Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Looks to Go 2-0 in Patriot League at Navy
1/11/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2002
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Bucknell hits the Patriot League road for the first time today as the Bison visit perennial league power Navy. The Bison got off to a good start in league play with an exciting 65-64 victory over Lafayette in Davis Gym on Wednesday. The win was the Herd's third in its last four outings and snapped a six-game losing streak in Patriot League openers. Navy has struggled a bit this season, falling to 5-11 after a 70-57 loss at Holy Cross in its conference opener Wednesday. Alumni Gymnasium has been a house of horrors lately for the Bison, who have lost 11 straight games on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, including an 88-64 rout there in the semifinals of last year's Patriot League Tournament. Since the Patriot League's inception as an all-sports conference, Bucknell and Navy boast the league's top two conference records - Bucknell is 95-46 (.674), while the Midshipmen are 83-46 (.643).
The State of the Bison
Bucknell is playing its best basketball of the season, having won three of its last four after a 2-8 start. The Bison began their 2002 Patriot League season off on the right foot with a 65-64 victory over Lafayette Wednesday. Improved shooting and rebounding have been the keys to the recent surge, as the Bison have shot 44.7% and gained a +5 rebounding edge in their last four contests.
Scouting Navy
Navy has been one of the Patriot League's elite squads over the last eight years, and it is a bit unusual to find the Midshipmen with a 5-11, 0-1 record. Wednesday's 70-57 loss at Holy Cross was Navy's third straight setback, coming on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Senior forward Jehiel Lewis, who led Navy with 12 points against Holy Cross, is the team's high scorer this season at 12.7 ppg. Junior guard Jason Jeanpierre (10.6 ppg.) and junior forward Francis Ebong (10.2 ppg., 7.1 rpg) also average in double figures. Junior center Mitch Moore (5.6 ppg.) and senior guard Demond Shepard (7.3 ppg.) are also expected to start for the Mids.
Common Opponents
Bucknell and Navy have played just one common opponent thus far, Mount St. Mary's. The Bison defeated the Mount 58-46 on Jan. 2 in Emmitsburg, Md. Navy was a 95-54 victor Dec. 30 in Alumni Hall.
Series Notes
The Midshipmen have won five straight and 10 of 12 against Bucknell to assume a 26-13 series lead. The two teams first met in 1920 and have played at least twice annually since Navy joined the Patriot League in 1991-92. Bucknell has lost 11 straight in Annapolis since a 68-61 win in 1992-93. These two teams have met three times in Patriot League Tournament action, with the Mids winning all three, including a 76-75 decision in the 1997 league title game.
Last Year's Bucknell-Navy Clashes
Navy took all three meetings from Bucknell last season by margins of 22, 13 and 24 points. On Jan. 10 at Alumni Hall, Kyle Barker tallied 18 points off the bench to lead Navy to an 89-67 win. Leading by eight at the break, the Mids used a 16-4 run in the second half to pull away. Bryan Bailey led Bucknell with 20 points. Back in Lewisburg on Feb. 3, Navy broke open a tie game by scoring the first 11 points of the second half to race to a 71-58 win, despite a terrific performance by Bailey, who totaled 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Chris Williams led Navy with 20. The third meeting came in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals (see box, right), when Williams and Barker tallied 23 points each to lead an 88-64 rout. Bailey and Boakai Lalugba had 14 apiece for the Bison.
Training Room Report
After missing four-plus games with an ankle injury earlier this season, senior guard Bryan Bailey is again sidelined after suffering a sprained MCL 30 seconds into the second half of the Hofstra game on Dec. 29. Bailey is expected to miss at least another week of action. Forward Jack Namvou (foot) and center Kevin Welch (foot) have yet to play this season, although both players have recently returned to practice and were in uniform for the Lafayette game this past Wednesday.
Second Season Success
No Patriot League team has won more conference games than Bucknell since the start of league play in 1990-91. The Bison carry a 95-46 (.674) league record and have had only two losing seasons in 11 years.
A Good Start
Bucknell is 1-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 1995. The Herd had lost six straight league openers before Wednesday's one-point win over Lafayette. The last time the Bison were 2-0 in the league was also 1995, when they beat Navy and Army en route to a 7-0 start.
Fun in the Sun
Bucknell can trace its recent success back to ... a loss. In perhaps its crispest performance of the year, the Bison suffered a heartbreaking 59-56 setback at South Florida in the first round of the USF Shootout on Dec. 28. Bucknell led the 11-3 Conference USA power throughout much of the first half and still led in the final minute until the Bulls pulled ahead with 42 seconds to play. Despite the loss, the Bison came back a day later to defeat Hofstra and have won 3 of 4 since.
Alumni Hall Friendly to Navy, Not to Bison
While Navy is a solid 5-2 at home this season, the Bison have struggled away from campus with a 1-7 road record (and 1-1 at neutral sites). Bucknell's lone road win came at Mount St. Mary's (58-46) on Jan. 2. Alumni Hall has been especially unfriendly to the Orange and Blue, who have lost 11 straight there.
