Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
1-5
Dickinson
0-6
Bucknell Overwhelms Dickinson with Balanced Attack, 79-36
12/9/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - All 15 players on the Bucknell roster tallied at least one field goal and one rebound as the Bison secured their first victory of the season, 79-36 over Dickinson Tuesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
Kevin Bettencourt finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Chris McNaughton had another perfect shooting night on an 11-point ledger to lead the Bison attack. In improving to 1-5 on the season heading into an 11-day layoff for final exams, Bucknell held a 53-27 rebounding advantage and shot 50 percent from the field for the third time in the last four games.
The 36 points allowed were Bucknell's fewest in more than 50 years, since a 21-15 loss to Penn State in January of 1951.
Pat Coyle led Dickinson (0-6) with 13 points off the bench, while Brad Litchfield added 11.
The Bison wasted no time assuming control of the contest, connecting on six of their first eight shots, including Chris Niesz's bank shot 3-pointer on the opening possession, en route to a 16-0 lead. Dickinson broke up the shutout 6:04 into the contest on Coyle's 3-pointer, and the Red Devils closed within single digits at 17-8 on Litchfield's layup at the 12:42 mark.
Tarik Viaer-McClymont's dunk started Bucknell on a 23-8 run that made it 40-16 at the half. The Bison's starting five made 12 of 16 shots from the field in the first half.
Bucknell struggled early in the second half, starting 2-for-9 from the field over the first seven minutes, but the Bison turned it up midway through the period, using a 15-1 run to take a 63-30 lead with 8:41 remaining. Bucknell limited Dickinson to just three field goals in the final 13 minutes of the game.
Holland Mack's first career basket in the closing seconds gave the Bison their largest lead of the night and provided the final 43-point margin. It was Bucknell's most one-sided victory since a 98-42 win over Carnegie-Mellon in 1998-99.
Nearly all of Bucknell's damage came near the basket. The Bison outscored Dickinson 42-8 in the paint and made 24 of 34 shots inside the 3-point arc, compared to 5 of 24 from beyond the stripe. The Red Devils shot 24.1 percent from the field and didn't fare much better from 3-point range, making 5 of 23 attempts.
McNaughton entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage at 80.6 percent. His 4-for-4 shooting night makes him 29-for-35 on the season. Donald Brown also scored in double figures with 10 points.
Bucknell returns to action on Dec. 20, hosting Ivy League favorite Penn at 3 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
