Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Hosts Holy Cross Sunday on CBS College Sports, Orange-Out Declared
2/12/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (10-15, 5-4 PL) vs. Holy Cross (7-17, 4-5 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2 p.m.
TICKETS: Available at Sojka Pavilion Box Office beginning at 1 p.m.
TV: CBS-College Sports
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) and SportsJuice.com
PROMOTIONS: ORANGE OUT Sojka Pavilion; Young Alumni Day
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
Other Links:
With a Win Over Holy Cross, the Bison Would ...
• ... split the season series with the Crusaders.
• ... win their second straight game and fifth in their last six outings.
• ... improve to 11-15 overall, 6-4 at home and 6-4 in the Patriot League.
• ... remain no worse than one game out of first place in the Patriot League standings.
• ... improve to 17-12 against Holy Cross at home and 6-3 at Sojka Pavilion.
About the Game
Bucknell plays its second nationally televised game this week when Holy Cross visits Sojka Pavilion Sunday at 2 p.m. on CBS-College Sports. The Valentine's Day contest will have significant standings implications in the tightly bunched Patriot League race. The Bison have won four of their last five games and come in at 5-4 in the league, just a game behind co-leaders Lehigh and Navy. The Crusaders are also heating up, with two straight blowout victories erasing a three-game losing streak. Holy Cross is 4-5 in Patriot League play, and it would not only catch Bucknell with a win on Sunday, but the Crusaders would also have a season sweep and would thus own any head-to-head tiebreakers over the Bison.
Bucknell is coming off a wire-to-wire 73-59 road victory over American on Thursday, with freshman Joe Willman leading four players in double figures with a career-high 15 points. Willman became the seventh different Bison to lead the team in scoring in a game this season, and even though Bucknell does not have a double-figure scorer on the roster, it now has eight players averaging between 5-10 points per game. The Crusaders rolled to a 70-56 win at Army on Wednesday in its most recent showing. R.J. Evans leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game, and Devin Brown, who had 29 against Bucknell last month, averages 12.6 ppg and shoots 45.9% from 3-point range. Led by Andrew Keister (9.0 rpg), Holy Cross is far and away the top rebounding team in the league. The Crusaders' +4.6 rebounding margin is almost twice as good as the next most efficient rebounding team in the conference.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Holy Cross game will be televised live on CBS-College Sports (DirecTV 613, Dish Network 152 and most cable networks). Veteran play-by-play man Bob Socci and noted sportswriter John Feinstein will have the call of the game. In addition to the live broadcast, the game will be replayed on CBS-CS on Sunday at 6 p.m.; Monday at 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
• 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 via GameTracker at BucknellBison.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 this will be the 52nd meeting in 20 years, an average of 2.60 meetings per season.
• Bucknell leads the series 27-24. Holy Cross has won the last two meetings, and the road team has won four of the last six.
• Bucknell is 16-12 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg and 5-3 at Sojka Pavilion. One of those Sojka meetings was a 74-59 Bison win in the 2006 Patriot League championship game.
• Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen is 2-3 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.
• Back on Jan. 16 of this season, Holy Cross parlayed a 55-point second half outburst into an 82-69 win over Bucknell at the Hart Center. The game was tied at 27 at the half, and Bucknell had just gone ahead by four points five minutes into the second period when the Crusaders stunned the Bison with a 19-2 run to take command. Devin Brown made 10 of 14 shots, including 4 of 6 from behind the arc, en route to a career-high 29 points. R.J. Evans added 15 and Andrew Beinert 10 for the Crusaders. Shazier and Bryson Johnson led Bucknell with 16 points, while Mike Muscala added 14 and Behan 12. Bucknell shot 53.7% from the field, but Holy Cross was almost as good with 52.0%.
Patriot League Success
The Bison are 171-90 (.655) 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.
