Bucknell Men's Basketball Battles Ohio in First Game of New Year

Jan. 2, 2009

WHAT: Bucknell (3-9) vs. Ohio (6-6)
WHERE: Convocation Center, Athens, Ohio
WHEN: Saturday, January 3, 2009, 2 p.m.
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
TV: None
STREAMING VIDEO: None
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker
COMPLETE PRESS NOTES

With a Victory over Ohio, Bucknell Would ...

... snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 4-9 on the season.

... win for the first time on the road this season and snap a seven-game road losing streak dating back to last year.

... defeat the Bobcats for the first time and even the all-time series at 1-1.

... win its second straight game in the state of Ohio (last was a 68-67 win at Xavier on Dec. 20, 2006).

About the Game
One team looking to shake a losing streak (Bucknell, 3) takes on another team looking to build on a winning streak (Ohio, 2) Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The Bobcats have also won 25 straight home games against non-conference foes. This will be just the second all-time meeting between the Bison and Bobcats, the first coming last season when Ohio prevailed in a defensive struggle (53-47) one year ago Friday. Bucknell is looking to bounce back from Tuesday's frustrating double-overtime loss to St. Bonaventure in which it rallied from an 18-point deficit, only to let small leads slip away late in regulation and the first overtime period. Justin Castleberry snapped out of a two-game scoring slump to lead Bucknell with 23 points in that game, upping his season average to 12.5 points per game. That is the second-highest total on the team to Patrick Behan's 12.8 ppg. Bryan Cohen (11.8) and G.W. Boon (9.0) have also been key offensive contributors of late. Ohio is coming off back-to-back wins over Holy Cross (58-53) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (70-53) to level its season ledger at 6-6. Jerome Tillman leads the team in both scoring (18.5) and rebounding (9.2), while Justin Orr also scores in double figures at 11.8 ppg. The Bobcats, who also have wins over William & Mary, Austin Peay, Tulsa and Indiana State, shoot 43.0% as a team and average 66.3 ppg.

How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Ohio game will not be televised. The game can be heard locally on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong 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 statistics are available on GameTracker at ohiobobcats.com.

Bucknell vs. Ohio Series Notes

This will be just the second all-time meeting between Bucknell and Ohio. The first was last Jan. 2 at Sojka Pavilion, a 53-47 Bobcats win.

In last year's game in Lewisburg, Bert Whittington came off the bench to score 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, leading the Bobcats to the low-scoring victory. Bucknell went just 2-for-17 from the field in the first half, yet went to the locker room tied at 16. Both teams heated up a bit in the second half, and Whittington's fourth 3-pointer of the night with 1:37 to play stretched a one-point Ohio lead to four, and the Bobcats salted away the game at the free-throw line. Justin Castleberry was Bucknell's lone double-figure scorer with 11 points, while G.W. Boon had nine. Jerome Tillman had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Leon Williams had 10 and 7 for the Bobcats.

Bucknell vs. the MAC
This will be the third straight year the Bison have taken on a team from the Mid-American Conference. Last season they lost to Ohio at home, and the year before Bucknell routed Northern Illinois 77-59 at the Pepsi-Marist Classic. The Bison are just 2-14 against current members of the MAC (1-8 vs. Buffalo, 1-0 vs. Northern Illinois, 0-2 vs. Akron, 0-2 vs. Ball State, 0-1 vs. Ohio and 0-1 vs. Eastern Michigan).

Last Time Out
Bucknell made a valiant comeback from 18 down against St. Bonaventure on Tuesday night at Sojka Pavilion, but the Bison went home unhappy nonetheless as the Bonnies prevailed 90-82 in double overtime. Bryan Cohen's 3-pointer with 52 seconds left in regulation put the Bison up 65-62, but in the final 30 seconds St. Bonaventure hit a free throw, came up with a steal and scored on a layup to force overtime. Bucknell led five different times in the first OT, but the Bonnies had an answer each time, then they outscored the Bison 12-4 in the second overtime.

Inside the St. Bonaventure Boxscore

Bucknell shot only 22.2% (6-27) in the first half and trailed by as many as 18 at 31-13. The deficit was 14 (34-20) at the half and 16 early in the second before the Bison mounted their rally.

After being held to just one point in the previous game against Marist, senior Justin Castleberry scored 23 against St. Bonaventure, including a number of big shots late in the game. He hit a 3-pointer to bring Bucknell within two points with about 7:00 left in regulation, and he scored nine points in the two overtime periods.

Freshman Bryan Cohen had another big night with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Cohen hit a 3-pointer with three minutes left in regulation that cut a five-point deficit to two, and moments later he canned a go-ahead trey with 52 seconds left.

G.W. Boon tied career highs with nine rebounds and four assists, and he also scored nine points. His 3-pointer with 6:03 left was one of the biggest shots in the team's comeback, and his layup with 1:24 left tied the game for the first time since 4-4.

