Bucknell University
5-6
Niagara
5-6
Ice Cold Bison Fall to Niagara in Martz Hall, 63-52
1/4/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2003
POTTSVILLE, Pa. - David Brooks came off the bench to score 15 points, leading four Niagara players in double figures as the Purple Eagles topped Bucknell 63-52 in the Bucknell Basketball Kids Classic played before 2,217 at Martz Hall.
Boakai Lalugba had 11 points and tied a career-high with 16 rebounds but made only 5 of 16 shots from the field as the Bison (5-6) endured a woeful shooting day against Niagara's 2-3 zone defense. Kevin Bettencourt missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts and shot 1-for-15 from the field, and Bucknell shot only 27.6 percent from the field (16-58).
Niagara (5-6) wasn't much better in the opening half, shooting only 36.4 percent en route to a 28-27 halftime edge, but the Purple Eagles made 11 of 20 (.550) second-half field goals to stretch the lead.
The game was tied at 45 after Lalugba's layup at the 9:12 mark, but Alvin Cruz drilled a 3-pointer on Niagara's next possession to give the Purple Eagles the lead for good. David Brooks followed with a pair of free throws and a steal and slam dunk by Tremmell Darden pushed the lead to seven at 52-45 at the 8-minute mark.
Another dunk by Darden two minutes later capped an 11-2 run and made it 56-47. Bucknell rallied within four on a Matt Quinn 3-pointer and two foul shots by Chris Rodgers, but the Bison missed their last eight shots and were outscored 7-0 in the final 3:52.
Bucknell led by as many as seven in the first half at 25-18, but the Purple Eagles closed the half on a 10-2 run.
Darden finished with 13 points and Cruz and James Reaves added 12 apiece. Reaves and Juan Mendez pulled down nine rebounds each.
Rodgers scored nine points off the bench for the Bison, while Quinn finished with eight. Bucknell outrebounded Niagara 40-39, with 18 of the boards coming on the offensive end. Despite the bushel of offensive rebounds, Bucknell could only convert them into six second-chance points and was outscored 36-18 in the paint.
The Bucknell Basketball Kids Classic benefits youth basketball in Schuylkill County. Bison head coach Pat Flannery is a native of Pottsville and played his high school ball in Martz Hall. Bucknell's only other appearance in Martz Hall resulted in a 69-62 loss to Penn in 1998.
Bucknell returns to action on Tuesday night against Robert Morris in the next-to-last game to played in Davis Gym.
