at Saint Francis (Pa.)
11/24/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2001
LORETTO, Pa. - Reiner Mougnol had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Saint Francis (Pa.) to a 59-44 decision over Bucknell Saturday at DeGol Arena. The loss was the Bison's fourth straight to start the season, while Saint Francis improved to 1-2.
Boakai Lalugba had 10 points and six rebounds to lead the Bison, who had five players out of the lineup, including All-Patriot League guard Bryan Bailey, who injured an ankle last Tuesday at Rider.
Bailey's replacement, sophomore Roland Webber, scored five points in the first 36 seconds of the contest to help Bucknell race to a quick 9-0 lead at the 16:48 mark of the first half. But with Lalugba on the bench with three fouls, the Bison scored only 10 points over the remainder of the half and trailed 24-19 at intermission.
Mougnol accounted for all five points in a 5-0 Red Flash run to start the second half as Saint Francis took a 29-19 lead less than a minute into the second stanza. Dan Swoger's 3-pointer made it a 12-point cushion at 33-21 with 15:54 to play, and Saint Francis maintained a double-digit lead for the duration of the contest. The Red Flash led by as many as 22 on two occasions in the final four minutes.
After beginning the night 2-for-15 from the field, Saint Francis was torrid from beyond the 3-point arc, sinking 9 of 15 treys, including 5 of 7 in the second half. Bucknell, meanwhile, made only 3 of 16 3-point tries and shot 42.2 percent (19-45) from the field. The Bison committed a season-high 23 turnovers and only attempted four free throws, making three. The 44 points was the Herd's lowest output since a 54-42 loss at Rider in the fourth game of the 1999-2000 season.
Webber finished with a career-high nine points, while Dan Blankenship and Chris Rodgers added eight apiece.
The Bison host Cornell in their home opener Monday night at Davis Gym at 7:30 p.m.
