Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Basketball Begins Second Half of League Play at Lafayette Saturday
2/1/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Round Two of Patriot League play begins with four conference games today, including Bucknell at Lafayette. All the initial go-round proved is that the league race remains wide open, with five teams separated by just one game at the top of the standings. Bucknell and Lafayette concluded the first round with 4-3 records and are part of a four-way tie for second place. Navy and Holy Cross are also 4-3, just a single game behind 5-2 American. The Bison edged Lafayette 65-64 in the league opener on Jan. 9, but the Leopards have won 4 of 6 since then, with three of those wins coming on the road - at American, Navy and Lehigh. Five of Lafayette's final seven league games are at home, including four straight later this month. Holy Cross and Army each have four home games remaining, while all others have three. Bucknell is coming off its first home league loss of the season, 73-65 to Holy Cross on Wednesday.
The State of the Bison
After shooting a season-best 54.3% from the field in an impressive road win at Colgate on Jan. 23, Bucknell returned home for two games and struggled from the floor. The Bison shot only 36.4% in a 69-50 win over Lehigh and 41.9% in Wednesday's 73-65 loss to Holy Cross. The setback was Bucknell's first home loss in league play and just its second home defeat of the season in seven outings. The Orange and Blue head to Lafayette with a 2-9 road record.
Scouting Lafayette
The Leopards have played excellent basketball since their one-point loss at Bucknell Jan. 9. In addition to a 64-58 home win over Holy Cross, Lafayette scored impressive road triumphs at American (57-52), Navy (92-79) and Lehigh (68-63). Lafayette has three wins over teams that defeated Bucknell, but the Leopards lost to two squads (Army and Colgate) that the Bison defeated. Senior Brian Burke, who struggled against Bucknell (2-11 FG, 7 pts.) in the previous meeting, has played well ever since. A 28-point showing against Colgate propeled him to Patriot League Player of the Week honors. Burke's 14.4 ppg. average ranks fifth in the league, just behind Bucknell's Boakai Lalugba. Guard Justin DeBerry is the only other Leopard scoring in double figures, averaging 11.6 ppg.
Series Notes
Lafayette holds an 82-45 lead in an all-time series that dates back to 1917. Bucknell has played only one other opponent (Lehigh) more often than the Leopards. Even though Lafayette has won seven of the last nine meetings, the Bison are 18-8 against the Leopards since the start of Patriot League play in 1990-91. Bucknell won last year's game in Easton, 74-71 in overtime, snapping a run of four straight losses at Kirby Sports Center.
The First Bucknell-Lafayette Clash
Bucknell's Matt Quinn sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left and blocked a Lafayette shot at the final buzzer to preserve a 65-64 Bison victory in the Patriot League opener before 1,427 fans at Davis Gym (see boxscore, Page 23). Lafayette had a chance to go ahead on the final possession, but Brian Burke missed a 12-footer from the right wing. Reggie Guy grabbed the offensive rebound in the lane, but Quinn stuffed his follow shot as time expired. The see-saw affair featured 19 lead changes and four ties. Justin DeBerry's 15-footer with 3:11 left gave Lafayette a 62-60 lead. Boakai Lalugba followed his own miss to tie it at 62 with 2:41 left, but just over a minute later the Leopards went right back on top on Mike Farrell's baseline drive and layup. Lalugba sank 1 of 2 free throws with 39 seconds left to get Bucknell within one at 64-63. Lafayette called timeout with 29.8 seconds left and Bucknell fouled Burke before the Leopards could inbound. Burke, an 88-percent free throw shooter on the season, gave the Bison a chance to win by missing the front end. Bucknell's Lalugba and Lafayette's Saxton tied for high scoring honors with 17 points each.
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 98-48 (.671) league record and have had only two losing seasons in 11 years.
Bailey Back
Senior guard Bryan Bailey returned to the Bison lineup Jan. 23 at Colgate after a six-game absence due to a sprained MCL in his right knee. Bailey entered the game with Bucknell trailing 12-7 at the 15:21 mark of the first half. He made his first field goal attempt 14 seconds later. Playing in 3-4 minute stretches, Bailey totaled 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. He rejoined the starting lineup against Lehigh and led all scorers with 16 points, then added 15 against Holy Cross Wednesday.
Bailey 13 Shy of 1,000-Point Club
Following his 15-point showing Wednesday against Holy Cross, senior guard Bryan Bailey now has 987 career points. He needs only 13 today to become Bucknell's 28th 1,000-point scorer. The last Bison player to join the elite club was Dan Bowen in 2000. Bailey needs 20 points to pass Patrick King '92 for 28th place on Bucknell's all-time scoring chart.
First-Half Success
Finishing the first round of Patriot League play with a winning record is nothing unusual for Bucknell. In 12 years of league play, Bucknell has gone through the first round with a winning record nine times, a .500 record once (1991), and a losing record twice (1994, 2001). The Bison are 50-27 (.649) in first-half play, including a perfect 7-0 mark in 1995, a 6-1 ledger in 1993 and a 5-1 record in 1996.
