Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball to Play in Red Auerbach Classic This Weekend
11/27/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2002
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Fresh off a Thanksgiving meal and its first victory of the 2002-03 campaign, Bucknell embarks on its first of two in-season tournaments this weekend at the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic at George Washington. The Bison, who face Columbia in Friday's opening round, rallied from an opening-night loss at Notre Dame by surviving Albany 56-53 on the road on Tuesday. The Bucknell-Columbia matchup pits two teams struggling on offense in the early going. The Bison have moved the ball well but have been ice cold from the field, shooting 30.8 percent from the field through two games. The Lions have scored 36, 37 and 42 points in three losses to open the season and are shooting just 34.5 percent as a team. George Washington and Mount St. Mary's square off in the other first-round tilt. Both teams are in search of their initial victories after losses to UConn and North Carolina State, respectively.
The State of the Bison Bucknell showed tremendous poise in fighting off a young and improved Albany squad on Tuesday. The Bison, still searching for their "A" game in the early going, shook off a quick 7-0 hole, another seven-point deficit early in the second half, and a go-ahead 3-pointer by the Great Danes in the final 45 seconds. Bucknell enjoyed a fairly efficient second half, shooting 52.0 percent and committing only five turnovers in its best 20-minute stretch of the season. While All-Patriot League forward Boakai Lalugba struggled offensively in the first half, freshman guard Kevin Bettencourt and senior forward Brian Werner bounced back from 1-for-9 shooting performances at Notre Dame and shot a combined 10-for-17 for 30 points against Albany.
Scouting the Field Bucknell's first-round opponent, Columbia, has started with a tough schedule and has dropped one-sided decisions to Rutgers (60-36 in the Preseason NIT), Boston U. (66-37) and Binghamton (70-42). The Lions, who have not had a player score more than eight points in a game thus far, are led by Jeremiah Boswell at 6.3 ppg. Senior co-captain Chris Wiedemann, the Ivy League's top shot blocker in each of the last two seasons, grabbed nine rebounds on opening night against Rutgers but has missed the last two contests with an injury. Last season the Lions led the nation in scoring defense allowing only 57.0 ppg. George Washington, under second-year head coach Karl Hobbs, dropped its season opener at 14th-ranked Connecticut 67-55 on Monday. Chris Monroe made only 3 of 17 field-goal attempts, but still finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Hall added 12 points and nine rebounds for a GW squad coming off a 12-16 campaign. Mount St. Mary's is coached by the legendary Jim Phelan, now in his 49th season at the Emmitsburg, Md., school. The Mount fell to N.C. State 84-60 in its opener last Friday, despite 28 points from freshman Landy Thompson - a school record for a player in his debut game. Thompson, whose brother T.J. is a starter in George Washington's backcourt, made 10 of 13 field goals, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. His presence, and the return of three other starters, should help Phelan's squad improve on a tough 3-24 season in 2001-02.
Series Notes Bucknell has met its first-round opponent, Columbia, only once previously, that also coming in tournament action eight years ago. In Pat Flannery's second game as head coach of the Bison, Columbia scored a 63-58 victory in the consolation game of the Pepsi/Marist Classic. With campuses located only 110 miles apart on Rt. 15, Bucknell and Mount St. Mary's have enjoyed a long history on the hardwood, with the Bison holding a 12-8 lead in a series that dates back to 1912. The Bison have won three straight in the series, including a 58-46 win in Emmitsburg, Md., last season. Bucknell and George Washington have not met since Jan. 14, 1961 - a 101-85 Bison victory in Davis Gym. Bucknell holds a 7-1 series lead, with GW's lone triumph a 69-55 win on Jan. 29, 1960.
Bucknell in Tournament Play This will be Bucknell's 49th all-time in-season tournament appearance, all coming since 1956. The Bison have a 43-55 (.439) record in those tournaments, including five championships. Bucknell played in two tourneys last season, going 0-2 at Central Connecticut and 1-1 at South Florida, and will play in two more in 2002-03. Below are Bucknell's in-season tournament titles: * 1956-57: Hofstra Christmas Tournament - def. Wagner, Cortland State and W.V. Tech * 1962-63: Downeast Classic (Bangor, Maine) - def. Maine and Brown * 1970-71: Albright Holiday Tournament - def. West Chester and Williams * 1988-89: Naismith Classic (Springfield, Mass.) - def. Manhattan and Keene State * 1999-00: Pepsi/Marist Classic - def. Maine and Marist
Signs of Life Bucknell has struggled offensively in the early going, particularly shooting the basketball, but the Bison got things going in the second half of last Tuesday's game at Albany, just in time to pull out a 56-53 victory. In its first three halves of the season Bucknell as a team shot 25.9 percent (7-27), 16.7 percent (5-30) and 31.8 percent (7-22). Then in the second half at Albany the Herd connected on 52.0 percent (13-25) of its shot attempts. Boakai Lalugba made five straight shots in one second-half stretch, and Kevin Bettencourt made 4 of 6 shots, three coming from 3-point range. In addition, Bucknell totaled only five turnovers and grabbed the offensive rebound on a third of its misses during that solid 20-minute stretch.
Homesick Bucknell is beginning the 2002-03 season with four straight games away from home for the second straight year, but for only the fourth time in school history.
Happy Thanksgiving In an annual tradition that coach Pat Flannery started several years ago, the Bucknell men's basketball team helped serve Thanksgiving dinners at the Heiter Community Center in Lewisburg on Wednesday night, marking one of several community service activities the Bison engage in throughout the year. The team then shared a meal together on Thursday before departing for Washington, D.C.
No Freebies Bucknell has done a good job keeping the opposition off the free throw line thus far. Bucknell has attempted 42 free throws, compared to only 24 by its opponents. Albany was just 4-for-8 from the charity stripe on Tuesday.
Merit Aid Approved at Bucknell The Bucknell University Board of Trustees last weekend approved a three-year pilot program that immediately implements merit aid for the first time in school history. Bucknell will award 42 merit scholarships to the incoming members of the Class of 2007, with six targeted to the basketball programs - three to the men's program and three to the women's program. The merit scholarships will not take away from Bucknell's current need-based financial aid program. The merit aid plan is intended to help Bucknell enroll even more top academic students; increase campus diversity; support performing arts talent, such as music, theatre and dance; protect recent gains in Bucknell's first-year class profile; and strengthen Bucknell's competitive position with the Patriot League in men's and women's basketball.