Last Time Out
It was "show and go" for Bucknell on Thursday in snowy Washington, D.C., as the wintry weather forced the Bison to travel on the day of the game, but they didn't seem affected by the change in plans and rolled to a 73-59 win over American. The Bison never trailed, as freshman Mike Muscala scored the game's first 11 points to send them on their way. The Eagles cut a 13-point deficit down to three at the half, but Darryl Shazier canned 3-pointers on Bucknell's first two possessions of the second period to stretch the lead back to nine. Four straight points by Joe Willman later in the half gave the Bison a commanding 17-point lead with seven minutes to play, and they put the game away with some strong free-throw shooting down the stretch.
Inside the American Boxscore
• Bucknell had four players score in double figures, three of them freshman. Rookie Joe Willman led the way with a career-high 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Fellow first-year men Mike Muscala and Bryson Johnson tossed in 14 apiece, while senior Patrick Behan logged 13.
• Muscala started the game with five straight jumpers, including a 3-pointer, to stake the Bison to a quick 11-0 lead. Muscala then converted a 3-point play at the 11:34 mark, giving him 14 points and Bucknell a 16-3 lead. He never scored again, but the increased attention seemed to open paths for Willman and Behan in the frontcourt. Muscala is now 15-for-15 from the foul line in the last four games.
• Johnson went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line, keying a 26-for-32 (.813) performance by the team. The 12 free throws made and 13 attempted by Johnson are the most by any active Bucknell player.
• Darryl Shazier had six assists, two steals and no turnovers in 34 minutes. The two 3-pointers to start the second half were his only field goals of the game, as he finished with seven points.
• Bryan Cohen was one of several players limited by foul trouble. He played only 17 minutes, but still managed eight points and three assists.
• A major key for the Bison was the defensive job on American's 20-point-per-game scorer Vlad Moldoveanu. Since becoming eligible in early December, the George Mason transfer had scored at least 14 points in every game and had 20 or more in five straight games. But in this one Moldoveanu made his only field goal of the night with 3:42 left in the game and he finished with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
• Bucknell committed only three turnovers in the game (see note below for more) and had a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers.
Protecting the Rock
Bucknell has had some historic nights taking care of the basketball this season, particularly against American. Six times in program history have the Bison committed four turnovers or fewer in a game, and three of those have come this season.
• In an overtime win over American on Jan. 13, Bucknell committed only one turnover in the 45-minute game, with the lone miscue coming 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.
• Amazingly, in the rematch with American in D.C. on Thursday, the Bison committed only three turnovers against the Eagles. The first two came on back-to-back possessions 13 seconds apart midway through the first half, and then they didn't give it away again until 1:16 remained in the game.
• Those weren't the only low-turnover games for the Bison this year. They had only four miscues in a win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 21, and they have committed single-digit turnovers seven times.
• Bucknell is averaging a league-low 11.8 turnovers on the season and only 9.7 in Patriot League play.
• Bucknell ranks 30th nationally out of 334 teams in turnovers per game.
• The Bison are the only team in Division I basketball that has turned it over three times or less on multiple occasions this year. Only 11 times this season has a team committed three or fewer miscues, and Bucknell has two of them. The single-turnover performance is a national low this season.
Fewest Turnovers, Bucknell History 1 vs. American W, 72-68 (OT) 1/13/10 3 at American W, 73-59 2/11/10 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
A Rookie Rarity
• In last Friday's game at Navy, Bucknell had three freshmen score in double figures (Bryson Johnson 16, Mike Muscala 15, Joe Willman 12). The last time three Bison freshmen scored 10 or more points in the same game was all the way back on Feb. 26, 1977, when Steve Sigl (20), Bob Barry (12) and Pat Flannery (10) did it in a 94-86 win over West Chester.
• That rookie triad repeated the feat on Thursday at American, when Willman scored 15 points and Johnson and Muscala had 14 each.
Going Overtime
After playing a school-record six overtime games last season, the Bison have been involved in four more this season. They are 3-1 in those games, defeating Marist, American and Lehigh after falling to Cornell. Of the 10 overtime games dating back to last year, nine have come at home, including all four this season.
Nailbiters
• There have been only nine Patriot League games decided by five points or less this season, and Bucknell has been involved in six of them.
