Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
14-16 (9-5PL)
Army
14-14 (4-10PL)
Bucknell Finishes Regular Season on High Note with 62-51 win at Army
2/27/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2010
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Darryl Shazier scored 19 points, Bryan Cohen had 14 while spearheading a terrific defensive effort, and the Bucknell men's basketball team solidified the No. 2 seed in next week's Patriot League Tournament with a 62-51 victory at Army on Saturday night. The Bison finished 9-5 in Patriot League play and will end up in sole possession of second place in the final standings.
When the game tipped off, all eight Patriot League Tournament seeds were locked in, thanks to losses by upper-division teams Lafayette and Navy earlier in the day. Bucknell will be the No. 2 seed and host No. 7 Holy Cross in one quarterfinal game on Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. Army will be the No. 8 seed and travel to No. 1 Lehigh, which wrapped up the regular-season title with a 91-80 home win over Holy Cross.
The two defenses controlled the game from the onset, with baskets hard to come by at both ends. The Bison shot 45 percent in the first half but committed eight turnovers, and Army managed only 28.6 percent shooting with seven turnovers.
Bucknell had a slim 14-13 lead with seven minutes to play before finally making some headway with a 9-0 run. Cohen started it with a short bank shot, and Stephen Tyree followed with a tip-in. Shazier, who had 11 in the first half, hit back-to-back short jumpers and tossed in a free throw to give the Bison a 23-13 lead.
Tyrell Thompson ended Army's 4:15 scoring drought with a layup with three minutes left to make it 23-15, and neither team scored again in the half.
Bucknell stretched its lead to 19 with a 15-5 run early in the second, keyed by 3-pointers from Johnson and G.W. Boon and a fastbreak layup by Shazier. Two free throws by Tyree made it 43-24 with 8:25 left.
The Bison got a little sloppy later in the half, committing a handful of turnovers along with two missed front ends of 1-and-1s. That allowed Army to score seven straight points over a three-minute span, cutting its deficit to 12 at 43-31.
The Bison did not make a field goal in the final 9:11 of the game, but they only attempted four over that span, as Army repeatedly sent them to the free-throw line. Bucknell shot 28 free throws in the final 8:25 and made 21, enough to keep the Black Knights at bay despite some late shots by Josh Miller, who scored 10 points in the final 1:24. Army crept within nine in the final minute, but Shazier and Cohen combined to go 4-for-4 to finish it off.
Shazier finished 5-for-7 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line. Cohen added eight rebounds to his 14 points, and he played stellar defense on Army scoring leader Cleveland Richard, who finished with nine points on 3-for-9 shooting before fouling out with 6:43 to play.
Miller led Army (14-14, 4-10) with 11 points, and Julian Simmons had 10. The Black Knights shot 32.7 percent for the game and made only 5 of 17 3-point tries.
Bucknell shot 41.7 percent overall and did very well from long range, making 7 of 15. The Bison shot a season-high 35 free throws, making 25 for 71.4 percent. The only negative for the Bison were 19 turnovers, an uncharacteristic total for a team leading the Patriot League with only 11.5 turnovers per game on the season.
The Bucknell-Holy Cross Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. To purchase tickets, call 570-577-1000, go online to http://www.bucknell.edu/Boxoffice.xml, or visit either Campus Box Office location at the Weis Center or Elaine Langone Center.
This will be the 13th time in 20 seasons that Bucknell has played Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament.
