Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
6-12, 1-1PL
American
3-14, 0-2PL
Bison Men Hold Off American 72-68 in Overtime for First League Win
1/13/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2010
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Patrick Behan registered 22 points and seven rebounds, Bryson Johnson hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation en route to a 16-point night, and the Bucknell men's basketball team picked up its first victory of 2010 with a 72-68 overtime verdict over American at Sojka Pavilion. With the victory, the Bison improved to 1-1 in the Patriot League with a three-game road trip looming.
Bucknell did not have the best shooting night (39.7 percent), but it set a school record by committing only one turnover in the 45-minute game. The Bison also conceded only eight fouls, never putting the Eagles in the bonus in either half or overtime, and they outscored American 18-7 from the foul line.
Mike Muscala hit two critical shots in overtime and finished with eight points, five rebounds and three blocks, while another freshman, Joe Willman, gave the Bison a big lift off the bench with eight points as well as some strong second-half defense on American's go-to player Vlad Moldoveanu.
Moldoveanu had 19 points and 13 rebounds for American (3-14, 0-2), but he was just 6-for-16 from the field and had four turnovers. Nick Hendra added 15 points, including a long 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining in regulation that put the Eagles in front 59-56.
Johnson, a freshman who had missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer in Saturday's two-point loss to Navy, forgot all about that one and this time buried the equalizer after coming around a triple-staggered screen up top with 30 seconds to play.
American played for the final shot and went down low to the 6-9 Moldoveanu, but the 6-5 Bryan Cohen held his ground, forcing Moldoveanu into a tough turnaround jumper from the left baseline that was well off target.
Playing an overtime game for the third time this season and the ninth time in the last two campaigns, Bucknell took a 63-61 lead after two straight buckets by Behan, one from the outside and another on one of his spin moves into the lane. Hendra then answered with a gutsy 3-pointer with a man right in his face, but the Bison took the lead for good on their next possession, with freshmen scoring eight of the team's final nine points of the night.
With 1:36 to play Muscala grabbed the offensive rebound of a Behan miss and put it back in, giving the Bison a 65-64 lead. After a Moldoveanu miss, Darryl Shazier drove down the lane and dished to Muscala on the right baseline, and the Bison rookie drilled a big 17-footer.
Behan then came up with a tough rebound on a Hendra missed 3-point attempt, and after being fouled he made 1 of 2 free throws with 26 seconds left. Daniel Munoz made two free throws with 15 seconds left to make it 68-66, but on the inbounds Johnson drew a foul when he was held trying to get open.
Johnson made the two free throws to make it a two-possession game, then he iced it with two more big ones after Behan pulled down another big rebound with seven seconds left.
The first half of the game went by in blazing fashion, as the two teams combined for only six fouls and three turnovers. In fact, there was only one whistle to stop play in the first six minutes of the game, with only a rebound tipped out of bounds stopping the nearly continuous action.
The Eagles led by as many as eight (24-16) in the first half after Stephen Lumpkins' dunk capped a 12-4 run. Willman's baseline jumper ended a four-minute scoreless drought, and in the final three minutes of the half the Bison got back in it with an 8-2 run, keyed by their first two 3-pointers of the night from Johnson and Shazier.
American led 32-28 at the half and stretched its cushion back to seven at 37-30 after a quick 5-0 spurt early in the second period. But the Bison effectively used both a matchup zone and a 1-3-1 trap to slow the Eagles down. American was held to only one field goal and four points over an eight-minute span, and Bucknell rallied to take the lead.
Shazier and Behan both scored to cut a 41-36 deficit down to one, then after two missed free throws by Behan, G.W. Boon drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Bison their first lead since it was 8-5.
Later, two free throws by Willman put Bucknell up 49-45, but Moldoveanu, a transfer from George Mason who became eligible in mid-December, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Eagles the lead right back by the six-minute mark.
Four straight points by Stephen Tyree, the last two on a pair of big free throws coming out of the under-four-minute timeout, gave the Bison a 55-53 lead. Munoz then got open on the left side for his only field goal of the game, a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining, but Behan tied it with a free throw with 1:14 left. That set the stage for Hendra and Johnson alternating threes in the final minute.
The previous school record for fewest turnovers in a game was three, set in a 49-48 victory over Colgate on Jan. 10, 1976 in Davis Gym. Bucknell committed only four turnovers in a home win over Saint Francis (Pa.) earlier this season.
The lone miscue in this one came with 5:50 remaining in regulation, when Tyree got stuck too far under the basket and had his pass back into the lane picked off by Moldoveanu.
The Bison, who ended a three-game losing streak against two-time defending Patriot League champion American, made 4 of 6 field-goal attempts in overtime. They were not heavily reliant on the 3-point shot, finishing 4-for-13 on the night, while American made nine in 27 attempts.
Bucknell went 18-for-23 from the foul line, with Johnson, Shazier, Tyree and Willman combining to go 12-for-12. The Eagles were 7-for-8 from the line. American outrebounded Bucknell 39-35, with Tyree leading the way with nine caroms for the Bison.
Behan recorded his 10th career 20-point game. Shazier (5) and Cohen (4) combined for nine assists without a turnover.
Bucknell begins its three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon at Holy Cross. Game time is 3:30 at the Hart Center.