• Of Bucknell's nine Patriot League games, seven have been decided by seven points or less and six by five points or less. In five league games, the score at the end of regulation has been within two points either way, including two overtime wins over American and Lehigh.
• Bucknell this season is 3-1 in overtime games and 5-4 in games decided by five points or less.
Are Threes Overrated?
For Bucknell recently, 3-point shooting success has been inversely proportional to winning. Here are Bucknell's 3-point shooting stats for the last four games: Game 3FG Pct. Result Jan. 27 vs. Lehigh 4-21 .190 W, 81-76 (OT) Jan. 30 vs. Army 1-18 .056 W, 55-48 Feb. 5 at Navy 11-25 .440 L, 81-79 Feb. 11 at American 3-13 .231 W, 73-59
Block Party
• Bison freshman Mike Muscala is piling up the blocked shots this season. He has 52 blocks in his 24 games and leads the Patriot League in blocks per game (2.2).
• Muscala is only the second individual in program history with 50 blocks in a season. Mike Butts did it three times. Butts holds the freshman record with 58 blocks in in 1985-86.
• Muscala has multiple blocks in 15 games and three or more nine 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. Blocks in a Season, Bucknell History 1. Mike Butts 1988-89 100 2. Mike Butts 1987-88 91 3. Mike Butts* 1985-86 58 4. Mike Muscala 2009-10 52 5. Dan Bowen 1996-97 48 6. Brian Anderson 1993-94 47 Mike Bright 1992-93 46 8. Dan Bowen 1999-00 43 9. Todd O'Brien 2007-08 42 Bo Heiden 1986-87 42 * freshman record
Sure-Handed Shazier
Darryl Shazier led the Patriot League in both assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio last season, and he has picked up where he left off in 2009-10. Shazier has played a league-high 880 minutes (35.2 per game) and has 96 assists with only 35 turnovers so far. His 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is No. 1 in the league and No. 12 in the nation.
One Shot Only
After a slow start, Bucknell has been much better on the defensive glass in recent weeks. The Bison gave up double-digit offensive rebounds in seven of their first eight games of the season, but in the last 17 games, they have surrendered 10 or more offensive rebounds only five times.
Statistically Speaking
Some other notable numbers from Bucknell's first 25 games:
• The Bison are shooting 73.8% at the foul line after making just 67.8% from the line as a team last season.
• The Bison have hit eight or more 3-pointers 10 times this season and 10 or more five times.
• Bucknell is +19 on the glass in its last four games.
• In Patriot League play, Bucknell has 111 assists and 87 turnovers. For the entire season, the Bison now have more assists (296) than turnovers (292).
• The Bison shot 40% or better in seven of their first eight games, but they have eclipsed 40% in only seven of their last 17.
• In league play the Bison are shooting only 28.8% from 3-point range.
• Bucknell opponents are shooting 39.8% from 3-point distance this season. That ranks 326th nationally out of 334 teams.
• In nine Patriot League games Bucknell has attempted 50 more field goals than its opponents. The Bison have outscored foes 615-605 in league play.
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 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds so far. He scored 11 points against Providence and had 12 rebounds against Saint Francis. Now he has produces scoring highs in back-to-back games, first with 12 against Navy and then with 15 in Thursday's win at American. Willman is fourth on the team with 95 rebounds, with almost half of them (44) 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 9.6 ppg, has a team-high 53 3-pointers and is shooting 87.5% from the foul line.
• 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 17 games he is averaging 11.9 ppg and shooting 51.9% (81-156) from the field and 85.4% (35-41) 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, started to work his way into the frontcourt rotation. After playing in only one of the team's first six games, he has seen action in 12 of the last 19, 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 12 of the last 19 games and 14 of 25 this season.
• So far this season, Bucknell has gotten 37.2% of its points and 31.9% of its rebounds from freshmen.
• Bucknell's freshman class is shooting 81.9% (118-144) from the free-throw line this season.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell's three-game homestand continues Wednesday against Lafayette at 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are currently tied for third place alongside the Leopards, and Bucknell is looking to avenge a 61-57 loss to Lafayette on Jan. 20.
