Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
10-12, 6-3PL
Lehigh
14-8, 7-2PL
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh | 25 | 38 | 63 |
| Bucknell | 34 | 30 | 64 |
Bucknell Pulls Out Dramatic 64-63 Win over Lehigh
2/10/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Charles Lee and Kevin Bettencourt combined for three tying and go-ahead free throws in the final nine seconds and Bucknell survived a wild finish in a 64-63 victory over Patriot League co-leader Lehigh Tuesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell (10-12, 6-3) trailed 63-61 in the waning seconds when Bettencourt came up short on a long 3-pointer. Lee grabbed the rebound, however, and was fouled intentionally by Nick Monserez under the basket. With 9.9 seconds left, Lee converted both free throws to tie the game at 63. Just after the ensuing inbounds, Bettencourt drew a foul driving to the basket and converted 1 of 2 free throws with 7.6 seconds left to give the Bison a 64-63 lead.
Lehigh (14-8, 7-2) had a final shot to win it as point guard Ra Tiah penetrated down the lane, but his shot was contested by Bison center Chris McNaughton and fell off the mark, and McNaughton rebounded as time expired.
Bucknell and American - a 71-49 winner over Navy on Tuesday - remained in a third-place tie in the Patriot League but pulled within one game of second-place Lehigh. Bucknell has now won four straight and seven of its last eight, while Lehigh's four-game winning streak came to an end.
Lee recorded his second career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and also led the team with five assists and three steals. Also in double figures for the Bison were Bettencourt with 15 points, McNaughton with 14 and Antario Glover, who came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting.
Jason Mgebroff scored all 15 of his points in the second half to lead Lehigh. Austen Rowland added 14 and Kyle Neptune 10 for the Mountain Hawks.
Bucknell led by as many as 12 in the first half, as Glover's long jumper capped a 20-5 run and gave the Bison a 32-20 lead. McNaughton scored seven points during the surge and Bettencourt added Bucknell's lone 3-pointer of the night.
Lehigh closed within 34-25 when Tiah drained a 25-footer as the shot clock expired just before the end of the half.
Seven minutes into the second half the Mountain Hawks made a move, drawing within 43-40 with a 7-0 run highlighted by a Neptune 3-pointer. Two buckets by Glover and a three-point play by Bettencourt pushed the lead back to nine at 50-41 with 9:35 left, but Lehigh finally drew even with an 11-2 run.
Olivero, who entered the contest averaging 13.2 points per game, made his only field goal of the night a big one, a 3-pointer to make it 54-52 at the 6:00 mark. Less than a minute later Earl Nurse tied it with a jumper from the right wing.
Lehigh took its first lead since 15-14 on Rowland's jumper with 4:28 to play, and after McNaughton missed a pair of free throws, Mgebroff made two from the line to give Lehigh a 60-57 lead with 1:49 left.
After Lee made both ends of a 1-and-1, Mgebroff banked in a short turnaround jumper to make it 62-59 with 1:11 left. After a Bison timeout, John Clark from the left wing made a pretty no-look pass to McNaughton for a layup to make it a one-point game.
Olivero was fouled at the other end but converted only 1 of 2 with 25.5 seconds left, setting the stage for the wild finish.
Bucknell shot 42.0 percent (21-50) from the field and 65.6 percent (21-32) from the free-throw line. Lee and Bettencourt, who rank 1-2 in the league in free-throw attempts in Patriot League games, went a combined 19-for-23 from the line. The Bison held a 35-31 rebounding edge.
Lehigh shot 41.7 percent (20-48) from the field and 75.0 percent (18-24) from the line.
Bucknell, winner of seven straight at home, will play at Navy next Saturday, while Lehigh hosts American on Friday night.
