Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, Lafayette Battle for First Place Wednesday Night in Easton
1/22/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2008
WHAT: Bucknell (8-9, 3-0 PL) vs. Lafayette (12-6, 3-0 PL)
WHERE: Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008, 7 p.m.
TV: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4, WBPH-60 in Eastern Pa.)
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
LIVE VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
COMPLETE PRESS NOTES
Probable Starters
Bucknell:
G, 11 John Griffin, Sr., 12.2 ppg
G, 10, Justin Castleberry, Jr., 12.9 ppg
G, 14 Jason Vegotsky, Jr., 6.1 ppg
F, 15 Stephen Tyree, So., 5.7 ppg
C, 1 Darren Mastropaolo, Sr., 5.4 ppg
Lafayette:
G, 14 Andrew Brown, Jr., 15.9 ppg
G, 21 Bilal Abdullah, Sr., 15.0 ppg
G, 4 Michael Gruner, So., 7.7 ppg
F, 13 Everest Schmidt, Sr., 6.1 ppg
F, 32 Matt Betley, Sr., 10.0 ppg
With a Victory over Lafayette, Bucknell Would ...
-- ... take over sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings.
-- ... improve to 4-0 in the Patriot League for the third time in the last four years.
-- ... win its 15th straight regular-season Patriot League game.
-- ... defeat the Leopards for the ninth straight time.
-- ... win its fourth in a row at the Kirby Sports Center.
-- ... improve to 19-4 on the road in Patriot League play since the start of the 2004-05 season.
About the Game
First place is on the line Wednesday night in Easton as Bucknell and Lafayette meet in what could prove to be a pivotal early Patriot League clash. The Bison and Leopards are both off to 3-0 starts in league play. Bucknell got there with a tough 73-65 victory at Holy Cross on Friday night, following home wins over Navy and American. The Bison are back within one game of .500 after an injury-depleted lineup posted a 5-9 non-conference record. Junior guard Justin Castleberry is enjoying the best offensive stretch of his career, and he has taken over the team scoring lead at 12.9 ppg. Senior guard John Griffin is also in double figures at 12.2 ppg. Bucknell will be without head coach Pat Flannery, who is serving a one-game suspension following his ejection from Friday's game at Holy Cross. Assistant coach Nathan Davis will serve as acting head coach. Lafayette, meanwhile, has been the surprise of the Patriot League thus far. Picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll, the Leopards have a league-best 12-6 overall record and have begun Patriot League play with consecutive wins over Holy Cross at home and at Colgate and Navy. Half of Lafayette's victories have required overtime. In fact, the Leopards have set an NCAA record with five overtime road wins and tied the national mark with six overall OT victories. Three victories in their current four-game winning streak have been decided in extra time, including Saturday's classic 103-99 win at Navy. Guard Andrew Brown leads the team in scoring at 15.9 ppg, while current Patriot League Player of the Week Bilal Abdullah is just behind at 15.0 ppg. Abdullah scored 34 points in the Navy game, and his tip-in with 0:03 left gave Lafayette a 69-68 win at Colgate last Wednesday. Abdullah is just one of many sharpshooters on the Lafayette team. He is 44-for-87 (.506) from the 3-point arc this season and 11-for-15 (.733) in league play. Brown has a team-high 55 threes, and as a team Fran O'Hanlon's squad averages better than 10 treys per game to rank fourth nationally in that category.
How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Lafayette game will be televised regionally on the Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4 and WBPH-60 in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region and all of Philadelphia). Gary Laubach handles the play-by-play duties, while former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone provides color commentary. The game can be heard locally on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong and Doug Byerly on the call. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off. The audio feed is available free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com. Live online video coverage is available via Patriot League All-Access, which is available for $7.95 per month
Patriot League Back on Sirius
For the second straight season, Sirius Satellite Radio is featuring a Patriot League game of the week. Bucknell's next appearance will be the Jan. 26 home game against Colgate (channel 110). The February schedule will be announced at a later date. All seven games of the Patriot League Tournament will also be available on Sirius.
Bucknell vs. Lafayette
Bucknell and Lafayette have met 139 times previously, making the Leopards Bucknell's second most-played opponent (the Bison have played Lehigh 146 times). Since the series began in 1915, Lafayette leads 82-57. Since the start of Patriot League play in 1990-91, however, Bucknell has won 28 of 38 meetings, including the last eight in a row. Bucknell has won the last three games at the Kirby Sports Center.
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Last Season
Bucknell swept the season series from Lafayette in 2006-07:
-- On Jan. 17 in Easton, Donald Brown scored 19 points and Jason Vegotsky had 18 to lead Bucknell to a come-from-behind 67-61 victory. The Bison trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, but 15 straight made free throws to close the game helped complete the rally. Lafayette received 14 points from Andrew Brown and 11 from Matt Betley.
-- On Feb. 15 at Sojka Pavilion, Chris McNaughton's 21 points helped the Bison to a 76-58 victory. Darren Mastropaolo set career highs for rebounds (11) and assists (6) to go with eight points, and John Griffin made four 3-pointers and chipped in 16 points for the Bison, who led by double figures for the final 30:50 of the game.
