Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Visits Holy Cross Saturday Afternoon
1/15/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (6-12, 1-1 PL) vs. Holy Cross (3-14, 0-2 PL)
WHERE: Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 16, 3:30 p.m.
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) and SportsJuice.com
INTERNET VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
LIVE STATISTICS: GoHolyCross.com
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
With a Win Over Holy Cross, the Bison Would ...
• ... improve to 7-12 overall, 3-7 on the road and 2-1 in the Patriot League.
• ... equal their win total from 2009-10.
• ... win the regular-season meeting at the Hart Center for the third straight season.
• ... improve to 28-23 all-time against the Crusaders and 12-11 at the Hart Center.
About the Game
After snapping a three-game losing streak with an overtime win over American on Wednesday night, the Bison hope to make it two in a row when they travel to Holy Cross for a Saturday afternoon contest. The victory over the Eagles was an important one, as it leveled Bucknell's Patriot League record at 1-1 heading into a three-game road trip. Senior Patrick Behan enjoyed his best game in several weeks with 22 points, while freshmen Bryson Johnson, Mike Muscala and Joe Willman all played major roles in the victory. Darryl Shazier (10.2), Behan (10.1) and Johnson (10.1) are all scoring in double figures for the Bison, who are averaging 66.7 points per game as a team.
Holy Cross has struggled this season under first-year head coach Sean Kearney, who came on board after longtime Crusaders head coach Ralph Willard left to become an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville during the offseason. Holy Cross is 3-14 overall and has started league play with losses to Lafayette and Army. The latter was a 67-64 home setback on Wednesday night. The Crusaders, who have dropped three straight and eight of their last nine, are led by reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year R.J. Evans at 13.9 points per game. Devin Brown (12.1) and Mike Cavataio (10.7) also score in double figures, while Andrew Keister averages 9.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Holy Cross scores 68.2 points per outing but is allowing 74.8.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Holy Cross game will not be televised, however a video webcast can be accessed via Patriot League All-Access at PatriotLeague.org (subscription required).
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (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 also available at GoHolyCross.com.
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Series Notes
The Patriot League has deep-rooted rivalries based on geography (Lehigh-Lafayette) and military brethren (Army-Navy), but there has been no better basketball rivalry in the league than Bucknell-Holy Cross. Some of the highlights:
• The Bison and Crusaders have combined to win six of the last nine Patriot League titles, and they are the only two league teams to have won in the postseason (Bucknell in the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Tournaments, Holy Cross in the 2005 NIT).
• Last season these two teams met for the 12th time in 19 Patriot League Tournaments. They have met four times in the championship game. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the 2005 and 2006 title tilts, while the Crusaders topped the Bison in the final in 1993 and 2007.
• The Bison and Crusaders had never met until the formation of the Patriot League in 1990-91, but in the 19 years since then they have met 50 times, an average of 2.63 meetings per season.
• Bucknell has won seven of the last 12 against the Crusaders and lead the series 27-23. The road team has won four of the last five meetings.
• The all-time series at the Hart Center is tied at 11 wins apiece. One of Bucknell's 11 wins in Worcester was a 61-57 decision in the 2005 Patriot League championship game.
• Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen is 2-2 against Holy Cross, including his Williams College team's 78-71 upset of the Crusaders at the Hart Center on Dec. 4, 2003.
• Last season the two teams split the regular-season series, with the road team winning each time, then Holy Cross ripped the Bison 75-56 in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament in Worcester behind 31 points from R.J. Evans. In the first meeting of the season Holy Cross prevailed 68-56 at Sojka Pavilion, getting 18 points and 10 rebounds from Andrew Keister and 18 points and seven assists from Pat Doherty. Patrick Behan had 12 points for the Bison, who trailed 30-15 at halftime. In the rematch at the Hart Center last February, Behan had 23 points and eight rebounds, while Darryl Shazier and G.W. Boon combined for nine 3-pointers and 33 points to lead Bucknell to a 72-66 win. Andrew Beinert had 18 for the Crusaders, who suffered one of their three conference losses and fell out of first place in the league standings.
Patriot League Tournament Success
Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-17 in 19 Patriot League Tournaments and has beaten every team in the league at least once in the postseason. The Bison have reached the championship game six times, including wins in 2005 and 2006, and reached at least the semifinals in 15 of 19 years. Bucknell's streak of eight straight first-round wins came to an end last season at Holy Cross.
