Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Starts Four-Game Road Trip Friday at American
1/28/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2005
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First-place Bucknell puts an 11-game winning streak on the line this weekend as it begins a four-game road trip with Patriot League contests at American and Navy. The Bison enter the weekend set with a 5-0 Patriot League record, good for a one-game lead over Holy Cross, which faces Lafayette and Lehigh on the road. American, Colgate and Lehigh are all two back at 3-2. One victory shy of their longest winning streak since 1919, the Bison will have no easy task against two teams that have not treated them kindly on their home floors in recent years. American, which had won four straight until an 80-56 loss at Holy Cross on Monday, is 3-0 against Bucknell at Bender Arena since joining the Patriot League in 2001-02. The Eagles claim the Patriot League's leading scorer in sophomore Andre Ingram. The league's preseason player of the year averages 15.8 ppg, while Jason Thomas also scores in double figures at 11.5 ppg. Bucknell holds a slim 17-16 series lead on American. The two teams split last season, with the Eagles prevailing in Washington 58-55 in overtime, handing Pat Flannery the only overtime loss of his career. Navy enters the weekend on an eight-game losing streak following last Sunday's 63-43 loss at arch-rival Army. The Midshipmen could benefit from the return of leading scorer and rebounder Laramie Mergerson (12.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg), who has missed the last five games with a fractured hand. Matt Fannin, who had a 19-rebound game against American earlier this season, averages 10.9 ppg. Bucknell swept the season series from Navy a year ago, including a 54-52 win at Alumni Hall that snapped a 13-game losing streak in Annapolis.
about the bison
Bucknell's 5-0 Patriot League start came on the heels of one of the best stretches of non-conference play in school history. The Bison take an 11-game winning streak into this weekend's games with American and Navy, with dramatic moments abound and each win seemingly bigger and better than the next. A summary of the team's winning streak:
• Dec. 4 at Yale: Trailing by six with 44 seconds left in regulation, John Clark and Charles Lee hit 3-pointers, the last with 15 seconds left, to send the game into overtime. In OT, the Bison scored eight of the first 11 points and went on to win 73-65.
• Dec. 7 vs. Robert Morris: Leading by just a point at the half, the Bison outscored the Colonials 40-26 after the break en route to a 60-45 win. • Dec. 18 at Cornell: In a virtual repeat of the Robert Morris game, Bucknell snapped a 26-all halftime tie and blew away the Big Red 59-44 with a huge second half.
• Dec. 22 vs. Niagara: The Purple Eagles came to Lewisburg as the nation's highest-scoring team at just under 90 points per game, but the Bison held them well below that figure in a dramatic 76-74 win made possible by Charles Lee's jumper with nine-tenths of a second to play.
• Dec. 28 at St. Joseph's: Bucknell was 1-16 all-time against St. Joseph's but stunned the SRO crowd at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse an epic shooting display in a 69-62 victory. The Bison shot 10-for-15 from 3-point range, including 7-for-8 in the second half, and beat the Hawks for the first time since 1979. It was St. Joe's first loss at the fieldhouse in two seasons.
• Jan. 2 at No. 7 Pittsburgh: In the biggest upset in school and Patriot League history, Bucknell knocked off the seventh-ranked Panthers 69-66, giving Pitt just its second home loss in three seasons at Petersen Events Center. Kevin Bettencourt's free throws with 23 seconds left proved to be the winning points.
• Jan. 8 vs. Holy Cross: In front of the largest home crowd in school history (3,897), Bucknell held the Crusaders to 28.0% shooting and won 59-43 before a CSTV audience.
• Jan. 12 at Colgate: After Colgate sliced Bucknell's 21-point lead to just two, Charles Lee scored the team's last six points, including four clutch free-throws in the final 30 seconds, to preserve the 71-69 victory.
• Jan. 15 vs. Army: The Bison led just 21-19 at the half after shooting just 23.3% from the field, but heated up to 50.0% in the second half and won going away, 63-46.
• Jan. 21 vs. Lafayette: Bucknell broke open a close game with a 42-point second half, winning 71-54. The Bison benefitted from 33 bench points and a staunch defense that held the Leopards to 32.1% shooting.
