Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
5-17,PL 2-6
Colgate
7-14,PL 3-5
Bucknell's Road Troubles Continue in 68-57 Loss at Colgate
2/4/2009 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Anthony Hill scored 14 points and Alex Woodhouse had 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots to help Colgate dig out of an early hole and defeat visiting Bucknell 68-57 on Wednesday night at Cotterell Court. Patrick Behan tallied 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Bison were outrebounded 42-29 and dropped their third in row.
Bucknell (5-17, 2-6 Patriot League) also received 13 points from Justin Castleberry and 11 from Bryan Cohen. G.W. Boon got in early foul trouble for the third straight game and was held to eight points, while point guard Darryl Shazier was hobbled after turning an ankle in the first half and scored three points one game after totaling 21 against Army. The Bison remained winless on the road this season and have now dropped 14 straight away from
Bucknell jumped out to a great start in this one, with Behan and Castleberry combining for 11 points in a game-opening 17-4 run. The Bison held Colgate to one field goal in the first 9:47 of the contest, with Behan's leaner from the left side of the key giving the visitors a 13-point lead.
But the cushion evaporated in the middle part of the half, as Bucknell went 4:44 with only one field-goal attempt, which was blocked, and six turnovers. That led to a 17-2 Colgate run. The Raiders tied it on two Sterling Melville free throws and took a 21-19 lead on Yaw Gyawu's layup with 3:05 left in the half.
That would be the Raiders' last field goal of the period, though, and Bucknell used a 7-2 run to take a 26-23 halftime lead. Behan's stick-back of a Shazier miss right before the buzzer marked his 12th point and sixth rebound of the half.
Colgate made only 6 of 27 shots from the floor in the first half, while the Bison made 10 of 20.
Bucknell led 28-23 after Boon opened the second half with a straightaway jumper, but the Bison missed their next seven shots and didn't score for more than five minutes. Meanwhile, Colgate came out of the locker room hot after shooting 22 percent in the first half. The Raiders scored 13 straight points, sparked by a Mike Venezia 3-pointer, to go up 36-28.
The Bison closed within 38-35 on Cohen's 3-pointer at the 13:04 mark, but Hill made consecutive 3-pointers in the middle of another four-plus-minute Bucknell scoreless drought. Later, Woodhouse made three straight short turnaround jumpers to help the Raiders go up by 11 at 53-42 with 4:10 to play.
Bucknell did get consecutive 3-pointers from Boon, Castleberry and Cohen, but Hill answered each one with a pair of free throws. The Raiders made 13 of 16 from the line in the final 1:51 to seal the victory.
The Bison played solid defense for most of the night, holding Colgate to 34.0 percent shooting. But the Raiders grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and numerous other loose balls to negate their cold shooting. Bucknell was 13-for-33 in the second half and shot 43.4 percent overall.
Colgate was 28-for-35 from the foul line, while Bucknell was just 4-for-10.
Bucknell returns home to play Navy on Saturday at 7 p.m. Bucknell's 1988-89 team will be recognized at halftime of that game in honor of the 20th anniversary of its East Coast Conference championship and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance.
Note: Thursday, Feb. 5 will be the next installment of the monthly Backcourt Club Luncheons. The luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m. at the Lewisburg Hotel. Coach Dave Paulsen and select players will speak, and a buffet meal is available for $8.
