Bucknell University
7-4
Niagara
6-4
Bucknell Topples Niagara 76-74 on Charles Lee's Last-Second Shot
12/22/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Charles Lee hit a 17-foot jumper with nine-tenths of a second to play to lift Bucknell to a thrilling 76-74 victory over Niagara Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion. The shot catapulted the Bison to their fourth straight win heading into Christmas Break and lifted them to 7-4 on the season.
Niagara (6-4) had a final shot to win it but James Mathis' turnaround jumper from the top of the key was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
Chris McNaughton and Kevin Bettencourt scored 21 points each for Bucknell and Lee finished with 13. Bettencourt added seven assists without a turnover, six rebounds and three steals. The Bison shot 50.0 percent from the field on the night and matched their best 11-game start since the 1992-93 season.
Alvin Cruz scored 21 for Niagara and became the school's all-time assists leader. Cruz's five assists on the evening give him 499 for his career, one more than Gary Bossert (1983-87). Juan Mendez added 18 points despite fouling out with six minutes to play. David Brooks added 12 points and J.R. Duffey had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Niagara came into the game as the nation's highest scoring team, averaging 89.7 points, while the stingy Bison ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense at 56.5 points per game. Bucknell forced 17 turnovers and held the Purple Eagles nearly 16 points below their average.
 Chris McNaughton (32), Charles Lee and Holland Mack (22) celebrate Bucknell's win over Niagara.  |
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Lee's winning shot represented the 18th lead change in a tense, hard-fought affair. Niagara used a 14-5 run to grab its largest lead of the night at 62-55 with 10:32 to play. Most of that surge came with Mendez, the Purple Eagles top scorer at 25.9 ppg, on the bench with four fouls.
The Bison pulled within 64-63 on McNaughton's layup with 7:40 to play, but Mendez came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer and a tough fadeaway jumper to make it 69-63 with 6:36 left. But Mendez drew his fifth foul on McNaughton on Bucknell's next possession, and the Bison center made both free throws to kick-start the comeback. Niagara would make only one more field goal the rest of the way.
Abe Badmus brought Bucknell within 72-70 with a steal and fastbreak layup with 2:28 to play, but Cruz answered with a tough 18-footer as the shot clock expired. Those would be the Purple Eagles final points.
Bettencourt drew a foul with 1:20 to play and made both free throws - he was 8-for-8 from the line in the game. Cruz missed a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left, then Bettencourt penetrated and kicked a pass to Chris Niesz just inside the arc on the right wing, and Niesz buried the jumper to tie the game at 74-all with 42 seconds showing.
Lorenzo Miles go-ahead 3-point attempt rimmed off and Badmus chased down the rebound, and the Bison called a timeout at halfcourt with four ticks to play. Lee was set to inbound the ball but couldn't find an open man and had to call another timeout. This time Bucknell switched inbounders and Badmus found Lee near the right elbow for the game-winning shot.
 Abe Badmus' steal and layup with 2:28 to play was one of several key defensive plays for the Bison down the stretch. |
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The final buzzer sounded, but Bucknell's celebration was halted as the officials put nine-tenths of a second back on the clock. Mathis caught a long pass near the top of the key but couldn't convert a tough turnaround jumper as time expired.
Both teams were red-hot from long range in the opening half. The Bison hit seven first-half 3-pointers in 13 attempts while Niagara was 5-for-12. But the Bison finished the half on a 10-2 run, capped by McNaughton's layup at the buzzer, and led 44-39 at the break.
The victory was Bucknell's first over Niagara since Jan. 17, 1983, as the Bison improved to 2-5 in the series. The Purple Eagles won 90-71 in Rochester last season, with 28 forced turnovers the key. This year Bucknell had only 13 miscues compared to 19 assists.
The win also gave Bucknell its first four-game non-conference winning streak since 1990-91, when it knocked off Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, Delaware and Yale in succession.
After breaking for the holidays, the Bison return to the hardwood on Dec. 28 at St. Joseph's. Niagara hosts MAAC foe Fairfield on Dec. 30.
