Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Entertains Saint Francis (Pa.) Saturday Night at Sojka Pavilion
11/30/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2007
WHAT: Bucknell (2-3) vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-6)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Saturday, December 1, 2007, 7 p.m.
TICKETS: Available (570-577-1000 or order ONLINE)
TV: None
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
LIVE VIDEO: SportsJuice.com
COMPLETE PRESS NOTES
NOTE: A limited number of tickets still remain for the 7 p.m. contest. To purchase tickets in advance, call 570-577-1000, go online to www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice or stop by either of the two Campus Box Office locations at the Weis Center or Bucknell Bookstore. If tickets still remain, walk-up sales will begin two hours before game time at the Sojka Pavilion ticket office. Tickets for men's basketball games are $8 for adults and $4 for children and senior citizens.
Probable Starters
Bucknell:
G, 11 John Griffin, Sr., 13.0 ppg
G, 10 Justin Castleberry, Jr., 8.6 ppg
C, 42 Josh Linthicum, Jr., 3.0 ppg
F, 15 Stephen Tyree, So., 4.4 ppg
F, 31 Patrick Behan, So., 12.4 ppg
Saint Francis:
G, 1 Devin Sweetney, So., 9.5 ppg
G, 15 Cale Nelson, Jr., 12.2 ppg
G, 5 Chris Berry, Jr., 11.3 ppg
F, 23 Bassirou Dieng, Jr., 9.2 ppg
F, 45 Kurt Hoffman, So., 3.5 ppg
With a Victory over Saint Francis, Bucknell Would ...
-- ... snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 3-3 on the season.
-- ... avoid its first four-game losing streak since the start of last season.
-- ... improve to 15-9 all-time against the Red Flash.
-- ... defeat the Red Flash for the second straight year.
About the Game
Bucknell looks to shake out of a recent offensive funk on Saturday night when Saint Francis (Pa.) comes to town for a 7 p.m. start. Slow starts have doomed the Bison in each of their last two outings, at Wagner last Saturday and at home against Marist on Wednesday. Bucknell was held under 20 points in the first half in both games and shot a combined 33.3% from the field in the two losses. The scoring slide came as a bit of a surprise, given the team's promising start in victories over Albany and Towson and a close loss at Villanova. The good news for the Bison is that their defense has continued to be strong. Bucknell is allowing only 59.6 ppg and is holding opponents to 39.2% shooting. Meanwhile, Saint Francis comes in desperate for a victory after starting the season with six straight losses, four of them coming at home. Among the losses are a pair to Patriot League teams American (75-68) and Lehigh (71-66). Guards Cale Nelson (12.2 ppg) and Chris Berry (11.3 ppg) are the team's top scorers.
Bucknell vs. Saint Francis
This will be the 24th all-time meeting between the Bison and Red Flash in a series that dates all the way back to 1927. Bucknell leads the series 14-9. The Red Flash are one of the few teams to have won a game in Sojka Pavilion. They won here 70-65 early in the 2004-05 season. That would be Bucknell's only home loss that year, as the Bison went on to finish 24-9, win the Patriot League title and defeat Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bucknell vs. The NEC
Bucknell is 39-28 (.582) all-time against the teams that currently comprise the Northeast Conference. The Bison are 14-9 against Saint Francis (Pa.), 12-8 vs. Mount St. Mary's, 6-3 vs. Robert Morris, 4-2 vs. Saint Francis (N.Y.), 3-5 vs. Wagner and 0-1 vs. Central Connecticut State. Bucknell has never played Long Island, Monmouth or Fairleigh Dickinson. Pat Flannery is 15-10 against the NEC.
Last Time vs. Saint Francis
In one of its most stirring comebacks in recent memory, Bucknell erased a 15-point deficit and closed the game on a 14-2 run over the final 2:42 to shock Saint Francis 60-56 at DeGol Arena last Nov. 29. Donald Brown scored 14 points and Chris McNaughton shook off a tough night by hitting the game-winning basket with 40 seconds to play. Jason Vegotsky hit one of the team's two critical 3-pointers in the final minutes and finished with 11 points, while Abe Badmus hit 10, the last three coming at the free-throw line to ice the improbable victory. After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half and by 10 at the break, the Bison stormed back with a 12-2 run to start the second half. Brown had eight of those points, six coming on a pair of 3-point plays. The latter tied the game at 34-all just 4:58 into the half. Later though, Devin Sweetney scored four straight points to put Saint Francis back up by eight at 54-46 with 2:55 left. But Brown's third 3-point play of the half and left-corner 3-pointers from John Griffin and Vegotsky made it a one-point game at 56-55. McNaughton's short hook shot with 40 seconds to play gave Bucknell it's very first lead of the night, and Badmus iced it from the line.
Last Time Out
Bucknell was held to its lowest point total since 1998-99 and its lowest in a home game since 1950-51 in a 55-40 loss to Marist on Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. The Red Foxes, who won their third straight game, got out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed in the game. Bucknell cut a 12-point halftime deficit to seven early in the second half but could get no closer. Marist's Ryan Stilphen was the only player in the game to score in double figures with 10 points, while Justin Castleberry led the Bison with nine.
Inside the Marist Boxscore
-- Bucknell shot just 21.8% from the field in the first half and 32.0% on the night. The Bison finished 5 of 19 from 3-point range, with Justin Castleberry hitting three of those in a career-high nine attempts.
-- Bucknell went to the free-throw line only six times and was outscored 11-3 from the line. The six attempts were the team's fewest since Feb. 18, 2006, when it shot only five free throws in a double-overtime loss at Northern Iowa.
-- John Griffin made a 3-pointer for the 15th straight game and also had a season-high six rebounds to go with his seven points.
-- Todd O'Brien led all players with seven rebounds. The two teams were even on the glass at 33 each.
-- Bucknell forced 15 Marist turnovers, but could only convert them into 11 points.
-- Leading scorer Patrick Behan was held to a season-low four points on 2-for-6 shooting.
Defending the Perimeter
Bucknell's perimeter defense has been strong early in the season, as the Bison are holding opponents to 27.7% shooting from the 3-point arc, the best figure in the Patriot League. Only Wagner (7-21) has made more than 28% of its 3-point tries through five games. Bucknell ranks second in the conference in overall field goal percentage defense (.392) and third in scoring defense (59.6).
Griffin Moves into Top 5 on 3-Point FG List
John Griffin's 3-pointer against Marist on Wednesday night was the 154th of his career, moving him into a tie for fifth place on Bucknell's career chart. Gordon Mboya also made 154 treys from 1993-97. Next up on the list is J.R. Holden at 180.
Freshman Contributions
With veterans Darren Mastropaolo, Rob Thomas and Jason Vegotsky all out with injuries, Bucknell coach Pat Flannery's bench rotation has essentially been comprised of his three-man freshman class. In fact, of the 324 bench minutes played by Bison reserves this season, 311 (96.0%) have come from the rookie triumverate of Todd O'Brien, G.W. Boon and Darryl Shazier. O'Brien has platooned with Josh Linthicum at center, Shazier has been steady at the point, and Boon has provided "instant offense" on the wing. Through five games, the trio is averaging a combined 15.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell's three-game homestand wraps up on Monday night when the Bison host La Salle at 7 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the Bison and Explorers since the 1982-83 season, when both schools played in the East Coast Conference. It will be La Salle's first visit to Lewisburg since Dec. 7, 1981. La Salle is 3-2 on the season after defeating Central Connecticut State 59-55 on Wednesday. Following the La Salle game, the Bison will take a 13-day break for final exams before resuming the schedule on Dec. 16 at Wake Forest.
