Bucknell University
(1-1)
Albany
(0-2)
Bucknell Turns Back Albany, 56-53
11/26/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2002
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Senior Brian Werner tipped in a missed shot with 23 seconds remaining and Bucknell survived two misses at the other end to hold off Albany 56-53 at the Recreation and Convocation Center Tuesday evening.
Freshman guard Kevin Bettencourt finished with a career-high 19 points and Boakai Lalugba recorded his 12th career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to help lift the Bison (1-1) to their initial victory of the 2002-03 campaign.
Hot-shooting Antione Johnson made 4 of 5 3-point attempts and led Albany with 16 points.
With 2:07 remaining in a see-saw contest, Bettencourt rattled home a trey from the top of the arc to give Bucknell a 52-50 lead. After the two teams traded misses, Earv Opong nailed a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner with 43 seconds left to push the Great Danes ahead 53-52.
After a timeout, Bucknell went inside to Lalugba, whose six-footer in the paint fell off the back iron. But Werner was there to clean up the rebound, surging the Bison ahead for the final time.
The victory was not without a tense finish, though, as Albany's Jamar Wilson drove the lane and missed a short pull-up jumper, and Chris Wyatt's tip attempt went in and out.
Lalugba secured the rebound and called timeout with 3.5 seconds left. Bettencourt was fouled after the ensuing inbounds and made both ends of the 1-and-1 to make it a 56-53 contest with 2.5 seconds remaining. Albany was unable to launch a desperation shot as time expired.
Albany (0-2) made its first four shots of the game and jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, before the Bison settled down and reeled off a 20-8 run to grab what would be its largest lead of the night at 20-15. The streaky first half ended with an 11-1 Albany run, sparked by seven straight points from Rhasheed Peterson, as the Great Danes took a 26-21 lead to the locker room.
Levi Levine's 16-footer to open the second half gave Albany its largest lead of the night, seven points at 28-21. But the Bison quickly rallied behind Lalugba, who struggled in the opening half with just one field goal in five tries. The All-Patriot Leaguer made a layup and a dunk on consecutive possessions and later finished Bucknell's 11-0 run with a three-point play followed by a steal and pass to Bettencourt for a fastbreak layup.
Back-to-back treys from Johnson and Peterson helped Albany regain a five-point edge at 38-33 midway through the second half, but the lead would change hands six more times down the stretch.
Bucknell, which shot just 21.1 percent from the field in its season opener at Notre Dame last Friday, was only slightly better at 31.8 percent in the first half at Albany. But the Bison heated up in the second half, connecting on 52.0 percent (13-25) while limiting the Great Danes to 39.1 percent from the field. Bucknell had 18 turnovers in the game but only five after halftime. Defensively, the Bison forced 18 turnovers and gained a 33-24 rebounding edge.
The Bison look to build on the victory at the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic at George Washington this weekend. Bucknell faces Columbia Friday at 6 p.m. in the opening round of the tournament.
