Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, Holy Cross Meet Again in Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament
3/1/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2010
WHAT: #2 Bucknell (14-16, 9-5 PL) vs. #7 Holy Cross (8-21, 5-9 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 3, 7 p.m.
TICKETS: Available online, at Campus Box Office or 570-577-1000
TV: CBS College Sports
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) and SportsJuice.com
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
With a Win Over Holy Cross, the Bison Would ...
• ... advance to the Patriot League Tourament semifinals for the 16th time in 20 years in the league. They would face the Colgate-Lafayette winner on Sunday at Sojka Pavilion.
• ... defeat Holy Cross for the second time this season, both at home.
• ... win their ninth game in their last 11 outings.
• ... improve to 14-16 overall and 9-4 at home.
• ... improve to 52-11 against Patriot League foes at Sojka Pavilion.
• ... improve to 10-1 in home Patriot League Tournament games.
• ... improve to 7-6 against Holy Cross in the postseason.
About the Game
For the 13th time in 20 Patriot League Tournaments, and for the eighth time in the last nine years, Bucknell and Holy Cross will square off in the postseason in Wednesday night's quarterfinal game at Sojka Pavilion. The 7 p.m. game has been selected for broadcast on CBS College Sports Network. Winners of eight of their last 10 games, the Bison have earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament with a 9-5 record. The Crusaders, who have lost 4 of 5 coming in, finished 5-9 in league play and are seeded No. 7. When the two teams met in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals last season, the seeds were reversed, and Holy Cross came away with a 75-56 victory at the Hart Center.
In a strange twist, the second-seeded Bison have nobody averaging double-figure points for the season, while the seventh-seeded Crusaders have five double-digit scorers. Freshman Mike Muscala, who was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team on Monday, leads Bucknell in scoring at 9.9 points per game, and in conference play he averages 13.1 ppg. The Bison do have tremendous scoring balance, with five players averaging at least 8.8 ppg and eight scoring at least 5.6 ppg. For Holy Cross, R.J. Evans and Devin Brown lead the way at 13.2 ppg, while Andrew Keister averages a near double-double with 10.4 points and 9.4 rebounds. Mike Cavataio (10.9) and Andrew Beinert (10.2) also score in double figures.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Holy Cross game will be televised live on CBS College Sports. Bob Socci will handle the play-by-play duties, while former Siena and Saint Joseph's coach John Griffin Sr. -- the father of former Bison standout guard John Griffin -- will be the color analyst.
• 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 on GameTracker via 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).
• On Wednesday these two teams will meet for the 13th time in 20 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 53rd meeting in 20 years, an average of 2.65 meetings per season.
• Bucknell leads the series 28-24. The road team has won four of the last seven, although the Bison and Crusaders both defended their home floor in the 2010 season series.
• Bucknell is 17-12 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg and 6-3 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 3-3 against Holy Cross, including his Williams College team's 78-71 upset of the Crusaders at the Hart Center on Dec. 4, 2003.
• 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%.
• In the rematch at Sojka Pavilion on Valentine's Day, Darryl Shazier scored 20 of his career-high 27 points in the first half, helping the Bison to a 68-63 win. Joe Willman and Bryan Cohen scored 11 points each for the Bison, who built a 20-point second-half lead but had to hold on down the stretch as Holy Cross made a furious comeback. After scoring 29 points against the Bison earlier in the season, Brown scored 19 to lead Holy Cross in this one. Mike Cavataio added 17 and R.J. Evans 13 for the Crusaders, who shot just 38.9% and went 3-for-14 from 3-point range. Bucknell neutralized Holy Cross' interior game, as All-Patriot Leaguer Andrew Keister and frontcourt mate Eric Meister were held to a combined two points.
Bison, Crusaders Have Long Tournament History
Bucknell and Holy Cross have met 12 times in the previous 19 Patriot League Tournaments, making it the most-played tournament rivalry. Fittingly, each team has won six of those tournament showdowns, with plenty on the line in each of them.
• 1992 Semifinals (Bucknell 86, Holy Cross 77): The rivalry began to heat up, as the Bison erased a 6-point halftime deficit and outscored the Crusaders 46-31 in the second half. Bill Courtney scored 26 points and PL Player of the Year Patrick King had 25.
• 1993 Championship (Holy Cross 90, Bucknell 73): Bucknell clinched the No. 1 seed with a 112-99 win on the last day of the regular season, but Holy Cross returned the favor with a 17-point blowout in the championship game in Davis Gym. Roger Breslin led the Crusaders with 17 points and 10 assists.