Patrick Behan scored 12 points, despite a 3-for-13 shooting night from the field.

Bucknell struggled from the free-throw line, making only 14 of 26 (.538). Cohen, Castleberry and Boon combined to make only 3 of 11. St. Bonaventure was just 12 of 24 from the line in regulation, then made 13 of 15 in the two overtimes.

Bucknell committed only 11 turnovers in the 50-minute game, only four coming after halftime. The Bison came up with a season-high 11 steals in the game, leading to 17 St. Bonaventure turnovers.

The Bison attempted a Sojka Pavilion-record 84 shots in the game, compared to 63 for St. Bonaventure. But the Bonnies outscored the Bison 25-14 from the foul line.

St. Bonaventure's 90 points were a Sojka Pavilion record. The last time Bucknell gave up 90 points in a game was Nov. 29, 2003 in a 90-71 loss to Niagara. The last time the Bison allowed 90 in a home game was Feb. 24, 1996 in a 93-73 loss to Holy Cross.

St. Bonaventure freshman Andrew Nicholson also set a Sojka record with nine blocked shots.

The Long Road
Last Sunday's loss to Marist dropped the Bison to 0-6 on the road this season and extended their road losing streak to seven games dating back to last season. It is Bucknell's longest road losing streak since the 2003-04 season, when the squad dropped eight in a row away from home.

Rave Rookie Reviews
Bison freshman guard Bryan Cohen has been one of the Patriot League's top newcomers so far in 2008-09. Cohen has scored in double figures in five straight games and eight total, and he is averaging 15.2 points per game in his last five games. His 11.8 ppg average ranks 12th overall in the Patriot League and second among freshmen to Holy Cross' R.J. Evans (13.5). Cohen leads PL freshmen in 3-pointers (23), 3-point percentage (.343) and minutes played (32.1).

Tough Schedule
Bucknell's first 12 opponents have a combined record of 84-57 (.596). Wake Forest, which is now ranked No. 6 nationally, heads the list with a perfect 12-0 record. Only four of those 12 teams have losing records. The remaining two teams on Bucknell's non-conference schedule currently have a 13-12 (.520) record.

Tough Schedule, Part 2
Bucknell has a national strength-of-schedule ranking of 60, according to the College Basketball News RPI listings (through games of Dec. 28). That figure is by far the highest in the Patriot League. Team SOS Ranking Bucknell 60 American 99 Lafayette 165 Colgate 272 Holy Cross 286 Lehigh 306 Army 327 Navy 334

40 Not Enough

Never before in its 114-year history had Bucknell played three consecutive overtime games until it did so earlier this season against Boston University, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Old Dominion.

Had the Bison rallied to force overtime against Wagner, they would have tied the national record. Jacksonville (1982), Illinois State (1985) and Dayton (1988) all played four straight overtime games to share the NCAA mark.

After Tuesday's double-overtime loss to St. Bonaventure, the Bison have now played four total overtime games and six OT periods this season.

The school records for overtime games and periods came during the 1994-95 season -- Charlie Woollum's last as Bison head coach -- when the team went to overtime five times in a span of eight games, including two double-overtime games for a total of seven OT periods.

On a trivial note, the Bucknell men's soccer team also set a school record for most consecutive overtime games this season. The Bison played five in a row and eight total, also a record.

Boon Warming Up
Sophomore wing G.W. Boon missed a large portion of preseason practice with a shoulder injury, and his offensive production is now beginning to flourish. After totaling 14 points in the first four games of the year, Boon has 94 points in his last eight games (an 11.8 ppg average). That includes a career-best 24-point showing against Wagner on Nov. 29 and three 14-point games.

Shazier's Shooting Improved, Assists Up
Point guard Darryl Shazier has been much-improved from long range in 2008-09. The sophomore is 12-for-35 (.343) from the arc this season. As a freshman Shazier made just 10 triples all season in 48 attempts (.238). Shazier also ranks second in the Patriot League in assists at 4.6 per game.

Castleberry, Vegotsky on 3-point Chart
Bucknell seniors Jason Vegotsky and Justin Castleberry have both moved into the top 15 on Bucknell's career list for 3-point field goals. Vegotsky has 110 in his career, tied for 10th in program history. Castleberry recently hit the century mark as well and now has 105 career treys, tied with Charles Lee (2002-06) for 13th.

Who's Got Next?
Bucknell's final tuneup prior to the start of Patriot League play comes on Tuesday night on the road against defending Ivy League champion Cornell. The Bison and Big Red tip off at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena. The Bison have won four straight from the Big Red, including an 88-75 victory last season at Sojka Pavilion. Cornell is 7-6 on the year heading into Saturday's home game with Ursinus. The Big Red have two wins (Boston University, La Salle) over teams that defeated Bucknell this season.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bucknell Men's Basketball Battles Ohio in First Game of New Year

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