Patriot League Success
The Bison are 167-87 (.657) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 15 of 19 seasons. The Bison won a league-record 23 straight contests against conference foes from Feb. 23, 2005 to Jan. 12, 2007. Bucknell had a streak of 35 straight wins at home against conference opponents come to an end in 2008. The Bison have finished either first or second eight times in the 19-year history of the league.
From Bison to Zebras
Members of the Bucknell team took on a different role on Sunday, volunteering as referees for a day full of youth games in the Lewisburg Youth Basketball League. The Bison student-athletes did not hand out any technical fouls, but they were a hit with the youngsters who were surprised and thrilled to see them in the gym.
Last Time Out
Bryson Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to send the game to overtime, then Patrick Behan and Mike Muscala made two big field goals apiece in the extra period to lift the Bison to a 72-68 victory over American at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. Behan had 22 points and seven rebounds, while Johnson scored 16 points and finished it off with four straight free throws in the final 15 seconds. Bucknell trailed by eight in the first half and by seven early in the second, but switching among three different defenses it held the Eagles to one field goal in an eight-minute span to get back in it. Nick Hendra snapped a 56-all tie with a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in regulation, but Johnson came around a staggered triple screen and canned the tying shot on the next possession. Vlad Moldoveanu, who had 19 points and 13 rebounds, took the last shot for American, but Bryan Cohen forced him into a tough fadeaway from the left baseline that was way off as time expired. Bucknell trailed 64-63 in overtime when Muscala scored four straight points to put the Bison ahead for good.
Inside the American Boxscore
• The big story of the night was that Bucknell committed only one turnover in the 45-minute game. That was a school record. The lone turnover came on a Stephen Tyree errant pass with 5:50 left in the second half.
• Coach Dave Paulsen made a lineup change, inserting Bryson Johnson into the starting five in place of Bryan Cohen. Both players had good games in their new roles, and both made critical plays in the final seconds of regulation. Johnson scored 16 points, including the big 3-pointer and free throws late in the game. Cohen did not score, but he had four assists and was terrific defensively.
• Patrick Behan scored a game-high 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field, 6-for-10 from the free-throw line. It was Behan's 10th career 20-point game and second of the season.
• Stephen Tyree equalled his season high with nine rebounds. He had the rebound of the night, an acrobatic grab of a long rebound all the way in front of the visitor's bench in a one-point game with two minutes to play.
• Mike Muscala was having a quiet night with just four points at the end of regulation, but he made two critical baskets in overtime. His offensive rebound and put-back put the Bison ahead to stay at 65-64, and one possession later he hit a baseline jumper to make it a three-point game with 40 seconds left. Muscala also had five rebounds and three blocks.
• Joe Willman's eight points were his most since the Saint Francis game on Nov. 21. He went 3-for-7 from the field, all three coming on outside shots. He also had two rebounds, a block and a steal in 20 minutes, and he played outstanding defense during his time on the floor.
• Bucknell went 18-for-23 from the free-throw line and outscored the Eagles 18-7 from the stripe. Johnson (6-6), Darryl Shazier (2-2), Tyree (2-2) and Willman (2-2) went 12-for-12, and the team went 12-for-14 in the final 7:13.
• Bucknell committed only eight fouls in the game and never put American in the bonus all night.
• American finished with a 39-35 rebounding edge.
• Bucknell did not rely heavily on the 3-pointer, making four in 13 attempts. On the other hand, American shot 27 threes, making nine.
• Vlad Moldoveanu led American with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Nick Hendra had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Both Moldoveanu and Hendra were 6-for-16 from the field.
Protecting the Rock
• Bucknell had a historic night taking care of the basketball against American, committing only one turnover in the 45-minute game.
• The lone miscue came with 5:50 left in regulation, when Stephen Tyree got stuck under the basket and had his pass back into the lane intercepted.
• The single turnover established a new school record. It is possible that is also a national record, but the NCAA record book does not have an entry for fewest turnovers in a game.
• It wasn't the only low-turnover game for the Bison this year. They had only four miscues in a win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 21. Fewest Turnovers, Bucknell History 1 vs. American W, 72-68 (OT) 1/13/10 3 vs. Colgate W, 49-48 1/10/76 4 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) W, 70-58 11/21/09 4 vs. Hofstra W, 73-70 1/17/90 4 vs. Lehigh W, 72-70 2/28/87
Going Overtime
After playing a school-record six overtime games last season, the Bison have been involved in three more this season. They are 2-1 in those games (all at home), defeating Marist and American after falling to Cornell.
Block Party
• Bison freshman Mike Muscala is piling up the blocked shots this season. He has 38 blocks in 18 games and leads the Patriot League in blocks per game (2.1).