• 1994 Quarterfinals (Holy Cross 96, Bucknell 91): In Charlie Woollum's last game as Bucknell's head coach, Holy Cross used a 30-11 run in the second half to take command. The late Gordon Hamilton scored 37 points for the Crusaders, nullifying 24 from Bison point guard Sekou Hamer.
• 1998 Quarterfinals (Bucknell 60, Holy Cross 56): Down 10-0 right out of the gates, the Bison rallied behind 15 points each from J.R. Holden and Martin Gilliard. The duo combined to go 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 46 seconds to ice the win.
• 1999 Quarterfinals (Bucknell 76, Holy Cross 52): Bucknell's second-largest win in the series was not as easy as it looks on the stat sheet. The Bison trailed 37-36 at the half but outscored Holy Cross 40-15 in the second period. Brian Muckle scored 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting for the Bison.
• 2002 Semifinals (Holy Cross 64, Bucknell 57): The teams alternated the first 11 baskets in a second half that featured 14 lead changes and seven ties. A controversial technical foul call against Bucknell with HC leading by two in the final 30 seconds of the game helped propel the Crusaders, who were led by Tim Szatko's 19 points and 12 rebounds.
• 2003 Semifinals (Holy Cross 75, Bucknell 50): Kevin Hamilton scored 15 points to lead Holy Cross, which jumped out to a 15-5 lead and led by 17 at the half. Boakai Lalugba, a 1,300-point scorer, tallied 21 for Bucknell in his final game.
• 2004 Quarterfinals (Bucknell 66, Holy Cross 60): Charles Lee and Chris McNaughton combined for 39 points on 14-for-18 shooting for the Bison, who overcame 28 turnovers by shooting 61.8% from the field.
• 2005 Championship (Bucknell 61, Holy Cross 57): Bucknell raced to a 33-13 first-half lead but had to hold off a furious Holy Cross rally. Chris McNaughton led the Bison with 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting, while Kevin Bettencourt scored 13, including two clinching free throws with 0:08 left.
• 2006 Championship (Bucknell 74, Holy Cross 59): Kevin Bettencourt's 23 points helped Bucknell to a clean sweep of Patriot League competition, a 14-0 regular-season league record followed by three tournament wins.
• 2007 Championship (Holy Cross 74, Bucknell 66): Torey Thomas scored a career-high 28 points for the Crusaders, who avenged title-game losses in each of the two previous years. Bucknell rallied from 19 down in the second half to tie the game, but could never get the lead.
• 2009 Quarterfinals (Holy Cross 75, Bucknell 56): R.J. Evans scored 31 points to lead the second-seeded Crusaders to a runaway win at the Hart Center.
Patriot League Tournament Success
Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-17 in 19 Patriot League Tournaments and 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 19 years. Bucknell's streak of eight straight first-round wins came to an end last season at Holy Cross.
Patriot League Success
The Bison are 175-91 (.658) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. Including this season, they have now 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. The Bison have finished either first or second eight times in the 19-year history of the league.
Bucknell Tournament History
Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-17 in 19 previous 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 19 years.
Bison PL Tourney Log Year Seed Results 1991 4 def. Army 67-49; lost Fordham 82-76 1992 2 def. Army 74-55; def. Holy Cross 86-77; lost Fordham 70-65 1993 1 def. Lehigh 69-65; def. Colgate 75-73; lost Holy Cross 98-73 1994 5 lost Holy Cross 96-91 1995 2 lost Army 94-78 1996 4 def. Lafayette 56-55; lost Colgate 67-61 1997 2 def. Lehigh 84-54; def. Colgate 71-58; lost Navy 76-75 1998 3 def. Holy Cross 60-56; lost Navy 80-61 1999 3 def. Holy Cross 76-52; def. Lehigh 58-50; lost Lafayette 67-63 2000 3 lost Lehigh 73-62 2001 6 def. Colgate 75-68; lost Navy 88-64 2002 3 def. Army 70-59; lost Holy Cross 64-57 2003 5 def. Lehigh 52-47; lost Holy Cross 75-50 2004 4 def. Holy Cross 66-60; lost Lehigh 60-45 2005 2 def. Lafayette 70-34; def. American 53-35; def. Holy Cross 61-57 2006 1 def. Army 59-47; def. American 64-50; def. Holy Cross 74-59 2007 2 def. Navy 62-43; def. Army 68-47; lost Holy Cross 74-66 2008 7 def. Navy 87-86 (3OT); lost Colgate 54-40 2009 7 lost Holy Cross 75-56
Bucknell as the No. 2 Seed
• This is the sixth time Bucknell has been seeded No. 2 in the Patriot League Tournament, and it is 4-1 in first round games. In fact, in four of the previous five encounters as the No. 2 seed, the Bison have advanced all the way to the championship game.
