Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Visits Notre Dame Tuesday Night
12/21/2009 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (4-7) vs. Notre Dame (10-2)
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Ind.
WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m.
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
INTERNET VIDEO: und.com
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
With a Win Over Notre Dame, the Bison Would ...
• ... improve to 5-7 overall and 3-5 on the road this season.
• ... snap a four-game losing streak.
• ... defeat Notre Dame for the first time ever.
• ... defeat a Big East team for the fourth time since the start of the 2004-05 season.
About the Game
Bucknell concludes a four-game road stretch Tuesday night against a very strong Notre Dame team that features a national player of the year candidate in Luke Harangody. After winning four of five games, the Bison have struggled in the month of December, dropping four straight following Saturday's 83-70 setback at La Salle. Bucknell is 4-7 on the season, with nine of its 11 games coming away from home. Point guard Darryl Shazier continues to lead the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game, while Patrick Behan also averages in double figures at 10.5 ppg. If the Bison are going to snap that four-game losing streak, it is going to come at the hands of a high-powered Fighting Irish squad that is 10-2 and puts up better than 82 points per game. Notre Dame atoned for an 87-85 upset loss to Loyola Marymount with an 84-73 home win over UCLA on Saturday. Harangody scored 23 points in the UCLA victory, slightly below his 24.5 season average. He also grabs 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting better than 52% from the floor and 81% from the foul line. Harangody is not the only threat for the Fighting Irish, however. Tim Abromaitis (15.8 ppg) and Ben Hansbrough (12.7 ppg) are both connecting on at least 50% of their 3-point tries. Notre Dame shoots 50.2% from the field as a team.
How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Notre Dame game will not be televised, however a video webcast can be accessed via und.com (subscription required). The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong and Ed Sigl 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 via GameTracker at BucknellBison.com.
Bucknell vs. Notre Dame Series Notes
•Bucknell and Notre Dame have met just twice previously, with the Fighting Irish winning both times on its home floor.
•In the first meeting on Jan. 19, 1983, Notre Dame prevailed 64-52 in South Bend. Ray Moss had 13 points in that game to lead Bucknell, while current Bison color commentator Ed Sigl had nine points and six rebounds. Also of note, current Villanova coach Jay Wright scored three points in seven minutes for Bucknell in that game. Digger Phelps' squad was led by Bill Varner, who had 17 points. Jim Dolan had 14 points and 13 rebounds, while John Paxson added 12 points.
•On Nov. 22, 2002, Bucknell and Notre Dame opened the 2002-03 season at the Joyce Center, and the Irish prevailed 73-42. The Bison shot only 21.1% from the floor and were led by Boakai Lalugba's 12 points. Chris Thomas scored 20 points and Torian Francis had 11 points and 20 rebounds for Notre Dame. That was the first collegiate game for Kevin Bettencourt and Charles Lee, who would later lead Bucknell to back-to-back Patriot League titles and trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bucknell vs. The Big East
The Bison are 30-91 (.248) against current members of the Big East (9-14 vs. Villanova; 9-18 vs. Pittsburgh; 8-22 vs. Rutgers; 2-9 vs. Georgetown; 1-8 vs. Syracuse; 0-8 vs. West Virginia; 0-5 vs. Seton Hall; 0-2 vs. Connecticut; 0-2 vs. Notre Dame; 1-0 vs. DePaul; 0-1 vs. Providence; 0-1 vs. South Florida and 0-1 vs. St. John's). Bucknell has, however, won three of its last seven games against the Big East. The 69-66 upset of then-No. 7 Pittsburgh in January 2005 was Bucknell's first win over a Big East team since Jan. 11, 1975 (also Pitt, 72-66). The Bison also defeated Syracuse and DePaul early in the 2005-06 season. Earlier this season, the Bison fell to Providence 76-65, despite leading for most of the night.
Houston, Hello
Bucknell senior Stephen Tyree and Notre Dame freshman Joey Brooks both attended Strake Jesuit Prep in Houston. Tyree is averaging 6.5 points per game as a starting guard for the Bison, while Brooks averages 2.0 points as a reserve guard for the Fighting Irish.
Last Time Out
On Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, Bucknell played a strong first half but then went cold early in the second, and La Salle came away with an 83-70 victory in front of only a handful of fans who braved blizzard conditions. Bucknell shot 57.1% in the first half and took a 41-39 lead into the locker room after leading by as many as seven in the first half. But La Salle opened the second period on a 19-5 run to take command. The Bison cut a 13-point deficit down to eight a few times, but could get no closer as the Explorers shot 58.7% for the game.
Inside the La Salle Boxscore
•Bucknell shot 57.1% (16-28) in the first half but only 31.3% (10-32) in the second.
•It was a big night for the Bison freshmen, as Mike Muscala (15), Bryson Johnson (12), Colin Klebon (11) and Joe Willman (4) combined for 42 points on 17-for-30 shooting. At one point in the first half, freshmen accounted for 22 straight Bucknell points.
•Klebon's 11 points marked a career high. He had nine of those in the first half.
•Muscala was solid all the way around. In addition to his 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting, he also added five rebounds, four assists, two steals, a blocked shot and no turnovers in 24 minutes.
•Bucknell's bench outscored La Salle's 43-8.
•Bucknell's starting backcourt went just 5-for-23 from the floor.
•The Bison produced 16 assists to only 13 turnovers. Eight different players had an assist, led by Muscala's four.
•La Salle came into the game ranked among the national leaders in 3-point percentage (.425) and rebound margin (+8.1), and the Explorers were strong in both areas. They went 6-for-13 (.462) from the arc, including a 3-for-3 performance from center Aaric Murray, and outrebounded the Bison 35-24.
•The paid attendance was listed at 1,321, but the actual crowd was around 150 due to the heavy snowstorm that blanketed the area.
Muscala Coming Along
After a slow start, Mike Muscala has come on in recent weeks:
Mike Muscala First 7 Games Last 4 Games
Points (Avg.) 26 (3.7) 55 (13.8)
FGM/A (Pct.) 10-36 (.278) 23-34 (.676)
Rebounds (Avg.) 17 (2.4) 23 (5.8)
Blocks (Avg.) 10 (1.4) 9 (2.3)
Assists (Avg.) 3 (0.4) 6 (1.5)
Boon Heating Up
Junior G.W. Boon led the team with 53 3-pointers last season, but he got off to a slow start in that department in 2009-10. Through five games Boon was 1-for-9 from the arc, but since then he is 15-for-35 (.429). He made a career-high five trifectas against Boston University just before the final exams break.
On the Road Again
After Tuesday's trip to Notre Dame, Bucknell will have played only two of its first 12 games of the season at home. Relief is on the way, however, as the Bison will play five of their next six at Sojka Pavilion beginning with the Dec. 28 game against Loyola (Md.).
Who's Got Next?
After the contest at Notre Dame, the Bison will be given a few days off for the holidays. The team will reconvene for practice on Dec. 26 in preparation for the Dec. 28 home game with Loyola (Md.). That will be Damon's Night at Sojka Pavilion, with tee shirts given away while supplies last.
