Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
13-8,PL 7-1
Colgate
7-14,PL 2-6
Bucknell Fights Back to Win at Colgate, 56-53
1/30/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2007
HAMILTON, N.Y. - Chris McNaughton and Abe Badmus scored 12 points apiece and Bucknell fought off a stunning start from Colgate to defeat the Raiders 56-53 Tuesday night at Cotterell Court. The Bison spotted Colgate a 17-2 lead but outscored them 54-36 the rest of the way to earn their fifth straight victory and eighth in their last nine games.
Bucknell improved to 13-8 overall and 7-1 in the Patriot League, while Colgate fell to 7-14, 2-6. Jon Simon scored 22 points to lead the Raiders.
Bucknell seemingly took control with a 16-0 run in the early stages of the second half. Trailing by eight at 31-23 after a Simon 3-pointer, the Bison dominated the next seven minutes. Jason Vegotsky answered Simon's three with one of his own, and Donald Brown pulled the Bison within three points with a pair of free throws, his first points of the day.
Vegotsky fed McNaughton for a dunk to make it a one-point game, and at the 12:22 mark Bucknell took its first lead of the night on Patrick Behan's whirling drive down the lane for a layup. Back-to-back jumpers from John Griffin and a transition 3-pointer from Vegotsky made it 39-31 before the Raiders finally had to call timeout with 10:21 left.
Simon ended the run with a 3-pointer to pull the Raiders within 39-34. Colgate scored 17 points in the first 5:38 of the game, but needed 24:54 to get its next 17.
The Bison pushed their lead into double figures for the first time thanks to five straight points from Abe Badmus. First he hit a 3-pointer, then scored on a breakaway layup after Vegotsky came up with a loose ball and fed it ahead. Brown's first two field goals of the night after seven straight misses made it 48-35 with 7:22 left.
Colgate made things very interesting in the final minutes, closing within two at 52-50 on back-back-to-back 3-pointers from Willie Morse and Simon, the latter coming with 36 seconds to play. Prior to the next inbounds Colgate fouled Griffin, who made 1 of 2 to make it 53-50.
Simon tried a short runner from the left side but missed, and McNaughton grabbed the rebound and was fouled. McNaughton then missed both free throws and Simon's long 3-point try from the left side went in and out. Griffin tracked down the rebound and made it a two-possession game by making 1 of 2 from the stripe.
That proved big when Simon hit a miraculous 3-pointer from deep on the right side with 0:04 left to make it 54-53. On the inbounds, Brown alertly found Stephen Tyree deep over the defense, and Tyree laid it in at the buzzer to finish off the 56-53 win.
After missing all 14 3-point tries and scoring only 36 points in Lewisburg just 10 days ago, Colgate flipped things around and got off to a torrid start in this one. The Raiders made seven of their first 10 shots, including three 3-pointers, and led 17-2 less than six minutes into the game.
The Bison managed only one field goal and had six turnovers in the first 6:30 until three-point plays by Badmus and Justin Castleberry got them going.
Bucknell's defense helped them get back in the game later in the half. The Bison held Colgate to only one basket and one free throw over a span of 9:48. Vegotsky's 3-pointer at the 5:42 mark made it a five-point game at 20-15, and the Bison got as close as four on McNaughton's follow with 1:00 left.
Colgate ended the half with a Morse 3-pointer from deep in the left corner to make it 26-19 at the break. Bucknell shot only 30.0 percent (6-20) in the half while posting one assist to 12 turnovers.
Bucknell then committed only three turnovers in the second half and shot 54.2 percent from the field. Vegotsky finished with nine points, while Griffin added eight and Brown six. Bucknell outrebounded Colgate 31-25, led by nine rebounds for McNaughton and seven from Brown.
Bucknell's three-game road trip continues Friday night at Navy. The 9 p.m. contest will be televised live on ESPNU from Alumni Hall. The Bison defeated Navy 59-51 on Jan. 6 at Sojka Pavilion.
