Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
13-15, 8-4PL
Colgate
8-18, 4-8PL
Bucknell Men's Basketball Moves into Tie for First with 69-49 Win Over Colgate
2/21/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2010
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Patrick Behan celebrated his Senior Day in a big way, producing 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Bucknell to a 69-49 rout of Colgate on Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. Winners of four straight and seven of their last eight games, the Bison moved into a tie for first place with Lehigh heading into a big showdown with the Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem on Wednesday.
Freshmen Mike Muscala and Bryson Johnson scored 12 points apiece and another first-year man, Joe Willman, scored nine. The Bison have secured at least a top-four seed, meaning they will host a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game on March 3.
Behan finished 11-for-14 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line en route to a season-high scoring total. He came off the bench and made his first seven shots of the day, helping Bucknell run out to a double-digit lead by the 8:21 mark of the first half. Fellow senior Stephen Tyree had his typical do-it-all performance, logging seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Tyree and sophomore Bryan Cohen also spearheaded a lockdown defensive effort. They held high-scoring senior Kyle Roemer (19.3 ppg) to a season-low five points on 1-for-12 shooting, 0-for-6 from 3-point range. Yaw Gyawu (15.0 ppg) was held to seven points on 3-for-10 shooting, and Ben Jonson (10.3 ppg) went 2-for-7 and scored six points. Colgate's three double-figure scorers went a combined 6-for-29 from the field, and the Raiders shot only 34.6 percent and committed 15 turnovers.
The game was tied at 9-9 seven minutes in when Behan began to take over. He scored 12 straight Bucknell points and 14 of 16 during one stretch, showing off an array of low post moves. Behan scored against four different defenders, and his last bucket in that run gave the Bison a 27-15 lead.
When Behan finally missed his first shot with five minutes left in the half, Willman grabbed the rebound and put it back in while drawing a foul. After the 3-point play, Willman made both ends of a 1-and-1 to give Bucknell its largest lead of the first half, 15 points at 32-17.
Bucknell (13-15, 8-4) did not score for the final 4:55 of the half, but still held a 32-21 lead at the break. The Bison then shot 62.5 percent in the second to turn it into a rout. They led by double digits for the final 18:49, and early in the second half they put on an interior passing clinic. Twice Tyree dished to Muscala for slam dunks, and Tyree himself was the recipient of a great pass from Behan for a layup.
Johnson's second 3-pointer of the second half, followed by a 3-point play by Tyree, gave Bucknell its first 20-point lead at 61-41 with 4:56 to play. The Bison led by as many as 23 points on three occasions in the final three minutes. That allowed coach Dave Paulsen to get senior reserves Zach Evans and Matt Fiery some time, and all four seniors came off the floor to standing ovations.
Bucknell shot better than 50 percent (52.9) for the fourth time this year despite making only 3 of 13 attempts from 3-point distance. Colgate was only slightly better from 3-point range, making 4 of 15. The Bison finished with a 29-28 rebounding edge and outscored the Raiders (8-18, 4-8) 40-22 in the paint.
Bucknell had 15 assists and 10 turnovers, its eighth straight game with an even or positive ratio. The team now has 157 assists and only 118 turnovers in Patriot League play. Darryl Shazier handed out six assists in the game and now has 303 in his career. He is only the ninth player in program history with 300 or more career assists.
Muscala also reached a milestone on Sunday. He blocked two more shots, giving him 58 on the season to tie Mike Butts' freshman record, set in 1985-86. Muscala now has multiple blocks in five straight and 10 of his last 11 games.
The Bison have now assured themselves of a winning conference record, and they finished 6-1 at home in league play. Including a one-point win at Colgate on Jan. 23, the Bison swept the season series from the Raiders. It was Bucknell's seventh straight home win over Colgate.
With two games remaining in the regular season, Bucknell and Lehigh hold a share of the top spot at 8-4, but Lafayette and Navy are just a game behind at 7-5. Lehigh and Navy both lost to their arch rivals this weekend. On Saturday, the Midshipmen lost at Navy 69-50, and on Sunday the Mountain Hawks fell at Lafayette 90-75.
Bucknell will have to play its final two games on the road, at Lehigh on Wednesday night and at Army on Sunday afternoon.
Check back on BucknellBison.com early this week for an announcement on Patriot League Tournament ticketing procedures.
