Bucknell University
26-4
Holy Cross (PL Final)
20-12
BUCKNELL REPEATS AS PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS WITH 74-59 DEFEAT OF HOLY CROSS
3/10/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 10, 2006
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Kevin Bettencourt parlayed six 3-pointers into a season-high 23 points, and Bucknell validated a record-setting regular season by winning its second straight Patriot League men's basketball championship, 74-59 over Holy Cross at raucous Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell had already become the first team ever to win all of its Patriot League games, compiling a perfect 14-0 mark, and it had already posted impressive non-conference road wins over Syracuse and DePaul. But the final piece of the puzzle was winning the Patriot League Tournament title, and the Bison did that with three straight double-digit victories over Army, American and Holy Cross.
 Jason Vegotsky (L) and John Griffin celebrate in the final seconds.  |
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The Bison extended their school single-season victory record to 26 against only four losses, and now they will await word on their NCAA Tournament destination. The Bucknell team will gather at The Forum inside the Elaine Langone Center for the tournament selection show, which will air on CBS at 6 p.m. The gathering at The Forum is open to the public, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
In order to automatically qualify for the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and second in a row, the Bison used a balanced offense with four players scoring at least 14 points, as well as a suffocating second-half defensive effort.
Bettencourt, Bucknell's all-time 3-point field goal leader, hit one critical trey after another and led all players with 23 points. He was 6-for-10 from 3-point range, including a three from the left corner at the halftime buzzer that gave Bucknell a 42-38 lead, and his four-point play with 2:53 to play pushed an 11-point lead to 15 and drove the final nail in the coffin.
Patriot League Player of the Year Charles Lee hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Following the game Lee was named tournament MVP, becoming the first player in league history to win that award in consecutive seasons. Chris McNaughton went 7-for-9 from the field and scored 14 points, while Donald Brown also scored 14 points, a season high.
 This Donald Brown jam gave the Bison a 10-point second-half lead. |
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Kevin Hamilton scored 20 points to lead Holy Cross (20-12), while Keith Simmons added 19 and Tim Clifford 10.
The Crusaders shot 20 first-half free throws and outscored Bucknell 17-7 from the line in a foul-filled first half. There were seven ties and seven lead changes during those hotly contested 20 minutes, but it was Bettencourt who snapped the final deadlock of the night with a 3-pointer, giving the Bison a 37-34 lead with 3:04 remaining.
Bucknell hit 7 of 12 3-point tries in the first half and equaled a season-high with 10 on the night in only 18 attempts.
Lee opened the second half with a trey off a Bettencourt assist to make it 45-38. Simmons and Hamilton scored in succession to bring the Crusaders back within 45-42, but that's when the Bison turned up the defense and took the game over.
Bucknell outscored Holy Cross 15-2 over the next 8:21, holding the Crusaders scoreless during a span of 6:09. McNaughton opened the surge with consecutive inside baskets, and after a Hamilton breakaway layup for Holy Cross, the Bison scored 11 straight points. Bettencourt hit a 3-pointer to make it 52-44, then Abe Badmus twice beat defenders and fed Brown, first for a thunderous dunk, then for a reverse layup and 3-point play.
By the time the surge ended with a free throw from Lee and a pair from Bettencourt, Bucknell had a commanding 60-44 lead inside eight minutes to play. Holy Cross went 0-for-7 with three turnovers during that scoreless drought.
Two 3-pointers from Simmons and one from Kyle Cruze, who was filling in for injured guard Torey Thomas, kept Holy Cross within striking distance, but Bucknell made sure they got no closer than 11 thanks to a Brown elbow jumper, a McNaughton dunk off a pretty feed from Lee, and Bettencourt's backbreaking four-point play from the right wing.
Soon after, most of the crowd of 4,110 was dancing on the floor and the Sojka Pavilion nets were cut down for the first time.
The Bison shot 61.1 percent in the second half and 52.0 percent for the game. They also made 12 of 14 from the free-throw line, backing up an 11-for-12 showing against American in the semifinals. Defensively, Bucknell forced 19 turnovers and held Holy Cross to 40.5 percent shooting.
Bettencout, McNaughton, Simmons and Hamilton joined Lee on the all-tournament team.
The victory was Bucknell's 21st in a row against Patriot League foes and 27th in a row against league opponents at home. The Bison finished the season 14-1 at home, winning their last 13 at Sojka Pavilion.
It was the 10th time in 16 Patriot League seasons that Bucknell and Holy Cross had met in the Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell has won six of those contests, including the last two championship games.
In addition to last season's NCAA Tournament appearance, in which the made national headlines with a 64-63 upset of Kansas, the Bison also made NCAA showings in 1987 and 1989.
