Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
12-12, 8-3PL
Lafayette
18-6, 9-2PL
Bucknell Men Sprint Past First-Place Lafayette 79-61
2/20/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Freshman Chris McNaughton overcame early foul trouble to score 20 points in 17 minutes,and three teammates scored in double figures as Bucknell throttled first-place Lafayette 79-61 before 3,308 fans, the second-largest attendance in Sojka Pavilion history.
The victory was Bucknell's sixth in a row - the second-longest winning streak in coach Pat Flannery's 10-year tenure - and its ninth in 10 games. Now 12-12 overall and 8-3 in the Patriot League, the Bison pulled within one game of Lafayette (18-6, 9-2), which now shares first place with Lehigh, a 68-63 winner over Army on Friday.
After taking a 37-34 halftime lead, Bucknell tightened the defense in the second half and outscored the league's No. 1 scoring and shooting team 42-27 over the last 20 minutes. Bucknell committed only two turnovers in the second half and shot 57.1 percent from the field compared to Lafayette's 37.5 percent. The Leopards came in averaging nearly 77 points per game.
Kevin Bettencourt made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, along with game-highs six rebounds and five assists. Charles Lee finished with 15 points and rookie point guard Abe Badmus had 12 points on perfect shooting - 4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from the line - and did not commit a turnover.
Winston Davis was Lafayette's lone double-figure scorer with 18 points. High-scoring guard Justin DeBerry made just 2 of 12 shots and was held to six points, nearly 10 below his season average.
McNaughton was the major story in the second half for the Bison. The rookie center drew two quick fouls to start the game and played only three minutes in the first half. But he made 7 of 8 shots for 18 points in the second stanza. His reverse layup at the 10:32 mark started a decisive 11-0 run over a five-minute span that stretched a 10-point lead to 71-50.
Bettencourt's fifth trey of the night, a 28-footer as the shot clock expired, help spur the run.
After going without a field goal for the first 7:45 of the contest, Lafayette used a 9-0 run to grab a 16-11 lead midway through the first half. Rob Dill's lone field goal of the night at the 6:16 mark gave the Leopards a 21-17 lead, but the Bison responded with eight straight points, capped by a Bettencourt 3-pointer, to regain the lead for good.
Bucknell has now won eight straight home games and is 6-0 in the Patriot League in Sojka Pavilion. The Bison play their regular-season home finale on Sunday against Army at 3:15 p.m. Lafayette visits Lehigh on Sunday in a battle for first place.
