Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
15-8, 9-1PL
American
11-13, 3-7PL
Bucknell Men's Basketball Extends Streak to Seven with 69-66 Win Over American
2/7/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. - John Griffin scored 15 points, including the go-ahead and clinching free throws in the final 31 seconds, lifting Bucknell to a hard-fought 69-66 victory over American in a terrific Patriot League contest Tuesday night at Bender Arena.
Bucknell won its seventh straight straight game and improved to 15-8 overall, 9-1 in the Patriot League. The win kept the Bison one game behind Holy Cross in the league standings after the Crusaders outlasted Army in overtime on Tuesday. That sets up a showdown for first place between Bucknell and Holy Cross Friday night at Sojka Pavilion on ESPNU.
Chris McNaughton added 14 points, while Justin Castleberry and Abe Badmus had 10 each for the Bison, who have won 10 of 11 and 15 of 19.
Andre Ingram led all scorers with 23 for the Eagles, who dropped to 11-13, 3-7, and suffered their seventh straight loss to Bucknell.
This one featured a whopping 19 lead changes and 11 ties, and both teams shot very well all night. The Bison shot 70.0 percent in the first half and 60.5 percent overall, and they made 8 of 11 3-point attempts in the game. American was 6-for-12 from the arc and shot 54.5 percent on the night.
The ninth of 10 lead changes in the final nine minutes alone came on a pair of free throws by Derrick Mercer with 53 seconds left, just after Darren Mastropaolo had put the Bison ahead with two free throws.
Griffin then got bumped on the perimeter by a hedging Paulius Joneliunas with 31 seconds to play, and Griffin made both from the stripe to give the Bison a 67-66 lead. American called timeout with 19.5 seconds left, then Mercer drove down the right side of the key, only to have his layup spin off the rim. Freshman Stephen Tyree snatched Bucknell's biggest rebound of the night and handed the ball to Griffin, who was fouled with 3.6 seconds left.
Griffin made two more clutch free throws to make it 69-66, and Ingram's desperation 35-footer was short as time expired.
Bucknell held American to only seven defensive rebounds all night and finished with a 23-18 rebounding edge. The Bison also got a huge effort from its bench, which produced 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Castleberry led the way with 10 points and four assists in a reserve role, while rookies Tyree and Patrick Behan both had two points, five rebounds and an assist. Josh Linthicum threw down a dunk in his three minutes, and Rob Thomas made the most of his two minutes, coming up with an assist and a steal.
It was an especially entertaining first half, featuring hot shooting from both sides and eight lead changes. The Bison made six of their first seven shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, in building an early 17-11 lead. Griffin hit two of the threes, while Jason Vegotsky and Castleberry hit one each.
Ingram got American back in it by scoring 16 first-half points, equaling the most the senior had ever scored in a game against the Bison. He made 6 of 8 shots from the field, 3 of 3 from the arc, and his 4-point play with 5:27 left in the half capped a 13-3 run and gave the Eagles a 26-22 lead.
Castleberry's second 3-pointer ended the run, and Linthicum's dunk followed by a steal and breakaway layup from Badmus put the Bison back in front. The lead changed hands five more times in the last three minutes of the half, the last coming on Garrison Carr's jumper at the buzzer that put American ahead 37-36.
Bucknell shot a sizzling 70.0 percent from the field (14-20) in the first half, while American shot 68.2 percent (15-22). The two teams combined to make 10 of 14 3-point tries.
Bucknell hosts Holy Cross Friday night at Sojka Pavilion in a rematch of the last two Patriot League championship games. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU.