• Jan. 23 vs. Lehigh: Abe Badmus canned a 3-pointer with 0:06 left in Bucknell's 65-63 win. The Bison led 62-55 with just over a minute to play before Lehigh rallied with eight straight points. But Badmus answered with the go-ahead trey and BU survived a last-second shot that fell off the rim.
with a victory over american, bucknell would ...
• ... remain in first place in the Patriot League.
• ... clinch a winning regular season record.
• ... improve to 15-4, its best 19-game start since 1983-84.
• ... go 11 games over .500 for the first time since 1992-93.
• ... surpass its entire victory total from last season.
• ... capture its 12th straight victory, tying the school record for longest winning streak within a single season. It would be the sixth-longest overall streak in school history and the longest since 1919.
• ... earn its sixth straight road win and improve to 6-2 on the road this season.
• ... go to 6-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 1994-95 and only the third time ever.
last time out
Abe Badmus drilled the game-winning 3-pointer with six seconds to play to lift Bucknell to a thrilling 65-63 decision over Lehigh. The Bison erased a 12-point first-half deficit and led 62-55 after Kevin Bettencourt's three free throws with 1:17 to play. But the Mountain Hawks roared back, scoring eight straight points in a span of just 31 seconds to take a 63-62 lead. After using a pair of timeouts, the Bison looked down low to Chris McNaughton, who drew a double team and passed back out to Badmus for the open look from the left wing. McNaughton finished with 13 points and Bettencourt 12 for the Bison. Nick Monserez scored a career-high 22 for Lehigh.
inside the boxscore
Bucknell won its 11th straight Patriot League home game ... John Griffin made all three shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and scored nine points ... Bucknell shot 33.3% from the field in the first half but 47.8% in the second ... Lehigh reversed that trend, shooting 47.8% in the opening period but 30.0% in the second ... Bucknell held Lehigh's leading scorer, Joe Knight, to four points on 1-for-11 shooting from the field ... the Bison outrebounded Lehigh 33-29.
friday night lights
Since the Patriot League went to a Friday-Sunday format for part of its schedule two seasons ago, Bucknell is 7-2 on the Friday leg. Five times the Bison have parlayed the Friday victory into a weekend sweep.
Pat Flannery on temporary leave of absence
Last Sunday it was announced that head coach Pat Flannery has taken a temporary leave of absence, citing a series of medical developments. Flannery was not on the bench for Sunday's win over Lehigh and is not traveling to American or Navy this weekend. The timing of his return to full coaching responsibilities will be decided based on his progress with his personal health issues and cannot be projected at present, however Flannery did provide the following statement:
"I want to thank everyone for their support and understanding regarding the recent personal issue that I've had with my health.
The stresses and strains on coaches in this profession can be very demanding, and in my situation, these issues had begun to take a toll on me physically and mentally. The support from my family, team and administration has allowed me to get help in both areas. I feel good and have been making good progress. While I've been dealing with these issues, I've been able to remain actively engaged with team preparations and practices, and I look forward to returning to the sidelines soon.
Obviously this situation has brought out what a program is all about, as our players and coaches have continued progressing each day. Again, I appreciate all the personal attention and support, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon."
-- Head Coach Pat Flannery
last season vs. american
• Jan. 10 at Bender Arena: Charles Lee scored a then-career-high 18 points, including seven of Bucknell's last nine in regulation, but American hit just enough free throws down the stretch to outlast the Bison 58-55 in overtime. In the PL opener for both teams, neither led by more than one basket for the final 9:19 of regulation. Trailing by two, Kevin Bettencourt drew a foul while shooting a 3-pointer and made 2 of 3 free throws with 4.8 seconds left in regulation. Andre Ingram led American with 13 points, while Jernavis Draughn added 10, including the go-ahead basket in OT.
