Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Faces Binghamton Wednesday in Home Opener
11/16/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2010
WHAT: Binghamton at Bucknell
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m. ET
PROMOTIONS: Applebee's Spirit Night
WEBCAST: Bison Vision 
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH FM) and SportsJuice.com
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
With a Win over Binghamton, the Bison Would ...
• ... pick up their first victory of 2010-11.
• ... win their home opener for the second straight season and fifth time in the last seven years.
• ... improve to 2-1 all-time vs. Binghamton.
• ... improve to 71-28 all-time at Sojka Pavilion.
About the Game
• After playing two tough road games against Big East competition to start the season, Bucknell returns home Wednesday night to face Binghamton in its 2010-11 Sojka Pavilion debut.
• Wednesday will be Applebee's Spirit Night at Sojka Pavilion, with free pom-poms handed out prior to the game.
• Bucknell last played on Sunday, falling 72-61 at Marquette after leading by as many as 13 points in the second half.
• Binghamton has played once so far, defeating Colgate 62-60 on the road Saturday night behind 27 points from Greer Wright.
How to Get the Game
• A live Webcast of the Bucknell-Binghamton game will be carried live on Bison Vision, via BucknellBison.com. For subscription information, visit www.BucknellBison.com/allaccess.
• 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 also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
• Live statistics are available on GameTracker via BucknellBison.com.
Bucknell vs. Binghamton
• This will be just the third all-time meeting between the Bison and Bearcats, with each team winning once on its home floor. On Dec. 9, 2008, Bucknell defeated the NCAA Tournament-bound Bearcats 63-60 at Sojka Pavilion, but then on Dec. 4, 2009, Binghamton returned the favor with a 64-60 victory.
• In the game two seasons ago, the Bison scored a solid 63-60 victory over a Bearcats team that would eventually finish 23-9, win the America East title and play in the NCAA Tournament. Bryan Cohen had 16 points and six rebounds, and he blocked a potential go-ahead shot by D.J. Rivera in the final seconds to preserve the win. Patrick Behan added 15 points and Darryl Shazier 11 for the Bison, who held Binghamton to 0-for-16 shooting from 3-point range. Rivera led the Bearcats with 21 points.
• Last season at the Events Center in Binghamton, the Bison struggled offensively throughout the game and fell 64-60. Just two days after scoring 98 points in an overtime loss to Cornell, Bucknell managed only 13 first-half points. Even with one second-half flurry, the Bison could not fully recover from an 18-point deficit. Mike Muscala led the Bison with 14 points, while G.W. Boon hit four 3-pointers for 12 points. Greer Wright led Binghamton with 16 points.
Bucknell vs. The America East
Bucknell is 15-12 all-time against the current members of the America East. The Bison are 6-2 against UMBC, 4-2 vs. Albany, 2-2 vs. Maine, 1-1 vs. Binghamton, 1-1 vs. Hartford, 1-2 vs. Boston University and 0-2 vs. Vermont.
A Tough Start
• For the first time in the modern era, Bucknell played its first two games of a season against major conference competition. The Bison were in both games in the second half but fell 68-52 at No. 6 Villanova on Friday and 72-61 at Marquette on Sunday.
• In the Villanova game, the Bison trailed by only seven points with 10 minutes to play, but Corey Fisher scored 10 of his 24 points in the final 9:01 to help the Wildcats keep Bucknell at bay.
• In Milwaukee, the Bison led for most of the first 30 minutes and by as many as 13 three minutes into the second half. Bucknell led 57-45 with 10:22 remaining, but then the Golden Eagles stunned the Bison with 24 straight points to take control.
Bucknell in Home Openers at Sojka
Bucknell is 4-3 in season home openers in the Sojka Pavilion era, with the wins coming against Rider (69-50) in 2004, Yale (87-60) in 2005, Albany (55-52) in 2007 and Saint Francis (Pa.) (70-58) last season. The losses came against Yale (63-62) in 2003, Wake Forest (86-83 in OT) in 2006 and Boston University (71-69 in OT) in 2008.
More from the Villanova Game
• Bucknell shot only 24.0% (6-24) and committed nine turnovers in the first half, but in the second stanza it shot 41.9% (13-31) and turned it over only three times.
• Darryl Shazier had a solid all-around game with a team-high 12 points along with five rebounds and four assists. Also for the Bison, Mike Muscala had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and freshman Cameron Ayers tallied 10 points in 29 minutes in his collegiate debut.
• Bryan Cohen was held to five points, but he did have a career-high six assists with only one turnover in 25 minutes.
• The Bison made 6 of 11 3-point attempts in the second half, compared with 2 of 11 in the first half. Five different Bucknell players made a shot from behind the arc, including two each by Shazier, Ayers and Bryson Johnson.
