Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
5-8
Ohio
9-4
Bucknell Men's Basketball Falls to Ohio in Defensive Struggle, 53-47
1/2/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bert Wittington scored 15 of his season-high 20 points in the second half, including a critical 3-pointer in the final stages, leading Ohio to a 53-47 victory over Bucknell in a defensive battle Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
On a night when they welcomed senior co-captain Darren Mastropaolo back to the lineup, the Bison managed only two first-half field goals in 17 attempts, yet went to the locker room at halftime tied at 16 thanks to one of their best defensive efforts of the season. But as both teams heated up a bit in the second half, it was Wittington's 3-pointer with 1:37 to play that stretched a one-point Ohio lead to four, and the Bobcats salted away the victory at the free throw line as Bucknell had a costly turnover and a missed 3-pointer in the final minute.
Justin Castleberry was the only Bison in double figures with 11 points, while freshman G.W. Boon had nine points in his second straight start. Bucknell fell to 5-8 on the season with one more non-conference game remaining prior to the start of Patriot League play, that coming at St. Bonaventure on Saturday.
Ohio, one of the favorites in the Mid-American Conference, already had impressive wins over Maryland and St. Johns to its credit, and the Bobcats improved to 9-4. Jerome Tillman had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Leon Williams, who was averaging 17.5 points and 10.3 rebounds coming in, battled some early foul trouble and was held to 10 points and seven rebounds.
Wittington, a junior college transfer in his first season with the Bobcats, was a difference-maker off the bench. With Bucknell leading 32-27 about seven minutes into the second half, he hit two 3-pointers and intercepted a cross-court pass for a breakaway layup, accounting for eight points in a 12-0 Ohio run.
Suddenly down 39-32, the Bison quickly roared back with eight straight points, seven coming from Castleberry. Josh Linthicum's offensive rebound led to a Castleberry layup to start the run, and after Boon hit 1 of 2 from the line, Castleberry hit a long 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock and then gave Bucknell a 40-39 lead with another slashing layup with 6:34 to play.
Tillman's 3-point play after he put back his own missed shot put Ohio back in front, and that turned out to be the final lead change of the night. The Bison committed three straight turnovers, leading to back-to-back-baskets by Williams and Wittington that gave the Bobcats a 46-40 lead with 5:21 left.
After two John Griffin free throws and a pretty up-and-under move by Mastropaolo made it 46-44, the Bison had a chance to take the lead back when Castleberry was fouled shooting a 3-pointer on the right wing. But Castleberry, an 81-percent free-throw shooter, made only 1 of 3 keeping Ohio in the lead at 46-45.
Moments later, Wittington hit a dagger of a 3-pointer from deep on the right side to make it a four-point game inside two minutes to play. After a Bison miss, Williams missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 39 seconds left, but Patrick Behan could not connect with a cutter at the other end, and his bounce pass skipped out of bounds. Tillman then made two free throws, and after Jason Vegotsky came up short on a 25-foot jumper, Wittington iced it with two more from the line with 10 seconds left.
Neither team had much luck offensively in the first half. Bucknell made only 2 of 17 from the field, with both field goals coming outside the arc. Boon canned a trey on the second possession of the night, then the Bison went 13:09 before making another bucket, this one a Castleberry 3-pointer.
Bucknell survived at the free throw line, however, going 10-for-12 in the first half, with four late ones from Boon and Darryl Shazier helping to forge the 16-16 tie at the break.
Ohio made only 6 of 24 first-half field goals, but then connected on 12 of 21 in the second period to finish at 40.0 percent on the night. Bucknell finished at 26.2 percent overall, 31.6 percent (6-19) from the 3-point arc.
Despite the loss, the return of Mastropaolo was a nice storyline for Bucknell. Mastropaolo, who suffered a knee injury in a summer pickup game, received a warm ovation when he checked in for the first time at the 15:23 mark of the first half. He made two free throws just over a minute later, and he connected on his first field goal at the 14:43 mark of the second half. Mastropaolo finished with six points, one rebound and one assist in 18 minutes.
Griffin and Linthicum added five points each for the Bison, who had never before faced Ohio. Bucknell's game at St. Bonaventure is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday in Olean, N.Y.