Last Time Out
Arch-rivals Bucknell and Holy Cross met in a physical, intense battle in the Hart Center on Friday night, and the Bison prevailed 73-65 to avenge two road losses to the Crusaders last season. These two teams had met in each of the last six Patriot League Tournaments and in each of the last three championship games, and this one had a playoff-like feel to it. The emotional battle played in front of a boisterous sellout crowd and an ESPNU audience featured big momentum swings throughout the night. Bucknell built a 13-point lead, then Holy Cross rallied to take the lead with an 11-0 second-half run, then the Bison finished with a flourish, outscoring the Crusaders 27-19 over the last nine minutes. While a number of Bison shined in crunch time, Justin Castleberry was perhaps the biggest star. The junior guard scored the last eight Bison points in a game-changing 10-2 run that broke open a 46-46 tie, and he hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:09 to ice it.
Inside the Holy Cross Boxscore
-- Justin Castleberry tied his career high with 22 points, and he set career highs for free throws made (13) and attempted (15). Castleberry also had 22 points against St. Bonaventure Jan. 5.
-- Jason Vegotsky equalled his season high with 14 points, coming on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. Vegotsky's third trey of the night was the 100th of his career.
-- Stephen Tyree had his third 10-point game in the last four outings for the Bison. He went 4-for-5 from the floor.
-- Patrick Behan's playing time has gone down in recent weeks with the return of Darren Mastropaolo and Rob Thomas from injury, but Behan had a very productive 12 minutes against the Crusaders. He made two big second-half field goals, one a baseline jumper that gave Bucknell a 42-41 lead, and finished with seven points.
-- Rob Thomas turned in two of the biggest plays of the second half for the Bison. With Bucknell leading by one midway through the half, Thomas grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession, and followed up the second one with a layup to make it 44-41. Perhaps the biggest play in the entire game came with the Bison up six with 4:30 to play. Thomas drove the lane for a tough layup, at the same time drawing the fifth foul on Holy Cross star center Tim Clifford.
-- With Mastropaolo picking up his fourth foul just over a minute into the second half, freshman center Todd O'Brien played some significant minutes against Clifford in the low post. O'Brien had only two points, but he had five rebounds and blocked two shots in 20 minutes.
-- Going up against the league's best rebounding team, Bucknell outscored Holy Cross 14-13 in second-chance points. The Crusaders finished with a slim 30-27 edge on the boards.
-- Bucknell enjoyed a considerable edge from the free-throw line, outscoring the Crusaders 27-11. The Bison shot a season-high 38 free throws, compared to 14 for Holy Cross.
Numbers to Watch
Some relevent stats involving Bucknell and Lafayette:
-- Bucknell's defense will be put to the test in this one, as Lafayette comes leading the Patriot League in scoring at 76.8 ppg. The Leopards are coming off a 103-point ledger against Navy on Saturday, and they also lead the league in field-goal percentage (.450), 3-point percentage (.410) and 3-pointers made (10.4). Conversely, Bucknell leads the PL in field-goal percentage defense (.408) and ranks No. 2 in 3-point defense (.321).
-- Bucknell has found the Kirby Center rims friendly in recent years. In their last six games there, the Bison are shooting 49.7% from the floor and 42.2% from 3-point range.
-- These two teams faced two common opponents during non-league play. Both teams won at Towson (Bucknell 71-57; Lafayette 79-69 in OT) and both teams lost to Wagner (Bucknell 64-55 on the road; Lafayette 74-70 at home). In league play, both teams have beaten Navy (Bucknell 85-77 at home; Lafayette 103-99 in OT on the road) and Holy Cross (Bucknell 73-65 on the road; Lafayette 60-52 at home).
Castleberry Excelling in League Play, Takes over Team Scoring Lead
Bison junior Justin Castleberry has really picked up his scoring in recent weeks. In three Patriot League games he is averaging 18.7 ppg, fifth-best in the league. Castleberry has been the team's top scorer in each PL contest, with 22 points against Holy Cross, 19 against Navy and 15 against American. He has scored in double figures in seven straight, and dating back to the La Salle game he is averaging 15.0 ppg. Castleberry's season average is up to 12.9 ppg, and he is now the team scoring leader.
Tyree Picking up Scoring
Sophomore forward Stephen Tyree is playing perhaps the best basketball of his career over the last four games. Tyree had never before scored in double figures, but now he has done it in three of the last four games. In that span Tyree is 16-for-19 from the field -- his streak of 10 straight made field goals ended in the second half against American -- and is averaging 9.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 3.5 apg. In three league games he has a 13-to-6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Patriot League Success
The Bison are 158-69 (.696) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 15 of 17 seasons. The Bison won a league-record 23 straight contests against conference foes from Feb. 23, 2005 to Jan. 12, 2007. Bucknell has an active streak of 37 straight wins at home against conference opponents, with their last home league loss coming on March 2, 2003 against Colgate.
Vegotsky Finding His Stroke
It took junior guard Jason Vegotsky a few games to regain his legs on his jump shot after missing the first seven games of the year due to a stress fracture in his foot, but he has found his stroke in recent games. In three Patriot League contests Vegotsky is 8-for-16 (.500) from 3-point range, including a 4-for-5 showing last time out against Holy Cross. He did not make a three against American, but he hit tie-breaking 16-foot jumper with 1:04 left in Bucknell's 66-62 win. Vegotsky is averaging 11.7 ppg in league play.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell returns home on Saturday to take on Colgate at Sojka Pavilion at 7 p.m. The Raiders are 9-8 overall and 1-2 in Patriot League play heading into Wednesday night's game at Lehigh. Bucknell leads the all-time series with Colgate 49-38, including six straight wins.