• That includes 2005, when they won the league title as the second seed, beating Holy Cross on its home floor.
• Bucknell has lost in the first round as the No. 2 seed. That came in 1995, when tournament host Army stunned the Bison 94-78 behind 43 points from Mark Leuking.
No. 2 Seeds in Tournament History
• In the 19 previous Patriot League Tournaments, No. 2 seeds are 14-5 in the first round and 32-14 overall.
• No. 2 seeds have reached the championship game 13 times and won it five times. Two seeds to win titles are Holy Cross in 1993 (def. Bucknell), Navy in 1998 (def. Lafayette), Lafayette in 2000 (def. Navy), Holy Cross in 2002 (def. American) and Bucknell in 2005 (def. Holy Cross).
• In Patriot League Tournament history, no seed lower than a No. 3 has ever reached the final, and no one lower than a No. 2 has ever won the championship.
All-Patriot League Notes
• Bryan Cohen was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. He is the third Bison to win the 6-year-old award, joining Abe Badmus (2005) and Stephen Tyree (2008).
• Bucknell became the first team in Patriot League history to place three players on the All-Rookie Team. Bryson Johnson, Mike Muscala and Joe Willman all made the six-man team.
• Bucknell has now claimed 13 all-rookie selections since joining the Patriot League in 1990-91, and the Bison have now had an all-rookie pick in eight of the last nine years.
• Muscala also earned a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team. That makes him one of only four freshman in league history to make one of the all-league teams. Lehigh's C.J. McCollum also did that this year when he was named First Team All-Patriot League (and Player of the Year), while Colgate's Adonal Foyle (1995) and Pat Campolieta (1999) were the others.
• Dating back to Bucknell's days in the East Coast Conference, this is just the third year in the last 27 that the Bison have not landed at least one first-team all-league selection.
• Muscala is Bucknell's 37th All-Patriot League player. That is the most in the league, just ahead of Holy Cross' 34.
Last Time Out
Bucknell finished the regular season on a high note with a hard-fought 62-51 victory over Army in a very physical game at Christl Arena. The Bison used a 9-0 run to break open a one-point game in the first half, and they led 23-15 at the half. Bucknell stretched the lead to as many as 19 in the second period before the contest dissolved into a foul-fest in the final nine minutes. Bucknell's last field goal game at the 9:11 mark, and from that point forward it went 0-for-4 from the field and 21-for-28 from the foul line.
Inside the Army Boxscore
• Darryl Shazier had a strong showing with a game-high 19 points. He had 11 in the first half and finished 5-for-7 from the field (2-for-4 from the arc) and 7-for-8 from the foul line.
• It was also a big night for Bryan Cohen, who tallied 14 points and eight rebounds, while helping to hold Army scoring leader Cleveland Richard to nine points on 3-for-9 shooting. Cohen went 9-for-10 from the foul line, setting career highs for FTs made and attempted.
• Bryson Johnson canned three 3-pointers and scored nine points, while Stephen Tyree added nine points and and six rebounds.
• Bucknell shot a season-high 35 free throws, making 25. In the second half alone, Army committed 22 fouls and Bucknell 12.
• Bucknell dominated on the glass, finishing with a 39-26 edge. Freshmen Joe Willman and Mike Muscala grabbed seven boards apiece in addition to Cohen's eight.
• The Bison came into the game averaging a league-low 11.5 turnovers per game, but they had 19 against Army's aggressive defense. The Black Knights came in averaging a league-best 17.3 forced turnovers per game.
• Bucknell held Army to just 28.6% shooting in the first half and 32.7% overall.
• Army did not reach the 40-point mark until 1:28 remained in the game. Five of its 17 field goals and two of its five 3-pointers came in the final 1:28.
Spreading the Wealth
In a year in which its leading scorer averages only 9.9 ppg, Bucknell has gotten incredible balance so far. The Bison have eight players averaging between 5.6 and 9.9 points per game.
