Bucknell University
7-6, 1-0
American
5-9, 0-1
Bucknell Men's Basketball Closes Davis Gym in Style with 63-52 Win over American
1/11/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's men's basketball team closed down Davis Gymnasium the same way it had 460 times previously - with a victory. In the final basketball game in the 64-year-old facility, Bucknell defeated American 63-52 in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
Boakai Lalugba posted his third straight double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Matt Quinn added 14 for Bucknell (7-6, 1-0).
Steven Miles was the lone double-figure scorer with 22 for American (5-9, 0-1).
The Bison used a 9-2 run to stretch a 19-17 lead to 28-19 with five minutes remaining in the opening half, and a 3-pointer by Dan Blankenship and layup by Lalugba in the final 2:30 made it 38-27 at intermission.
American went without a field goal for a span of 12:25, allowing Bucknell to race to a 19-point lead at 52-33 at the 11-minute mark of the second half.
American made a late run, holding Bucknell without a field goal for the final five minutes while cutting the margin to as little as eight at 60-52 after Miles' layup with 1:30 remaining. But the Eagles would never score again and the Bison made 3 of 4 from the foul line in the final minute to ice the game.
Bucknell held a commanding 37-23 rebounding edge, including 12-3 on the offensive glass. The Bison shot 46 percent from the field and tied its season-low with 12 turnovers.
American shot 39.5 percent and received only six points on 1-for-6 shooting from hobbled guard Glenn Stokes, the Patriot League's No. 2 scorer behind Lalugba. Stokes played all 40 minutes despite suffering an ankle injury in practice on Thursday.
Lalugba's double-double was his league-leading eighth of the season. He also had a career-high four assists. Quinn made 4 of 5 3-point attempts, including three in the first five minutes of the game to get the Bison off to a quick start. His third trey snapped an 11-all tie and gave Bucknell the lead for good.
Bucknell played its first game in Davis Gym on Jan. 14, 1939, ironically against American. The Bison finish with a 461-233 (.664) record in the venerable gym. The team plays its first game in the new Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday against Lehigh.
