Bucknell University
21-9
American (PL Semifinals)
16-12
Bucknell Men's Basketball Defeats American 53-35 to Advance to PL Championship Game
3/6/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - For a second consecutive game the Bucknell men's basketball used a stifling defense to lead it to a Patriot League Tournament victory. The second-seeded Bison limited third-seeded American to just 28.3 percent shooting as they defeated the Eagles 53-35 Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion to advance to their first league championship game since 1999.
Bucknell (21-9) will face top-seeded Holy Cross for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 11, at 4:30 p.m. in Worcester, Mass. The Crusaders knocked off No. 4 Lehigh 57-53 in overtime Sunday afternoon.
The Bison, who limited Lafayette to a Patriot League Tournament record low 34 points during a 70-34 win Friday night, used a 12-3 run following a key offensive foul on Chris McNaughton with the score tied 24-21 less than four minutes into the second half to open a 36-24 lead, their largest of the game at that point.
American (16-12) then held Bucknell without a field goal for more than six minutes, but only drew as close as 36-29 after five consecutive points from Andre Ingram. Ingram totaled just those five points in the game, more than 10 below his team-leading average, on 2 of 12 shooting.
Donald Brown ended Bucknell's six-minute field goal drought with a driving layup along the baseline with 5:46 remaining to extend the lead to 11 points at 40-29. The Eagles would not draw within double figures the rest of the way, and the 18-point final spread was the largest of the game.
The Bison sealed the game by making 6 of 8 free throws in the final 2:04 of the game after shooting just 13 of 18 from the line to that point.
In addition to Bucknell's defense, its rebounding was key in its 11th straight home victory. The Bison outrebounded American 42-22, including 14-6 on the offensive glass. Nine of those offensive rebounds came in the first half, during which Bucknell built an 18-16 halftime lead and neither team led by more than four points. Charles Lee led Bucknell with nine rebounds, while Brown added seven. Linas Lekavicius and Sekou Lewis led American with four apiece.
Lee was one of three Bucknell players in double figures as he tallied 10 points, including 5 of 6 shooting from the free throw line. McNaughton and Chris Niesz led the way with 11 points each. Matej Cresnik, who scored 30 during an overtime win over Navy in the quarterfinals Friday night, led the Eagles with a game-high 12 points.
The 35 points Bucknell allowed to American was a new Patriot League Tournament semifinal record for fewest points allowed, eclipsing the previous record of 50. The 88 combined points by the two teams was a new tournament record for fewest points as well, beating the old record of 98. The Bison held their second consecutive opponent under 40 points for the first time since the 1945-46 season. Bucknell held Franklin & Marshall and Lehigh to just 32 points in back-to-back wins that year.
American, which fell to 7-1 all-time in quarterfinal and semifinal Patriot League Tournament games, had advanced to the finals in each of its first three years in the league.
Bucknell, which has at least 21 wins for the sixth time in school history, will face Holy Cross Friday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. The Bison have made the finals of the Patriot League Tournament four times, the last in 1999, and lost all four. They lost to Holy Cross 98-73 in 1993 in the two teams' only meeting in the championship game.