• These top-5 lists demonstrate Bucknell's balance this season:
Points FG Attempts FT Made Shazier 295 Shazier 242 Shazier 66 Muscala 287 Muscala 239 Cohen 64 Johnson 278 Johnson 237 Johnson 62 Behan 270 Cohen 229 Behan 58 Cohen 263 Behan 222 Muscala/Tyree 55• Bucknell has accurate points-per-game figures dating back to the 1948-49 season, and since then there has never been a year in which no player managed to average even 11.0 points per game. Here are the lowest averages by the team leader since 1948-49:
Year Scoring Leader PPG 1998-99 Valter Karavanic 11.2 1948-49 John Mosny 11.5 1981-82 Jay Wright 11.9 2006-07 Donald Brown 12.0 1994-95 Brian Anderson 12.5• Bucknell also had a different leading scorer in each of the first five games of the season. The top point-producers to start the year were Johnson (18 vs. Mercer), Bryan Cohen (18 vs. Providence), Muscala (12 vs. Bryant), Shazier (24 vs. Delaware) and Behan (23 vs. Saint Francis).
• Nine different players have produced at least one 10-point game so far, and seven have been the team scoring leader at least once.
Super Starters
In each game during Bucknell's recent four-game winning streak, a different player exploded out of the gates:
• On Feb. 11 at American, Mike Muscala scored the game's first 11 points, sending the Bison on their way to a 73-59 victory.
• On Feb. 14 against Holy Cross, Darryl Shazier scored 11 of Bucknell's first 14 points in a 68-63 victory.
• On Feb. 17 against Lafayette, Joe Willman came off the bench and scored Bucknell's first 10 points in the 78-67 win over Lafayette.
• On Feb. 21 against Colgate, Patrick Behan scored 14 straight Bison points and 16 of 18 during one key stretch, in which it bumped a 9-9 tie to a 27-15 lead.
Getting Defensive
• Bucknell's recent turnaround also coincides with much-improved defense. In Bucknell's last five wins, it has held each opponent under 39% shooting. Those foes were a combined 35.4% from the field and 29.5% from the 3-point line, while averaging only 57.8 points per game.
• As part of the defensive resurgence, the Bison, led by defensive stalwarts Bryan Cohen and Stephen Tyree, have locked down the opposition's top scorers. Here is a look at how the other team's top offensive player fared in those last five wins:
Feb. 11 at American Vlad Moldoveanu 2 points (1-7 FG) Feb. 14 vs. Holy Cross R.J. Evans 13 points (6-14 FG) Feb. 17 vs. Lafayette Ryan Willen* 9 points (2-11 FG) Feb. 21 vs. Colgate Kyle Roemer 5 points (1-12 FG) Feb. 28 at Army Cleveland Richard 9 points (3-9 FG) * Lafayette's leading scorer Jared Mintz did not play
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 Feb. 11, 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.
• 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
• Bucknell is averaging a league-low 11.8 turnovers on the season and only 10.7 in Patriot League play.
• Bucknell ranks 41st nationally out of 334 teams in turnovers per game.
• For the entire season, the Bison have more assists (361) than turnovers (355). The team has not gone an entire year with more assists than turnovers since 1992-93.
Statistically Speaking
Some other notable numbers from Bucknell's first 30 games:
• The Bison are shooting 73.4% 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 +41 on the glass in its last nine games and +23 in Patriot League play.
• The Bison shot 40% or better in seven of their first eight games, but they have eclipsed 40% in only 11 of their last 22.
• In league play the Bison are shooting only 29.8% from 3-point range.
• In 14 Patriot League games Bucknell attempted 40 more field goals than its opponents. The Bison outscored foes 951-916 in league play.
A Rookie Rarity
• In the Feb. 5 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 trio repeated the feat one game later 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.
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 1,055 minutes (35.2 per game) and has 115 assists with only 50 turnovers so far. His 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is No. 2 in the league and No. 40 in the nation. He has also now jumped into the top 10 on Bucknell's career assist chart and is one of nine players in program history with 300 assists.
Assists in a Career, Bucknell History 1. Mike Joseph 1986-90 565 2. Chris Seneca 1983-87 553 3. Pat Flannery 1976-80 505 4. Cal Puriefoy 1981-84 399 5. Abe Badmus 2003-07 375 6. Russell Peyton 1989-93 332 7. Dan Blankenship 1999-03 311 8. Darryl Shazier 2007-pres. 310 9. J.R. Holden 1994-98 308 10. Kevin Bettencourt 2002-06 296
Block Party
• Bison freshman Mike Muscala is piling up the blocked shots this season. He has 61 blocks in his 29 games, and he leads the Patriot League and ranks No. 42 nationally in blocks per game (2.1).
• Muscala is only the second individual in program history with 50 blocks in a season. Mike Butts did it three times. Against Lehigh last week, Muscala broke Butts' freshman blocks mark.
