Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Big Second Half Carries No. 16 Bucknell Men's Lax Past Lafayette 12-5
3/20/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 20, 2007
EASTON, Pa. -- Joe Mele scored five goals and Nick Marks scored three times to lead the 16th-ranked Bucknell men's lacrosse team to a 12-5 victory over Lafayette in Patriot League contest Tuesday night. The victory was the Bison's second straight and seventh in eight outings in 2007. Lafayette fell to 1-6, 0-3.
The Bison were the last Patriot League team to play a conference game, and they started slowly in this one before exploding for nine second-half goals. Bucknell trailed 4-2 until Mele scored off a Brian Gargan feed with only three seconds left in the first half.
It was still a 4-3 deficit nearly seven minutes into the third quarter when the goals finally started coming steadily for Bucknell. Gargan tied it at 4-all with 8:29 left in the quarter, starting a run of eight straight Bison goals. Less than three minutes later Mele put them ahead for good with a score off a pass from Austin Winter.
It was 9-4 by the end of the third quarter, thanks to a Marks goal with 13 seconds left in the period, and Marks, Mele and Mark Lane all scored in the fourth to make it 12-4.
Brian Cronise ended a 30-minute scoreless drought for Lafayette with a tally with just 10 seconds left in the game.
Gargan had a goal and two assists for his second three-point game in a row, and Lane also had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist.
Mele now has a league-high 23 goals on the season.
Goalie Nick Sciubba made seven saves for the Bison, while Jeff Canfield had 15 for the Leopards.
Bucknell outshot Lafayette 43-25 and won the ground ball battle 34-31. The Bison won 12 of 21 faceoffs and finished 2-for-7 with a man advantage.
Bucknell will next host No. 4 Navy on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
