Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
5-14, 2-3PL
Colgate
6-12, 2-3PL
Shazier's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Bucknell Past Colgate, 64-62 in Overtime
1/24/2009 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2009
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Darryl Shazier's only bucket of the game was a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime, lifting Bucknell to a wild 64-62 victory over Colgate in a Patriot League game Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion. G.W. Boon scored a team-high 15 points and had a key 3-pointer and a blocked shot in the final minute of the game for the Bison, who won their second straight game.
Freshman Yaw Gyawu led Colgate (6-12, 2-3) with 18 points, while Alex Woodhouse had 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Bucknell got big lifts from three of its rookies. Bryan Cohen scored 14 points, Enoch Andoh set career highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds in his best game in a Bison uniform, and Ryan Ebner had two points, three rebounds, a blocked shot and the assist on Shazier's winning basket.
Last season at Cotterell Court, Shazier hit a game-tying buzzer beater at the end of regulation, leading to a Bucknell overtime win. This time, his dramatic shot followed a frantic loose-ball scramble as the final seconds melted away. With Bucknell down a point, Boon tried to drive the lane but his shot was blocked by Woodhouse. Boon initially grabbed the rebound, but the ball was knocked free and ultimately squirted into the hands of Cohen, standing at the free-throw line with his back to the basket. Cohen passed out to Ebner, who found Shazier in the right corner. The lefty point guard swished a contested jumper, and Trevaron Vinson's half-court shot came up well short as the final buzzer sounded.
Vinson's baseline floater put Colgate ahead 62-58 with 1:20 left, but Boon answered with an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it a 1-point game.
Most of the Raiders' offensive success came from getting the ball into Gyawu and Woodhouse in the low post, but Bucknell defended the paint well on Colgate's final possession. With the shot clock running out, guard Willie Morse drove from the left corner but his runner was rejected by Boon, and Ebner snared the rebound.
Bucknell struggled mightily early in the game, making only three of its first 19 shots. Gyawu's breakaway dunk gave Colgate a 19-5 lead eight minutes into the game. But the Bison kept Colgate stuck on 19 for the next eight minutes and slowly climbed back in the game.
Ebner's 10-foot jumper capped an 11-0 run and made it a 19-16 game. Andoh, who had nine points and seven rebounds in eight first-half minutes, gave Bucknell a 22-21 lead at the break with a tip-in of his own miss.
Boon did not make a field goal in the first half but opened the second with a 3-pointer to give the Bison a four-point lead before the Raiders surged back in front.
A short jumper by Woodhouse put Colgate ahead by eight at 39-31 with 11:25 to play, but again the Raiders got stuck on that total for an extended period. Bucknell outscored them 13-0 over the next 4:25. Boon had a 3-pointer and two free throws, and Justin Castleberry scored his only six points of the night in the run with a 3-pointer and a 3-point play.
With 4:43 left Boon hit 2 of 3 free throws after being fouled on a long jumper, giving Bucknell a 51-45 lead, its largest of the night. Colgate answered with seven straight, however, and took a 52-51 lead on Gyawu's jumper with 2:46 left.
Cohen hit a right-corner jumper with a toe on the 3-point line and was fouled in the process. His free-throw put the Bison back in front 54-52 with 2:35 to play. Woodhouse tied it with a shot in the paint, then Andoh gave the Bison the lead back with a wild flip shot while crashing to the ground.
Mike Venezia tied it again with a 17-foot jumper, and the Bison immediately turned the ball over when Boon lost control of his dribble along the baseline. But just like later in the overtime period, Bucknell got a clutch defensive stop. With the shot clock inside five seconds, Morse had to try a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim and up over the window.
Bucknell played for the last shot and got a good look, but Andoh's contested layup from the left side fell off after appearing to be touched while in the cylinder. Vinson had a decent look at the buzzer, but his 25-footer hit the back iron.
That set up Bucknell's school-record-tying fifth overtime game of the season. It was the team's seventh overtime period of the year, also tying the school record set in 1993-94. The Bison are now 2-3 in overtime games this season.
Bucknell won the game despite shooting only 34.4 percent from the field. The Bison did make 6 of 12 from 3-point range after halftime and 7 of 18 in the game. Colgate was only slightly better at 36.5 percent.
Bucknell did grab 13 offensive rebounds, leading to an 18-9 edge in second-chance points, and it committed only 11 turnovers in the 45-minute game.
Shazier played 43 of those minutes, his fourth 40-plus-minute effort of the year. He had five rebounds and six assists in addition to his dramatic winning shot.
At halftime of the game, Bucknell honored former point guard and head coach Pat Flannery. Flannery won 234 games in 14 seasons and led the Bison to Patriot League championships and NCAA Tournament first-round wins in 2005 and 2006.
The Bison, now 5-4 at home this season have won nine of the last 10 against Colgate, including six in a row at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell now hits the road for three in a row, beginning Wednesday night at Lehigh at 7 p.m.
