Bucknell Kicks Off Irish Tour with 77-54 Victory Over Limerick Lions
5/28/2005 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 28, 2005
LIMERICK, Ireland -- Charles Lee scored 15 points and Tarik Viaer-McClymont earned game MVP honors after posting nine points and seven rebounds in Bucknell's 77-54 victory over the Limerick Lions Basketball Club Friday night at the University of Limerick's modern sports arena.
Playing for the first time since falling to Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament more than two months ago, the Bison relied on their typical suffocating defense to prevail in their first of four games on a tour of Ireland and England.
Chris McNaughton and Rob Thomas scored 12 points each for the Bison, who held Limerick to 20-for-58 shooting, including 0-for-8 from 3-point range. Bucknel came up with 16 steals, forced 25 turnovers and outrebounded the Lions 46-34.
Perhaps still feeling the effects of the long trip and strange surroundings, the Bison struggled a bit shooting the ball. They went 33-for-73 from the field, 8-for-23 from the free-throw line and 2-for-16 from behind a 3-point line that is about 18 inches deeper than the college arc.
An early 9-0 run propelled Bucknell to a 22-14 lead after the first quarter, and behind some spirited play from Viaer-McClymont and point guard Abe Badmus, the Orange and Blue extended the lead to 11 points at 38-27 by halftime.
Limerick, which was led by 18 points and eight rebounds from American Cedric Peoples, cut an 18-point deficit to 11 late in the third quarter, but Lee hit a big 3-pointer from the left corner and the Bison went on to outscore Limerick 25-14 in the fourth quarter.
Despite foul trouble, Badmus finished with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Kevin Bettencourt and Donald Brown both scored seven points, while Darren Mastropaolo had four and Andrew Morrison two. Bettencourt had a team-high five assists.
McNaughton made 5 of 8 shots from the field and added seven rebounds, while Lee tacked on six boards and three steals to his team-best 15 points.
Bryan Goodman had the head coaching reins for the game, as head coach Pat Flannery is rotating the decision-making responsibilities among his staff on the international trip.
"We were a little sluggish after a long trip, but you could see the guys getting their legs back as the game progressed," said Goodman. "We really clicked on some second-half possessions, which was nice since we used a number of different rotations. Overall it was a bit sloppy, but that was to be expected after the long layoff."
The Bison players were well-received by a local crowd of about 500. A trio of clowns on stilts entertained the audience at halftime, and a throng of youngsters swarmed the visitors for autographs. After the game the Limerick team hosted Bucknell's travelling contingent for a reception at a campus sports pub, where Viaer-McClymont was awarded the MVP trophy and Flannery was presented a special gift from Limerick coach Tommy Hehir.
Bucknell returns to action Sunday in Dublin, taking on the Killester Basketball Club.
Bucknell 77
Mastropaolo 2-7 0-0 4, Thomas 6-10 0-0 12, Lee 6-15 2-4 15, Brown 3-3 1-2 7, Badmus 4-8 1-2 9, Bettencourt 2-8 2-2 7, Mack 0-0 0-4 0, Morrison 1-2 0-0 2, Niesz 0-3 0-0 0, McNaughton 5-8 2-5 12, Viaer-McClymont 4-8 1-4 9, Totals 33-73 8-23 77.
Limerick 54
Hehir 0-1 0-0 0, King 0-2 2-2 2, Myles 1-1 0-0 2, Sexton 1-8 0-0 2, Muratces 0-3 0-0 0, Cepas 0-2 0-0 0, Campbell 1-5 0-0 2, Hall 2-6 0-2 4, Freeman 5-9 1-3 11, O'Connor 0-0 1-4 1, Peoples 5-14 8-10 18, Leonard 5-7 3-6 12, Totals 20-53 15-27 54.
Halftime: Bucknell 38, Limerick 27. 3-Point Goals: Bucknell 2-16 (Thomas 0-1, Lee 1-7, Badmus 0-1, Bettencourt 1-5, Niesz 0-2), Limerick 0-8 (Sexton 0-1, Cepas 0-2, Campbell 0-3, Hall 0-2). Rebounds: Bucknell 46 (Badmus, McNaughton, Viaer-McClymont 7), Limerick 34 (Peoples 8). Assists: Bucknell 22 (Bettencourt 5), Limerick 6 (Sexton 3). Fouled Out: Badmus, Thomas. Technical Fouls: Hall.