Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, Marist in Search of Victories Wednesday Night at Sojka Pavilion
12/29/2009 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (4-9) vs. Marist (0-10)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m.
PROMOTIONS: Community Night
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
INTERNET VIDEO: Bison Vision
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
With a Win Over Marist, the Bison Would ...
• ... improve to 5-9 overall and 2-2 at home this season.
• ... snap a six-game losing streak.
• ... snap a two-game losing streak to the Red Foxes and improve to 3-3 all-time against them.
• ... improve to 64-25 all-time at Sojka Pavilion.
About the Game
Two teams looking to reverse their recent fortunes square off on Wednesday night as winless Marist visits Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison dropped their sixth in a row on Monday, falling 55-49 to a Loyola team that was riding high following a big win over Indiana. Bucknell turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season but could not dig out from a 3-for-19 shooting start. Freshman Mike Muscala stayed hot with 10 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots, while leading scorer Darryl Shazier (11.2 ppg) had nine points and five assists. Marist comes in at 0-10 after falling at home to Vermont 72-62 on Monday. The Red Foxes, who opened the year with six straight road games, lost three starters from a year ago, including Ryan Schneider, who had 29 points, nine rebounds and five steals in an 89-63 rout of Bucknell. This year's Marist team is led in scoring by freshman guard Candon Rusin (10.1 ppg), while Boston College transfer guard Daye Kaba contributes 9.6 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.
How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Marist game will not be televised, however a video webcast can be accessed on Bison Vision via BucknellBison.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. Marist Series Notes
•Marist has won three of the five previous meetings, including last year's one-sided 89-63 verdict at the McCann Center. Bucknell's wins came in 1986-87 and 1999-2000, while Marist's other victories came in 1985-86 and 2007-08.
•Bucknell's 54-48 victory over Marist on Nov. 20, 1999 came in the championship game of the Pepsi-Marist Classic. That is Bucknell's most recent in-season tournament win. The Bison also played in that tournament in 1994 and 2006 but did not play the host Red Foxes.
•The last time these two teams met at Sojka Pavilion (Nov. 28, 2007), Bucknell struggled mightily on offense and had its 10-game home winning streak snapped in a 55-40 loss to Marist. Ryan Stilphen scored 10 points for the Red Foxes and was the only player for either team to crack double digits. The Bison made only 16 of 50 (.320) shots from the floor, 5 of 19 (.263) from 3-point range, got to the foul line only six times (making three) and committed 18 turnovers. It was Bucknell's fewest points in a home game since 1951 and remains its lowest scoring total in Sojka.
•Last year in Poughkeepsie, Ryan Schneider hit 13 of 19 shots and scored 29 points to go with nine rebounds and five steals, leading Marist to a runaway 89-63 victory over the Bison. G.W. Boon had 14 points and Bryan Cohen 11 for Bucknell, but a 33-7 run in the middle part of the game was too much to overcome. Dejuan Goodwin scored 16 points and Javon Parris added 15 for the Red Foxes, who shot 50.0% from the field and made 9 of 19 3-point tries.
Bucknell vs. The MAAC
The Bison are taking on a team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the second time in the last three days. Bucknell is 44-48 (.478) all-time against the teams that currently comprise the MAAC. In addition to their 2-3 record against Marist, the Bison are 30-24 against Rider, 4-1 vs. Loyola (Md.), 3-5 vs. Niagara, 2-2 vs. Manhattan, 2-4 vs. Iona, 1-0 vs. St. Peter's, 0-6 vs. Canisius, 0-2 vs. Fairfield and 0-1 vs. Siena.
Last Time Out
Bucknell played a game in Sojka Pavilion for the first time in 26 days on Monday night, but the home rims were unkind as the Bison shot only 33.3% in a 55-49 loss to Loyola (Md.). Bucknell started 3-for-19 from the field and was 5-for-25 in the first half, but thanks to some solid defense trailed by only nine at 26-17 at the break. The Bison quickly closed the gap to four in the second half but could not get over the hump.
Inside the Loyola Boxscore
•Freshman center Mike Muscala led the team with 10 points and also chipped in six rebounds and a career-high-tying four blocked shots.
•Patrick Behan had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. He might have had his second double-double of the season were it not for an uncharacteristic 3-for-10 night from the foul line.
•Point guard Darryl Shazier tallied nine points and five assists. It was his highest assist total in five games.
•Stephen Tyree equaled a career high with four steals. He picked up two early fouls, however, limiting his first-half playing time, and he did not attempt a field goal in the game after scoring a season-high 15 points against Notre Dame one game earlier.
•Defensively, Bucknell held the Greyhounds to 37.0% from the field and only three 3-pointers in seven attempts. The Bison also forced 15 turnovers and held Loyola's top two scorers, Jamal Barney and Brett Harvey, to 6-for-20 shooting. Harvey, who was coming off a 25-point game in a win over Indiana, was limited to one field goal and seven points.
•Bucknell shot a season-low 52.6% (10-19) from the free-throw line. It was the team's first time under 60% all season.
•Loyola finished with a 37-35 rebounding edge. The biggest of the night was an offensive rebound off a missed front end of a 1-and-1 in a four-point game with 35 seconds remaining.
•Loyola outscored the Bison 34-12 in the paint.
Johnson Earns Second Rookie of Week Honor
•Freshman Bryson Johnson was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Monday after scoring 17 points against Notre Dame in his lone appearance last week. Johnson hit three 3-pointers and also had five rebounds, two steals and an assist without a turnover.
•Johnson also earned the first PL Rookie of the Week honor of the season after averaging 9.7 ppg at the World Vision Invitational in Providence.
Muscala Honored Again
•Freshman Mike Muscala earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors last week after producing 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot against La Salle.
•Muscala was also named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Dec. 7. In three games that week he averaged 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 70.8% (17-24) from the field. He had 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks against Cornell, then backed that up with 14 points and eight boards against Binghamton. In those two games, separated by just two days, Muscala totaled 34 points on 16 of 20 shooting.