• Muscala has multiple blocks in 19 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 Muscala 2009-10 61 4. Mike Butts* 1985-86 58 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 * previous freshman record
Milestone Watch
• G.W. Boon canned his 100th and 101st career 3-point field goals against Dartmouth. He became the 15th player in program history with 100. Boon now has 119 career treys, 11th-most in program history. He needs four more to join the top 10. • Patrick Behan eclipsed the 900-point mark against Colgate on Feb. 21. • Bryan Cohen is still in his sophomore season, but he has surpassed the 600-point mark and now has 616 in his career. Cohen passed the 100-assist mark in the win over American. • Bryson Johnson needs three more 3-pointers to equal Kevin Bettencourt's freshman record of 65 (2002-03).
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 22 games, they have surrendered 10 or more offensive rebounds only eight times.
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 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds so far. He scored 11 points against Providence and had 12 rebounds against Saint Francis. Recently he produced scoring highs in back-to-back games, first with 12 against Navy and then with 15 in a win at American, and he had four straight double-figure games. Willman is fourth on the team with 115 rebounds, with many of them (48) 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. He was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.
• 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 9.3 ppg, has a team-high 62 3-pointers and is shooting 84.9% from the foul line. He was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.
• Center/forward Mike Muscala is coming on after a slow start, and he continues to lead the league in blocked shots. In his first seven games Muscala averaged 3.7 ppg and shot 27.8% from the field, but in his last 22 games he is averaging 12.0 ppg and shooting 50.7% (103-203) from the field and 84.5% (49-58) from the foul line. Muscala made his first career start against Marist on Dec. 30 and scored a team-high 18 points. He had a 23-point, 11-rebound game against Lafayette on Feb. 17. Muscala was named to both the All-Patriot League Second Team and All-Rookie Team.
• Forward Colin Klebon, a local product out of nearby Southern Columbia High School, has also seen some action this season. After playing in only one of the team's first six games, he has seen court time in 14 of the last 23, scoring 25 points over that span. Klebon tallied a career-high 11 points at La Salle.
• A freshman has been Bucknell's scoring leader in 14 of the last 24 games and 16 of 30 this season.
• So far this season, Bucknell has gotten 37.8% of its points and 32.6% of its rebounds from freshmen.
• Bucknell's freshman class is shooting 79.9% (143-179) from the free-throw line this season.
Bingo!
The NCAA instituted the 3-point shot in 1986-87, and since then Bucknell has played 707 games. The Bison have failed to make at least one 3-pointer in only five of those 707 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 188 straight games.
Bison Scholar-Athletes
The Bucknell basketball program has 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 19-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 April. 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. 2 among all Division I schools in student-athlete graduation rates, factoring a four-class average from those who entered between 1988-89 and 2001-02.
• 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.
• In the 2009 fall semester, Bucknell's combined team GPA was 3.10, led by a perfect 4.0 from freshman D.J. Rowe. In fact, Bucknell's five-man freshman class combined for a very fine 3.25 GPA, and four of the five received at least a 3.0.
Northern Exposure
Recent Bucknell recruiting classes have brought in players from warmer climates, such as Alabama (G.W. Boon), Texas (Stephen Tyree), Southern California (Zach Evans), Virginia (Patrick Behan and Darryl Shazier) and even the Bahamas (Probese Leo). Well two of this year's newcomers won't be complaining about the Pennsylvania winters. Mike Muscala is believed to be the first Bucknell player from the state of Minnesota (roster data with hometown information dates back to the 1940s). Bryson Johnson comes from even farther north. Johnson is a native of Pictou, Nova Scotia and went to high school at St. David Catholic in Ontario. While he is the first Nova Scotian to play at Bucknell, he is not the only member of the team to be born in Canada. Enoch Andoh was born in Montreal.
Attendance Champs
With an average of 2,485 fans turning out to see games at Sojka Pavilion this season, the Bison seem well on their way to winning a fifth straight Patriot League attendance title.
2009-10 PL Home Attendance Leaders 1. Bucknell 2,485 2. Holy Cross 2,196 3. Navy 2,153 4. Lafayette 1,792 5. American 1,394 6. Lehigh 1,087 7. Army 1,076 8. Colgate 479
Who's Got Next?
If Bucknell defeats Holy Cross on Wednesday, it would face the Lafayette-Colgate winner on Sunday at either 3:30 p.m. or 8 p.m., depending on whether it is picked up by CBS College Sports. The CBS CS time slot is 8 p.m.
