Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Battles Niagara Wednesday
11/29/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2005
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For Bucknell the 2005-06 season could not have started any better. First came a tough road test at Rider and a two-point victory courtesy of Kevin Bettencourt's buzzer-beater. Then came a headline-grabbing victory over 17th-ranked Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, followed by a 27-point blowout of Yale in the home opener on Saturday. Now the Bison face an extremely challenging three-game stretch to close out the first semester, beginning Wednesday night against Niagara at the Gallagher Center. That will be followed by two more Big East matchups, first with DePaul on Saturday in Chicago, then a home game against No. 4 Villanova on Tuesday. Even with the two Big East games on the horizon, the Bison certainly will not be looking past the Purple Eagles. Joe Mihalich's club is the defending MAAC champion, and Niagara threw a scare into Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Featuring one of the nation's highest scoring offenses, Niagara comes in averaging 77.7 points per game, including a 101-point showing in a victory over St. Bonaventure. The Purple Eagles, who are trying to adapt to the loss of the potent inside-outside duo of Juan Mendez and Alvin Cruz, have also defeated Binghamton (71-56) and most recently lost a 67-61 decision at St. John's. Niagara, which has won a school-record 18 consecutive home games, has four players averaging in double figures, led by Charron Fisher at 20.0 points per game. Niagara's starting five of Fisher, Lorenzo Miles (17.7), Clif Brown (14.0), J.R. Duffy (10.7) and James Mathis (9.7) are accounting for 93% of the team's points thus far.
with a victory over niagara, the bison would
• ... begin a season 4-0 for the first time since 1983-84.
• ... win its first three road games in a season for the first time since 1983-84.
• ... defeat the Purple Eagles in Niagara Falls for the first time.
• ... improve to 2-0 against the MAAC this season.
• ... improve to 2-0 against 2005 NCAA Tournament participants this season.
last time out: bison rout yale in home opener
Propelled by 16-2 and 16-3 runs in the first half, Bucknell raced to an 87-60 rout of Yale in Saturday's home opener at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison shot 64.2% from the field and made 10 of 17 3-point attempts, while holding Yale to 33.3% shooting. Kevin Bettencourt led the way with 17 points and eight assists, while Chris McNaughton added 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting. Charles Lee and Abe Badmus scored 12 points apiece for the Bison, who set a Sojka Pavilion record with 34 field goals and tied their own facility scoring record with 87 points.
inside the boxscore
Freshmen Jason Vegotsky and Justin Castleberry both made their first career field goals ... Castleberry, Rob Thomas and Holland Mack all saw their first action of the season ... John Griffin hit three 3-pointers and scored nine points ... Griffin also had a career-high four steals ... Kevin Bettencourt's eight assists were one shy of a career high ... he had seven helpers in the first half ... Abe Badmus was 5-for-5 from the field and also dished five assists.
ball protection
When Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery is handed a boxscore, one of the first statistics that catches his eye is his team's assist-to-turnover ratio. In all three games this season the Bison have had an even or positive ratio, including a 24-to-13 figure against Yale on Saturday. Bucknell's normal starting backcourt of Abe Badmus, Kevin Bettencourt and Charles Lee combined for 16 assists and no turnovers against Yale, and that trio has a 37-to-7 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.
Opponent Assists Turnovers Badmus/Bettencourt/Lee A:T Ratio Rider 17 17 10:4 Syracuse 19 15 11:3 Yale 24 13 16:0 Total 60 45 37:7
ball protection, part 2
Among the Patriot League leaders, Bucknell players currently rank 1-2-3-5 in assist-to-turnover ratio. Kevin Bettencourt (7.00), Abe Badmus (6.00), Charles Lee (3.67) and John Griffin (2.20) are the pace-setters in that category.
last year vs. niagara
It was victory No. 4 in Bucknell's 11-game winning streak, and it was certainly one of the team's best wins of the season. Taking on a Niagara squad that came to Sojka Pavilion leading the nation in scoring, Bucknell won 76-74 on Charles Lee's 17-foot jumper with nine-tenths of a second remaining. Lee's dramatic shot represented the 18th lead change in a tense, hard-fought affair. Chris McNaughton and Kevin Bettencourt scored 21 points apiece for the Bison, and Lee finished with 13. Bettencourt added seven assists without a turnover, six rebounds and three steals. Alvin Cruz scored 21 for Niagara, while Juan Mendez added 18. The Purple Eagles came in averaging 89.7 points per game, but Bucknell forced 17 turnovers and held Niagara nearly 16 points below their season average. Niagara went on to finish 20-10 and claim the MAAC title.
in the polls
Bucknell is receiving significant votes in this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Polls, and it is just outside the top 25 in both. In the AP Poll the Bison garnered 73 points, good for 29th overall. In the ESPN/USA TODAY listing, Bucknell is 32nd overall with 22 points. Also this week, Bucknell moved up three spots to No. 5 in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Poll. This is the program's high-water mark in all three polls.
honors
After leading the team in scoring in victories over Syracuse and Yale last week, senior guard Kevin Bettencourt was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on Monday. It is the 16th time in his career that Bettencourt has received a PL weekly certificate. He earned Rookie of the Week honors nine times as a freshman in 2002-03, and since then he has been named Player of the Week seven times.
Also this week, junior center Chris McNaughton was named the Lewisburg Hotel Bison Athlete of the Week. McNaughton had 30 points and 16 rebounds and made 14 of 18 shots from the field in the victories over the Orange and the Bulldogs.
bucknell and niagara tough at home
Bucknell and Niagara entered the 2005-06 season with two of the nation's longest home winning streaks. While the Bison have now won 12 straight home games, the Purple Eagles have captured 18 in a row.
Longest Active Home Court Winning Streaks Washington 27 Gonzaga 26 Southern Illinois 25 Illinois 22 Wake Forest 20 Utah 19 North Carolina 18 Niagara 18 Winthrop 17 Tennessee Tech 16 Georgia Southern 14 LSU 13 Bucknell 12 Pacific 12
