Bucknell University
14-6 / 5-2
Navy
6-14 / 2-5
Bucknell Men Drop Second Straight, 66-62 at Navy
1/30/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2005
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Corey Johnson hit two go-ahead free throws with 22 seconds left to lift Navy to a 66-62 upset win over Bucknell on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall. After winning 11 straight games the Bison dropped their second straight on the road over the weekend and fell to 14-6, 5-2 in the Patriot League.
Navy, led by 17 from Greg Sprink and 16 from George O'Garro, won its second in a row and improved to 6-14, 2-5.
Kevin Bettencourt scored a season-high 27 points for the Bison. Bettenourt entered the game needing seven points for 1,000 in his career, and he reached the milestone with a free throw at the 12:56 mark of the first half. The junior guard is the 30th player in Bucknell history to reach 1,000 points.
Bucknell led by as many as nine points at 36-27 early in the second half after Bettencourt hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Tarik Viaer-McClymont converted a pair of inside buckets. Sprink answered with five straight points to get Navy back in it, and David Hooper hit a 3-pointer to cut Bucknell's lead to 41-40 with 12:01 to play.
A 3-point play by O'Garro gave Navy its first lead since the opening moments of the game, 45-43 with 10:50 left. With the game tied at 50, Bettencourt scored six straight on a 3-point play and a 3-pointer to make it 56-50 Bucknell with 6:04 to play.
The resilient Midshipmen stayed alive with good defense and timely shooting, and used an 11-2 run to surge back ahead. Sprink converted a 3-point play to pull Navy within 58-57, and Taj Mathews followed with a pair of free throws to put the Mids in front 59-58. O'Garro's layup at the 3:05 mark capped the run and made it 61-58.
After an Abe Badmus free throw, Chris McNaughton scored inside and was fouled. His free throw gave the Bison its final lead of the night, 62-61 with 1:28 left.
On Navy's next possession Johnson dribbled to the right side and got his feet tangled with Charles Lee. Lee was whistled for the foul and Johnson made both free throws to give Navy a 63-62 lead.
Bucknell advanced the ball to midcourt and called timeout, but the Bison turned the ball over on the inbounds. O'Garro made two free throws with 18 seconds left to make it 65-62. Bettencourt missed a contested 3-pointer from the right wing, and Sprink iced it by hitting the second of two free throws with seven seconds to play.
Bucknell made four of its first five 3-point attempts of the game - two each from Bettencourt and Lee - and built an early 18-9 lead.
But the Midshipmen limited the Bison to only two field goals in the final 13 minutes of the half and clawed within one point at 26-25 at the break. Sprink dropped a pair of 3-pointers late in the half, the second making it 24-23 with 4:35 left.
After Donald Brown and Matt Fannin exchanged free throws, Bucknell had a final possession to stretch the lead just before the break but Leonard Green blocked Darren Mastropaolo's layup, one of six Navy blocks in the half and eight in the game. The Bison shot only 26.7 percent (8-30) in the half.
McNaughton scored 11 points as he was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble. After hitting the two early treys, Lee sprained his ankle eight minutes into the game. He returned five minutes later but did not score again. The Bison shot 36.4 percent from the field and made 8 of 23 3-point attempts.
Navy shot 37.5 percent from the field and outscored the Bison 24-14 from the foul line. The Mids also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Bison 41-32. Navy defeated Bucknell for the 14th time in 15 games at Alumni Hall.
The Bison continue their four-game road trip next Friday at Lafayette. Tip-off is 7 p.m. from Kirby Sports Center. The Bison defeated the Leopards 71-54 at Sojka Pavilion last weekend.
