Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Wraps Up Regular Season Saturday at Army
2/26/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (13-16, 8-5 PL) vs. Army (14-13, 4-9 PL)
WHERE: Christl Arena, West Point, N.Y.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.
TV: None
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) and SportsJuice.com
INTERNET VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access 
LIVE STATS: GoArmySports.com
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
Other Links:
With a Win Over Army, the Bison Would ...
• ... garner one of the top three seeds for the Patriot League Tournament.
• ... sweep the season series from the Black Knights.
• ... win their eighth in their last 10 outings.
• ... improve to 14-16 overall, 5-11 on the road and 9-5 in the Patriot League.
• ... win at least nine Patriot League games for the 10th time in 20 seasons.
• ... defeat the Black Knights at Christl Arena for the first time since 2007.
About the Game
Bucknell's 2009-10 regular season comes to an end on Saturday with a trip to West Point to face Army. The Bison snapped a four-game losing streak to the Black Knights with a 55-48 win at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 30, and now they will go for the season sweep at Christl Arena. Both teams still have Patriot League Tournament seeding to play for. While Wednesday's loss at Lehigh all but eliminated Bucknell from contention for the No. 1 seed, the Bison would be assured of no worse than the No. 3 seed with a victory. And with a win and a Lehigh loss, Bucknell could still stake a claim to a share of the regular-season title, even if the postseason tiebreakers do not work in its favor. Army can move out of the No. 8 seed with a win and losses by both Colgate and Holy Cross.
Bucknell had been rolling right along with seven wins in its previous eight games until running into a buzz saw at Lehigh on Wednesday night. The Mountain Hawks took control in the final two minutes of the first half and won the battle of Patriot League co-leaders. Despite the loss, Bucknell received continued strong play from freshman Mike Muscala, who posted 14 points and nine rebounds while breaking the program record for blocked shots by a freshman. Muscala averages a team-high 10.1 points per game. Defense had been the key to Bucknell's four-game winning streak. The Bison had held each opponent under 39% shooting during the streak, but Lehigh shot 51.9% and scored 81 points on Wednesday.
Army is also coming off a blowout loss on Wednesday. Normally one of the best defensive teams in the Patriot League, the Black Knights gave up 14 3-pointers in an 80-54 home setback to Lafayette. Prior to that game, Army routed arch-rival Navy 69-50 at home last Saturday. Cleveland Richard, one of seven seniors who will be playing at home for the final time on Saturday, leads the Black Knights in scoring at 12.9 ppg. Sophomore Julian Simmons also scores in double figures at 11.6 ppg. Army, which went 10-4 in non-league play including impressive wins over Ivy League contenders Harvard and Princeton, allows only 60.2 ppg and forces 17.2 turnovers per game.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Army game will not be televised, however a live video Webcast will be available on Patriot League All-Access via 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 stats will be available at GoArmySports.com.
Bucknell vs. Army Series Notes
• The Bison hold a 38-18 lead in a series that dates back to 1929. Bucknell had a 15-game series winning streak, then the Black Knights won four in a row before the Bison won in Lewisburg earlier this year. During the Patriot League era Army had never beaten Bucknell twice in a row until this recent four-game streak.
• Prior to 2007-08, Army's last series win came at West Point on Feb. 14, 2001.
• Bucknell had also won 12 straight at home against the Black Knights dating back to Army's 83-71 win in Davis Gym in 1996-97. The Bison are 20-4 all-time at home against Army.
• Army won the first 10 series showdowns, nine of them coming prior to 1966.
• As Patriot League rivals, Bucknell has won 37 of 45 meetings.
• Army swept the season series a year ago, winning 76-65 at West Point and 70-53 at Sojka Pavilion. In the first meeting, Cleveland Richard scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Black Knights. Darryl Shazier had 21 and Patrick Behan 12 points and nine rebounds for Bucknell. The Bison cut a 16-point deficit down to four in the second half, but Army won it at the free-throw line down the stretch. In the rematch in the regular-season finale, Army led 29-27 at halftime, then opened the second half on a 19-2 run to pull away. Behan had a big night in the loss with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Julian Simmons led the Black Knights with 21 points.
• In this year's first meeting at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 30, Bucknell made only 1 of 18 3-point attempts but used good defense and rebounding to defeat Army 55-48. Mike Muscala had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bison. The game was tied at 26 at the half, but Bucknell held Army to six second-half field goals and 31.1% shooting for the game. The Bison essentially held the Black Knights without a field goal for the final 10:23 of the game, conceding only a giveaway layup with eight seconds left in a nine-point game. Cleveland Richard led Army with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Julian Simmons added 11 points.
