Bucknell University
15-6;6-2
Lafayette
6-15;2-6
Bettencourt Leads Sharp-Shooting Bison Past Lafayette, 89-69
2/4/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2005
EASTON, Pa. - Kevin Bettencourt paced Bucknell's best offensive night of the season with 29 points to lead the Bison to an 89-69 victory over Lafayette at Kirby Sports Center on Friday night. The Bison broke the Patriot League record for free-throw accuracy (20-for-20), shot nearly 60 percent from the field and placed four players in double figures in the scoring column for the first time all year.
Chris McNaughton, Charles Lee and John Griffin all scored 14 points as Bucknell (15-6, 6-2) bounced back from its only two league losses last weekend at American and Navy. Bucknell's three preseason All-Patriot League selections - Bettencourt, Lee and McNaughton - combined for 57 points on 22-for-33 shooting.
Bettencourt in particular put on a classic shooting display, making his final seven 3-point attempts of the night after an 0-for-3 start. He finished 10-for-16 from the field and matched the second-highest scoring total of his career. Bettencourt scored 27 points in Bucknell's previous game at Navy.
Lafayette (6-15, 2-6) received 20 points each from Jamaal Douglas and Sean Knitter but only 29 from the rest of the squad. The Leopards shot 60.9 percent in the second half and 50 percent on the night, but were outrebounded 27-18.
The Bison shot 63.6 percent in the second half, when they produced a season-high 46 points. Bucknell was 7-for-10 from 3-point range in the second stanza to help extend a 14-point halftime lead.
The top four teams in the Patriot League all won on Friday night. First-place Holy Cross narrowly defeated Navy 68-66 in Annapolis to keep a one-game lead on Bucknell and American, which routed Army 86-58. Lehigh defeated Colgate 63-53 to stay two back.
Bucknell, which swept the season series from the Leopards, led this one wire-to-wire after Abe Badmus kicked off the scoring with a 3-pointer. A trey by Lee and a pair of free throws from Darren Mastropaolo pushed the lead to eight at 17-9. Bettencourt's 17-foot jumper made it a double-digit game for the first time at 23-13.
Lafayette scored five quick points on two Knitter free throws and a Pat Betley 3-pointer to pull within 23-18, but the Bison closed the half on a 20-11 run. Bettencourt canned an uncontested 3-pointer and Lee drove baseline for a reverse layup to make it 32-21 with 3:40 left in the half.
In the closing seconds of the half Lee blocked Bilal Abdullah's layup, then Griffin fed Bettencourt for a left-wing trifecta just before the buzzer sounded, giving the Bison their largest lead of the half at 43-29.
McNaughton, who scored six of Bucknell's first nine points of the night, opened the second-half scoring with an inside bucket, and Bucknell led by at least 13 the rest of the way. Lafayette managed 40 points in the second half, but Bucknell's dead-eye shooting - both from long range and the free-throw line -- kept the Leopards at bay. At one point the Bison five out of six 3-point tries, and they iced it with perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the line in the last six minutes.
Bucknell's largest lead of the night was 22 points on two occasions in the final minute, the last on a jumper by reserve Holland Mack, his first points of the season.
Lehigh held the previous Patriot League record for most free throws without a miss. The Mountain Hawks were 16-for-16 against Navy last season. The Bucknell record is 22-for-22 against Lafayette in 1989.
With the victory the Bison surpassed their entire victory total from last season and clinched a winning regular season.
Bucknell returns to action on Sunday at Lehigh's Stabler Arena. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.