• Villanova received 24 points from All-America candidate Corey Fisher, 15 points and six assists from point guard Maalik Wayns and 11 points and five rebounds from Corey Stokes.
• The Bison allowed only five fastbreak points and only 14 points in the paint all night, but the Wildcats hit 10 3-pointers in 27 attempts.
More from the Marquette Game
• The Bison led for 27:43 of the game's 40 minutes but let it get away down the stretch. Bucknell was ahead 57-45 after a Joe Willman free throw with 10:22 to play, but by the time the Bison scored their next point with 1:41 remaining, they trailed 69-57.
• During the Marquette 24-0 run, the Bison missed 10 straight field goals and two front ends of 1-and-1s and also had three turnovers. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, were 8-for-12 from the field and 6-for-7 from the foul line during the run.
• The Bison missed 14 of their last 15 field-goal attempts. Prior to that, they were shooting 61.1% (22-36) on the day.
• Bryson Johnson had a big day for the Bison, scoring a game-high 18 points. Johnson made 6 of his first 7 attempts from the arc before missing his final try. The six treys tied a career-high set on opening night last season against Mercer.
• Another sophomore, Joe Willman, had a terrific game against Marquette. Willman finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high four assists.
• Bryan Cohen filled up the boxscore with seven points, six rebounds and five assists.
• G.W. Boon also reached double figures with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
• Bucknell was outscored 23-6 from the free-throw line.
• The Bison had 17 assists on their 23 field goals, but committed 18 turnovers that led to 24 Marquette points.
Statistically Speaking
Some other notable numbers from Bucknell's first two games:
• Bucknell was known for its remarkable scoring balance last season, and if the first two games of 2010-11 are any indication, it may be more of the same this year. Through two games, six different Bison have had a double-digit scoring effort, but no player has done it twice. Against Villanova, Darryl Shazier, Mike Muscala and Cameron Ayers reached double figures, and against Marquette, Bryson Johnson, Joe Willman and G.W. Boon did it.
• Johnson, buoyed by his 18-point game against Marquette, leads the team in scoring at 12.0 ppg. Seven players are averaging at least 6.0 ppg.
• Even against two Big East teams on the road, the Bison have a positive (32-30) assist-to-turnover ratio. Last season the team had more assists than turnovers for the first time since 1992-93.
• Johnson is 8-for-14 (.571) from the 3-point arc so far, and the Bison as a team are shooting 41.5% from long range.
• Facing two much bigger teams, the Bison have been outrebounded 78-59.
• Bryan Cohen is averaging 5.5 assists per game, third-best in the Patriot League.
Bucknell Last Season
In 2009-10 the Bison won four of their first seven games, but then really struggled in December and the early part of January. They lost six straight and nine out of 10 in one stretch, but then Bucknell got hot in Patriot League play. A terrific 7-1 stretch led to a 9-5 league finish, good for second place in the regular-season standings. But then the season ended on a disappointing note, as No. 7 seed Holy Cross upset Bucknell 67-64 in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison finished 14-17 overall.
Muscala Named to Preseason All-Patriot League Team, Bison Picked No. 2
• Sophomore center Mike Muscala was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, while Bucknell was picked to finish second in the preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors.
• Last season Muscala was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection and a Patriot League All-Rookie Team pick. He is one of only four freshmen in league history to make one of the all-league teams.
• The preseason poll was the closest in league history, with the top five teams all receiving multiple first-place votes, and only 10 points separating the top five. American was picked first with 79 points, while Bucknell was a close second with 76.
Tyree Injured in Preseason
• For the second time in the last three years, Bucknell co-captain Stephen Tyree suffered an ACL injury in his left knee during preseason workouts.
• Prior to his junior year in 2008-09, Tyree was injured and missed the entire season.
• Tyree returned to the lineup last season and started every game. He averaged 26.4 minutes per game, led the team in rebounding (5.2) as a 6'3” guard, shot 48.2% from the field and scored 5.7 points per game. After the season he was given the team's Malcom E. Musser Award for leadership.
• In 2010-11, Tyree returned to Bucknell as a graduate student to use his NCAA-approved fifth year of eligibility. He was elected co-captain for the second year in a row and once again figured heavily to the team's plans. But he re-injured his knee in practice on Nov. 2. Tyree is rehabbing the knee in order to get back on the floor this season, but for now he is out indefinitely.
Bison Have Plenty of Experience Back
The Stephen Tyree injury not withstanding, Bucknell has plenty of experience returning in 2010-11.
• Including Tyree, the Bison return their top three and nine of their top 10 scorers from a year ago.
• The Bison return 86.4% of their scoring, 86.8% of their rebounding, 94.1% of their assists and 89.1% of their minutes played from last season.
