Bucknell University
9-9, 3-2
Lafayette
7-11, 1-4
Bucknell Men Make it Two Straight with 68-48 Win over Lafayette
1/26/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Boakai Lalugba scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Bucknell used tough defense to win a Patriot League game for the second time in three days, downing Lafayette 68-48 on Sunday at Sojka Pavilion.
The Bison, who defeated Army 53-38 on Friday night, improved to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in the league. The 86 points are the fewest allowed by Bucknell in back-to-back games since late in the 1983-84 season, when it allowed 86 in consecutive wins over Towson State and Lafayette at the East Coast Conference Tournament.
Bucknell owned a commanding 44-21 rebounding edge and held Lafayette (7-11, 1-4) to 39.6 percent shooting in the game. Winston Davis led the Leopards with 13 points. Justin DeBerry, the Patriot League's leading scorer at 16.4 ppg, was held to only four points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Lafayette led only once in the game at 2-0. Matt Quinn scored five quick points to spark a 10-3 run that put the Bison ahead for good. Bucknell led by as many as eight in the first half at 29-21 after a Kevin Bettencourt 3-pointer with 1:08 to play, and the hosts led 29-24 at intermission.
Bucknell still led by five at 35-30 early in the second half before Davorin Skornik's inside bucket kicked off a 17-6 run over an eight-minute span that pushed the Bison's lead into double figures. Jeremiah Bennett's 3-pointer in the final minute gave Bucknell its largest lead of 24 points at 66-42.
Defense was again the story for Bucknell, which entered the game leading the league in scoring defense at 59.6 ppg. Lafayette's starting backcourt of DeBerry and Andrew Pleick shot a combined 5-for-20.
Quinn finished with 12 points for Bucknell, while Bettencourt, a game-time decision due to the flu, had nine points, four assists and three steals. Lalugba's double-double was his second in a row and 10th of the season. He made 9 of 15 shots from the field and 5 of 9 from the foul line.
The 20-point margin was Bucknell's largest over Lafayette since a 71-49 decision in 1995.
The Bison return to action next Friday at Colgate, while Lafayette hosts American on Friday.
