Bucknell University
15-8, 6-1PL
Army
11-11, 3-4PL
Bucknell's 9-Game Win Streak Ended by Hot-Shooting Army, 90-70
1/29/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2011
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Cameron Ayers scored a career-high 17 points and Mike Muscala had 20 points and nine rebounds, but Army was virtually unstoppable offensively and ended Bucknell's nine-game winning streak with a 90-70 win Saturday afternoon at Christl Arena. The Bison suffered their first loss since Boston College on Dec. 22 and fell to 15-8 overall and 6-1 in the Patriot League, while Army improved to 11-11, 3-4.
Joe Willman added 11 points and 11 rebounds and Bryan Cohen had 11 points for Bucknell, which saw its Patriot League lead trimmed to one game as American won at home against Lafayette.
The Black Knights came into the game ranked third in the nation in made 3-pointers, and they showed why on Saturday with a terrific shooting exhibition. Army shot 53.4 percent overall and went 12-for-26 from the arc and 16-for-19 from the foul line.
All five Army starters scored in double figures, led by Jeremy Hence with 23 points. Julian Simmons added 15, Ella Ellis 14, Jason Pancoe 12 and Nathan Hedgecock 11.
Army was piping hot in the first half en route to a 42-34 halftime lead, shooting 60.7 percent (17-28) overall and 63.6 percent (7-11) from 3-point range.
There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first nine minutes of the game before Army made the first big run. The Black Knights scored 10 straight points as part of a 14-2 run, with two straight Mitch McDonald baskets giving them a 30-19 lead.
The Bison answered with a 9-0 run of their own, coming on six points by Muscala and a 3-pointer by Ayers. After a Simmons layup, Cohen found Willman alone for a layup, and then Willman tied the game at 32 with a pair of free throws with 3:37 left.
But the Black Knights closed the half on a 10-2 spurt, keyed by 3-pointers by Hence and Pancoe and capped by a Hence fadeaway jumper just before the buzzer.
A couple of 3-pointers by Darryl Shazier helped Bucknell cut into the lead early in the second half, but ultimately the Bison could not keep up with Army's outside shooting. The teams traded baskets over an eight-minute span, but Army's points were coming three at a time. Ellis's second-chance trey built the Black Knights' lead up to 10 at 54-44, and soon after Ellis hit another 3-pointer and Josh Herbeck hit one from deep in the left corner to make it 60-48.
With 6:10 to play Army put an exclamation point on the affair with a steal on the baseline followed by a breakaway jam by Cartavious Kincade. Army led by as many as 20 on a couple of occasions in the final minutes.
Bucknell shot 47.2 percent overall and went 8-for-21 from the arc and 12-for-15 from the line. The Bison had an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers, including a season-high four by Shazier, who was playing with an illness and was limited to 24 minutes. Shazier, who came into the game ranked No. 2 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, did have four assists and six points.
Muscala went 10-for-15 from the floor in his eighth 20-point game of the year. He also had nine rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
In addition to the nine-game winning streak ending, Bucknell also saw its five-game road streak end. The Bison were trying to complete a perfect month of January for the first time since 1918-19.
The Bison will now have a week off before returning to action next Saturday at home against Navy at 7 p.m. The annual Alumni Game will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sojka Pavilion.