• The only regular not returning from last season is forward Patrick Behan, who played in 30 games, starting 21, and averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Behan finished the year coming off the bench, meaning Bucknell this season returns all five starters from its 2009-10 stretch drive.
Cohen Honored for Defense
• Junior Bryan Cohen captured the 2009-10 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award, and he was also named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America Team.
• Cohen is routinely assigned to the opposition's top offensive player, and so far in his career he helped save three wins with last-second defensive stands.
• Cohen is the third Bucknell player to win the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honor in the five-year history of the award, joining teammate Stephen Tyree in 2008 and Abe Badmus in 2005.
Shazier Lends Helping Hand
• Senior point guard Darryl Shazier had a stellar 118-to-50 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Among the Patriot League leaders he ranked third in assists and second in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• As a sophomore in 2008-09, Shazier became the first Bucknell player to win a Patriot League assists title. Shazier averaged 4.6 assists per game that season and had six or more assists 13 times. He also led the Patriot League in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.06).
• Just two games into his senior year, Shazier already ranks seventh on Bucknell's career assists chart with 320.
Who's New?
Bucknell has four newcomers to the roster in 2010-11, three of whom are eligible to play this season:
• Guard Cameron Ayers comes in after a stellar career at Germantown Academy. Last year he averaged 22.9 ppg, was an Associated Press All-State honoree and earned Inter-Ac MVP honors for the second year in a row.
• Ben Brackney is a sharp-shooting guard from Lincoln, Ill. At Lincoln High School he was a Class 3A Second Team All-State selection and the Lincoln Courier Co-Player of the Year last season.
• Point guard Ryan Hill is another in-state recruit from Steelton-Highspire High School near Harrisburg. He was a 1,000-point scorer in high school, averaging 16.3 ppg as a senior.
• Forward Brian Fitzpatrick has transferred to Bucknell after playing one season at Penn. As a freshman last season he played in 17 games off the bench for the Quakers and averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.5 rpg. Fitzpatrick must sit out this season under NCAA transfer rules.
Fantastic Frosh Now Sophs
Last year Bucknell became the first team in Patriot League history to place three players on the conference's All-Rookie Team. Bryson Johnson, Mike Muscala and Joe Willman all made the team, and all three are projected starters this year.
Balanced Attack
Bucknell had incredible offensive scoring balance last season. The final scoring leader, Darryl Shazier, finished at 10.1 points per game. Shazier was one of four Bison to score better than 9.0 ppg and was one of eight to score at least 5.6 ppg. Only 40 points separated the team's top five point-producers, and nine different players produced at least one 10-point game.
Bingo!
• The NCAA instituted the 3-point shot in 1986-87, and since then Bucknell has played 710 games.
• The Bison have failed to make at least one 3-pointer in only five of those 710 games (1/30/89 at Cornell, 1/16/93 vs. Lafayette, 2/5/00 at Navy, 12/22/00 at Penn State and 2/29/04 at Colgate).
• Bucknell has converted a trifecta in 191 straight games.
Patriot League Success
• The Bison are 175-91 (.658) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 16 of 20 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.
• Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-18 in 20 Patriot League Tournaments. Bucknell 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 20 years.
Bison Scholar-Athletes
The Bucknell basketball program has also enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom in recent years. Among the highlights:
• Chris McNaughton in 2007 became the first player in league history to win Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors three times. The electrical engineering major who was also a three-time first-team all-league player, was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in 2006.
• In the Patriot League's 20-year history, the league's men's basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year has come from Bucknell nine times.
• Bucknell drew national acclaim at the 2006 NCAA Tournament for its perfect 100-percent men's basketball graduation rate.
• The Bison men's basketball program easily met the national standard in the NCAA's Academic Performance Rate (APR) study, released last spring. The men's basketball APR is 994 (out of 1,000), which is in the top 10 percent nationally and earned the Bison program an NCAA APR Public Recognition Award.
• Bucknell Athletics as a whole ranks No. 7 among all Division I schools in student-athlete graduation rates, factoring a four-class average from those who entered between 2000-01 and 2003-04. The men's basketball team has a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 91 percent, one of the highest in the nation.
• Bucknell has claimed 118 national Academic All-Americans since 1970, including eight from men's basketball. The total of 118 ranks fifth among all Division I institutions, trailing only Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State and Stanford.
Who's Got Next?
• Following the Binghamton game, the Bison will play their next four away from home in span of only five days.
• Bucknell will face former assistant coach Don Friday and his Saint Francis (Pa.) Red Flash on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Loretto, Pa.
• On Sunday the Bison will bus to Harrisonburg, Va., for three games in three days as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Bucknell will play Presbyterian on Monday, Princeton on Tuesday and James Madison on Wednesday.