• Feb. 7 at Sojka Pavilion: Bettencourt scored 20 points and Lee hit six big free throws in the final 64 seconds en route to a 16-point effort to help Bucknell outlast American 67-62. Bucknell raced to a 15-point halftime lead, but the Eagles forced a bevy of turnovers off a tenacious full-court press and climbed within one point with 2:05 to play. The Bison, who missed 8 of 11 free throws during one second-half stretch, finally sealed it with Lee and Bettencourt going 8-for-8 from the stripe in the final minutes. Bucknell shot 56.8% from the field for the game but only attempted 14 shots in the second half, as the Eagles forced 18 second-half turnovers with their trapping defense. Draughn led American with 17 points, while Ingram added 16.
last season vs. navy
• Jan. 17 at Sojka Pavilion: Bucknell broke school and Patriot League records by shooting 71.7% from the field and routed Navy 87-46. Led by 15 points each from Chris McNaughton and Charles Lee, Bucknell made 33 of 46 shots in the game, including 15 of 19 in the second half. The Bison used a seemingly endless array of layups to outscore Navy 54-26 in the paint and 20-4 in transition. When they did venture outside, the hot shooting continued, with six 3-pointers in 10 tries. Jeff Charles led Navy with eight points.
• Feb. 14 at Alumni Hall: Kevin Bettencourt scored a game-high 17 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer in the final two minutes, and Bucknell overcame a late deficit to hold of Navy 54-52. A game Navy squad used a slow-down offense to turn the game into a defensive struggle. And when it appeared the Bison were in serious trouble, down 44-38 with 6:45 to go, it was their defense that helped them prevail. Bucknell turned three straight defensive stops into open-court layups to complete a 10-0 run, giving the Bison a 48-44 lead at the three-minute mark. Mike Higgins scored 14 points off the bench for Navy.
bettencourt closing in on 1,000
Entering the weekend unior guard Kevin Bettencourt needs only 14 points to reach 1,000 for his career. He would become the 30th member of Bucknell's exclusive 1,000-point club.
poll watching
For the fourth straight week, Bucknell is ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. The Bison are ranked 14th this week, up five spots from the previous poll. Bucknell also received a season-high six points in the Associated Press Poll, marking its fourth straight week with at least one. See Page 5 for complete rankings.
streaking
Bucknell's current 11-game winning streak is the longest in Pat Flannery's 11-year tenure as head coach. The Bison had an 8-game streak under Flannery's watch in 1995-96. The longest overall winning streak in school history is 17 games (1902-04), and the longest within a season is 12 games (1907-08).
Longest Bucknell Winning Streaks Under Pat Flannery (Since 1994-95):
11 - 12/4/04 - present
8 - 1/13/96 - 2/7/96
7 - 1/30/04 - 2/22/04
5 - 1/11/97 - 1/25/97
5 - 1/9/99 - 1/23/99
5 - 1/31/99 - 2/17/99
5 - 1/15/00 - 1/26/00
5 - 2/9/00 - 2/23/00
Longest Winning Streaks in Bucknell History (broken up by)
17 - 3/1/1902 - 2/19/1904 (vs. Allegheny)
15 - 2/5/1901 - 2/11/1902 (at Princeton)
14 - 1/10/1908 - 1/27/1909 (at State College)
13 - 3/9/1906 - 3/9/1907 (at Harrisburg Collegians)
13 - 2/15/1918 - 2/8/1919 (at Lehigh)
11 - 2/6/1920 - 1/13/1921 (at Temple)
11 - 2/1/1993 - 3/6/1993 (vs. Holy Cross)
11 - 12/4/2004 - present
10 - 2/16/1919 - 12/20/1919 (at Syracuse)
10 - 1/14/1983 - 2/8/1983 (at Lafayette)
9 - 3/3/1956 - 12/28/1956 (vs. West Virginia Tech)
9 - 2/19/1958 - 12/10/1958 (at Cornell)
9 - 1/7/1974 - 1/25/1974 (Rutgers)
9 - 1/21/1987 - 2/21/1987 (at Lafayette)
streaking, part ii
With second-ranked Duke suffering its first loss of the season on Wednesday against Maryland, Bucknell now owns the nation's fifth-longest active winning streak. Each of the four teams with longer streaks are ranked in the Top 25 by the Associated Press.
Longest Division I Active Winning Streaks: #1 Illinois 20, #8 Boston College 17, #4 Syracuse 13, #25 Utah 12, Bucknell 11, Oklahoma 10, Pacific 10, Vermont 10.
streaking, part iii
Bucknell had a seven-game winning streak late last season, making this the first time since 1918-19 and 1919-20 that the team has pieced together winning streaks of at least seven games in back-to-back years.