The Patriot League Race
With only one game remaining in the regular season, the Patriot League Tournament picture is taking shape. There is still plenty of shuffling that can be done. Bucknell has clinched a top-four seed and home-court advantage for at least the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison can only play Colgate, American or Holy Cross in the first round. Below is a look at each of the 16 result combinations and the corresponding seeding outcomes:
• If Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell and Navy Win: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Lafayette (9-5), 3. Bucknell (9-5), 4. Navy (8-6), 5. American (6-8), 6. Colgate (5-9), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell and Colgate: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Lafayette (9-5), 3. Bucknell (9-5), 4. Navy (7-7), 5. American (6-8), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Navy: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Lafayette (9-5), 3. Navy (8-6), 4. Bucknell (8-6), 5. American (6-8), 6. Colgate (5-9), 7. Army (5-9), 8. Holy Cross (5-9)
• Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Colgate: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Lafayette (9-5), 3. Bucknell (8-6), 4. Navy (7-7), 5. American (6-8), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (5-9)
• Lehigh, American, Bucknell, Navy: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Bucknell (9-5), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. Navy (8-6), 5. American (7-7), 6. Colgate (5-9), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Lehigh, American, Bucknell, Colgate: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Bucknell (9-5), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. American (7-7), 5. Navy (7-7), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Lehigh, American, Army, Navy: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Lafayette (8-6), 3. Navy (8-6), 4. Bucknell (8-6), 5. American (7-7), 6. Colgate (5-9), 7. Army (5-9), 8. Holy Cross (5-9)
• Lehigh, American, Army, Colgate: 1. Lehigh (10-4), 2. Bucknell (8-6), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. American (7-7), 5. Navy (7-7), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (5-9), 8. Army (5-9)
• Holy Cross, Lafayette, Bucknell, Navy: 1. Lafayette (9-5), 2. Lehigh/Bucknell (9-5) (RPI#), 4. Navy (8-6), 5. Holy Cross (6-8), 6. American (6-8), 7. Colgate (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Holy Cross, Lafayette, Bucknell, Colgate: 1. Lafayette (9-5), 2. Lehigh/Bucknell (9-5) (RPI#), 4. Navy (7-7), 5. Colgate (6-8), 6. American (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (6-8), 8. Army (4-10)
• Holy Cross, Lafayette, Army, Navy: 1. Lafayette (9-5), 2. Lehigh (9-5), 3. Navy (8-6), 4. Bucknell (8-6), 5. Holy Cross (6-8), 6. American (6-8), 7. Colgate (5-9), 8. Army (5-9)
• Holy Cross, Lafayette, Army, Colgate: 1. Lafayette (9-5), 2. Lehigh (9-5), 3. Bucknell (8-6), 4. Navy (7-7), 5. Colgate (6-8), 6. American (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (6-8), 8. Army (5-9)
• Holy Cross, American, Bucknell, Navy: 1. Lehigh/Bucknell (9-5) (RPI#), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. Navy (8-6), 5. American (7-7), 6. Holy Cross (6-8), 7. Colgate (5-9), 8. Army (4-10)
• Holy Cross, American, Bucknell, Colgate: 1. Lehigh/Bucknell (9-5) (RPI#), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. American (7-7), 5. Navy (7-7), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (6-8), 8. Army (4-10)
• Holy Cross, American, Army, Navy: 1. Lehigh (9-5), 2. Lafayette (8-6), 3. Navy (8-6), 4. Bucknell (8-6), 5. American (7-7), 6. Holy Cross (6-8), 7. Colgate (5-9), 8. Army (5-9)
• Holy Cross, American, Army, Colgate: 1. Lehigh (9-5), 2. Bucknell (8-6), 3. Lafayette (8-6), 4. American (7-7), 5. Navy (7-7), 6. Colgate (6-8), 7. Holy Cross (6-8), 8. Army (5-9)
# - If Bucknell wins and Lehigh loses, the teams would be tied at 9-5 with the same breakdown against all Patriot League opponents. Their seeding position would be determined by which team has the higher position in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI rating following Saturday's games. After Wednesday's contests, Lehigh is at No. 166 in the RPI rating, while Bucknell is No. 255.
Last Time Out
Bucknell and Lehigh came into Wednesday's game at Stabler Arena in a tie for first place, but the Mountain Hawks emphatically broke the deadlock with an 81-59 victory. The Mountain Hawks' lead was just 21-19 at the 10-minute mark of the first half, when back-to-back 3-pointers by John Adams and Marquis Hall sparked a 10-1 run. Lehigh freshman sensation C.J. McCollum did not have a field goal until 1:27 remained in the first half, but with his primary defender Bryan Cohen on the bench with two fouls, McCollum scored Lehigh's final nine points of the half, giving the Mountain Hawks a 42-27 lead. On the first possession of the second half, McCollum converted a 4-point play, giving Cohen his third foul, and Lehigh led by at least 15 the rest of the way.
Inside the Lehigh Boxscore
• Mike Muscala led the Bison with 14 points and nine rebounds. He made 6 of 11 shots and blocked two shots.
• Bucknell's only other double-figure scorer was Bryson Johnson with 10. Johnson hit two straight 3-pointers to start the scoring for his team, but he made only one more field goal the rest of the game.
• Patrick Behan, who scored 24 points in the previous game against Colgate, was limited to two points in eight minutes thanks to a toe injury.
• Bucknell came into the game averaging 11.5 turnovers per game but had 11 in the first half alone to undermine 50% shooting. In the second half the Bison committed only two turnovers, but their shooting slipped to 32.4%.
• C.J. McCollum led all players with 29 points. He made 8 of 16 from the field, 4 of 7 from the 3-point arc and 9 of 10 from the foul line. He also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Bucknell held Marquis Hall to nine points, and all-star forward Zahir Carrington had only two points in eight minutes due to foul trouble. The Mountain Hawks received 29 bench points, however, led by 11 from Prentice Small and eight from John Adams.
• Lehigh shot 51.9% for the game, compared to Bucknell's 39.3%.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell will play at home on Wednesday in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Game time will be 7 p.m. against either Colgate, American or Holy Cross.