• Muscala is only two blocks away from joining the top 10 on Bucknell's single-season list, and he has a shot at Mike Butts' freshman record of 58.
• He has multiple blocks in 10 games and three or more seven times so far.
• Muscala had a season-high seven blocks against Navy on Jan. 9. That was one shy of the school record. Brian Anderson had eight against George Mason in 1993-94, while Mike Butts had eight against Lehigh and Towson in 1988-89.
Freshman Contributions
Four of Bucknell's five freshman have made major contributions in the opening weeks of the season. All four have had at least one double-digit scoring game, and three of them have made at least one start so far.
• Forward Joe Willman earned a starting assignment at the “4” spot coming out of the preseason. He is averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds so far. He has highs of 11 points against Providence and 12 rebounds against Saint Francis. Willman is fourth on the team with 69 rebounds, with almost half of them (32) coming on the offensive end. Willman started the first 13 games of the season before coming off the bench for the first time against Marist on Dec. 30.
• Guard Bryson Johnson made the biggest splash on opening night. He made six of his first eight 3-point attempts and finished with a team-high 18 points. He was kept off the scoreboard against Providence, but then came back to hit three more treys against Bryant and scored 11 points. Johnson, who scored 19 points in a win at Wagner, 18 vs. Navy and 17 at Notre Dame, is averaging 10.1 ppg and is 42-for-119 (.353) from the arc.
• Center/forward Mike Muscala is coming on after a slow start, and he continues to lead the league in blocked shots. His best game came against Cornell, when he had 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. He had another big night against Navy, with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. In his first seven games Muscala averaged 3.7 ppg and shot 27.8% from the field, but in his last 11 games he is averaging 10.5 ppg and shooting 51.7% (45-87) from the field, 50.0% (5-10) from the 3-point arc and 76.9% (20-26) from the foul line. Muscala made his first career start against Marist on Dec. 30 and scored a team-high 18 points.
• Forward Colin Klebon, a local product out of nearby Southern Columbia High School, has worked his way into the frontcourt rotation. After playing in only one of the team's first six games, he has seen action in 10 of the last 12, scoring 23 points over that span. Klebon tallied a career-high 11 points at La Salle.
• A freshman has been Bucknell's scoring leader in eight of the last 12 games and 10 of 18 this season.
• So far this season, Bucknell has gotten 35.2% of its points and 30.4% of its rebounds from freshmen.
Milestone Watch
• G.W. Boon canned his 100th and 101st career 3-point field goals against Dartmouth. He became the 15th player in program history with 100.
• Patrick Behan eclipsed the 800-point mark and the 400-rebound mark against Dartmouth.
• Bryan Cohen is not quite halfway through his sophomore season, but he just surpassed the 500-point mark and now has 511 in his career. Cohen passed the 100-assist mark in the win over American.
• Darryl Shazier (516) also just topped the 500-point plateau. Last month against Marist he topped the 250-assist mark. He needs just 27 more to enter the top 10 on • Bryson Johnson needs 23 more 3-pointers to equal Kevin Bettencourt's freshman record of 65 (2002-03).
Statistically Speaking
Some other notable numbers from Bucknell's first 18 games:
• The Bison are shooting 73.2% at the foul line after making just 67.8% from the line as a team last season.
• The Bison are averaging a respectable 12.3 turnovers per game, but they are forcing only 12.8 per game.
• Mike Muscala has 38 of Bucknell's 56 blocked shots and ranks No. 1 in the Patriot League in that category.
• Darryl Shazier is No. 2 in the league in minutes played at 35.1 per game, trailing only Navy's Chris Harris (35.5).
• The Bison have hit eight or more 3-pointers eight times this season and 10 or more four times.
• Bucknell has allowed single-digit offensive rebound totals in eight of their last 10 games.
• Bucknell had 30 assists and 50 turnovers in its previous three games before having only one turnover against American. For the season, the team has 212 assists and 222 turnovers.
• Bucknell went five straight games without producing more than 51 field-goal attempts before launching 63 shots against American.
• The Bison shot 40% or better in seven of their first eight games, but they have eclipsed 40% in only two of their last 10.
• In the last three games the Bison are shooting 81.0% (47-58) from the free-throw line. Players other than Patrick Behan are shooting 87.5% (35-40) over that span.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell's three-game road swing continues Wednesday at first-place Lafayette. That will be a 7 p.m. game at Kirby Sports Center. Bucknell and Lafayette split two meetings last season. The Bison won 71-61 at Sojka Pavilion, while the Leopards prevailed 71-68 in Easton.
