Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
7-14, 2-3
Colgate
5-14, 1-4
Bison Men Ride Spirited Comeback to 62-61 Win at Colgate
1/23/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2010
HAMILTON, N.Y. - G.W. Boon and Mike Muscala combined for 33 points off the bench and Bucknell gamely battled back from a 13-point deficit to defeat Colgate Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court, 62-61. Bryan Cohen added 12 points and four assists for the Bison, who outscored Colgate 33-21 in the second half, came up with a huge defensive stand in the final seconds, and improved to 7-14 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League.
The Bison trailed 26-13 early in the game, 40-29 at the half and 61-57 with 4:10 to play. But after Kyle Roemer's jumper at the 4:10 mark, Colgate never scored again, as a free throw by Cohen and two straight baskets by Muscala won it for Bucknell.
Roemer led all scorers with 19 points, while Yaw Gyawu had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Raiders (5-14, 1-4).
Boon equaled his season-high with 17 points, while Muscala, back in action after missing Wednesday's game at Lafayette with an ankle injury, hit 8 of 12 shots and scored 16 points.
Bucknell just could not get any defensive stops early in the game, but it tightened things up when it counted in the second half, as Cohen, Darryl Shazier and Stephen Tyree (no points, eight rebounds) were particularly strong on defense.
Colgate made its first five shots of the night, including a 3-pointer from Anthony Hill and a 3-point play from Gyawu, to take an early 12-4 lead. When the Raiders finally missed their first shot, Ben Johnson got the offensive rebound and converted another 3-point play. Two free throws by Nick Pascale 5:52 into the game made it 17-6 Colgate.
Boon gave the Bison an early lift with seven straight points, and his 3-pointer brought them back within 17-13. After three straight misses, Colgate got going again and went back up by 13 on three straight 3-pointers, one by Jonson and two in a row by Roemer. Those were the first shot attempts of the day by Roemer, the league's No. 2 scorer, put the Raiders up 23-13 and made them 9-for-14 from the field and 4-for-4 from the 3-point arc.
A 9-2 run, featuring back-to-back jumpers by Muscala and a 3-pointer by Bryson Johnson, brought Bucknell within 30-25 with 6:50 left in the half. But the Bison just could not sustain any momentum, as Colgate retaliated with six straight points to go back up by 11 at 36-25 on Roemer's bank shot from the right side. Two free throws by Roemer gave the Raiders a 40-29 halftime lead.
Bucknell made a nice run to start the second half, as 3-pointers by Cohen, Shazier and Boon highlighted a 15-5 run. The Boon trey pulled the Bison within 45-44 with 13:17 to play. A Mitch Rolls 3-pointer later put the Raiders back up by four at 53-49, but consecutive buckets by Boon and Muscala tied it at 53-all with 8:28 to play.
Colgate scored six straight points to go up 59-53 with six minutes left, but again the Bison rallied, this time taking the lead for the first time in the game. Shazier scored four quick points, but Roemer answered with an elbow jumper. Then a free throw by Cohen, a layup by Muscala after a pretty drive and dish by Cohen, and a Muscala 18-footer from the left corner put the Bison up 62-61 with 2:11 left.
The Bison had a chance to extend the lead, but Roemer blocked Tyree's layup attempt. At the other end Roemer lost his dribble in the lane, and Shazier dove on the loose ball and called timeout with 50 seconds left.
Bucknell drained most of the clock, but Muscala airballed a contested 3-pointer with the shot clock running down. As Colgate came down in transition, Shazier made an alert play knowing that his team had a foul to give, and he grabbed Gyawu on the wing to force the Raiders to inbound the ball on the sideline with 11 seconds left.
The Bison then buckled down on defense on the final possession. Colgate passed the ball into Jonson in the low post, and Bucknell not only smothered Johnson on the right block, but it denied a kick-out pass to Roemer. Finally, with the clock about to expire, Jonson had to fling up a prayer at the buzzer that fell way short.
The Bison, who snapped a seven-game road losing streak, shot an even 40 percent from the field in the game and made 8 of 21 3-pointers. Colgate shot 43.4 percent overall and went 6-for-14 from the 3-point stripe. The Raiders were whistled for only seven fouls in the game and outscored Bucknell 9-6 from the free-throw line.
Bucknell is now 9-4 in its last 13 games at Cotterell Court and is now 53-40 all-time against the Raiders.
Bucknell returns home on Wednesday to face Lehigh at 7 p.m. It will be State Farm "Feed the Fan" Night at Sojka Pavilion, with free pizza to be handed out at halftime.
