Bucknell University Athletics
Top-Seeded Bison Host Army in PL Hoops Quarterfinal Game Wednesday, Tickets Remain
3/1/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2011
WHAT: #8 Army (11-18, 3-11 PL) at #1 Bucknell (22-8, 13-1 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 2, 7 p.m. ET
WEBCAST: Bison Vision 
RADIO: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH FM) and SportsJuice.com
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
TICKETS: Buy Online or call 570-577-1000
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
NOTE: Tickets remain for Bucknell's Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Army. To purchase tickets online, click the link above. Tickets may also be purchased in person at any Campus Box Office location: at the Weis Center, Elaine Langone Center or Barnes & Noble Bucknell Bookstore on Market Street. Call 570-577-1000 for more information.
With a Win over Army, Bucknell Would ...
• ... advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the 16th time in 21 years in the league. The Bison would face the Lehigh-Navy winner on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
• ... defeat Army for the second time in four days and take 2 of 3 from the Black Knights this season.
• ... reach the 23-win plateau for the sixth time in program history.
• ... win its eighth straight game and 21st in the last 23 outings.
• ... win its 11th straight home game.
• ... improve to 12-1 at home this season (8-0 vs. Patriot League foes).
• ... improve to 25-18 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
• ... improve to 6-1 against Army in the postseason and 41-19 overall against the Black Knights.
Hot Topics
• The records are wiped clean as all eight Patriot League teams begin a three-game quest for a championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. Bucknell earned the No. 1 tournament seed by virtue of a 13-1 Patriot League record, but the Bison open postseason play against the one league foe that has beaten them, eighth-seeded Army. The Black Knights trampled Bucknell 90-70 at West Point on Jan. 29, but they are 0-7 since then, including a 78-64 loss at Sojka Pavilion in the regular-season finale on Saturday night.
• Bucknell has been one of the hottest teams in the nation since Dec. 1. The Bison have won seven straight games, 16 of their last 17, and 20 of their last 22.
• Bucknell is ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll for the second straight week. This week the Bison are ranked No. 19.
• Bucknell is the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the third time. In 1993, the Bison were the top seed but lost at home to Holy Cross in the championship game. In 2006, Bucknell completed a perfect 17-0 league season by beating Holy Cross in the final.
• The Bison are in the midst of their best 22-game stretch (20-2) since the 1905-09 seasons, when the team won 28 of 30 games over a four-season span. Bucknell's only losses since Dec. 1 are at Boston College (84-80) and Army, and this current seven-game winning streak is tied for the eighth-longest in the nation.
• Bucknell fared very well in the All-Patriot League voting this week. Sophomore center Mike Muscala was named Patriot League Player of the Year, First Team All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League. Junior guard Bryan Cohen repeated as Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. Senior point guard Darryl Shazier joined Muscala on the All-Patriot League First Team, while sophomore guard Bryson Johnson earned Second Team honors. Freshman guard Cameron Ayers was named to the All-Rookie Team, and Dave Paulsen was named Patriot League Coach of the Year.
• Muscala has nine 20-point games this season and continues to lead the team in scoring (14.9), rebounding (7.4) and blocked shots (1.9). He picked up his fifth double-double of the season last time out against Army.
• Seven Bison are scoring at least 7.1 points per game. Shazier is leading the Patriot League in assists (5.6) and ranks No. 2 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.93). Shazier scored a career-high 28 points in the Jan. 8 win over Navy, and he has had two 10-assist games this season, coming against Boston College and Colgate.
• Johnson is 63-for-127 (.496) from long range in the last 19 games, including a 7-for-12 showing at Boston College, 5-for-7 efforts at Richmond and Lafayette, and a 4-for-6 performance against Colgate. Johnson leads the league and ranks 6th nationally in 3FG percentage on the season (.470).
• As a team, Bucknell is leading the Patriot League in all of the shooting categories: field-goal percentage (.451), 3-point percentage (.404) and free-throw percentage (.789). Among the national leaders, the Bison are 3rd in FT% and 11th in 3FG%.
• Defensively, Bucknell leads the league and ranks 27th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.399).
• Jeremy Hence is having a breakout year for the Black Knights, leading the team in scoring at 15.8 ppg. Hence scored 49 points in two games against Bucknell this season, including 26 on Saturday, and is shooting 51.5% from the field. Ella Ellis (14.2), who had 22 points in Sojka Pavilion on Saturday, and Julian Simmons (12.9) also score in double figures, and that trio accounts for 62.7% of Army's season scoring total.
• Army's 699 3-point attempts this season are 13th-most in the nation, and its 260 made threes rank eighth nationally. The Black Knights have made 22 3-pointers in the two meetings with Bucknell this season, with 10 of them coming by Ellis.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Army game will not be televised, however a live Webcast will be available on Bison Vision at BucknellBison.com (subscription required) as well as Patriot League All-Access at PatriotLeague.org.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 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 also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
• Live stats are on GameTracker via BucknellBison.com.
Bucknell vs. Army Series Notes
• The Bison hold a 40-19 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 swept the season series last year. During the Patriot League era, Army had never beaten Bucknell twice in a row until that recent four-game streak.
• 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 22-4 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 39 of 48 meetings.
• In Patriot League Tournament action, Bucknell is 5-1 against Army. The Black Knights' lone win came at home as the No. 7 seed in 1995, a 94-78 upset that was buoyed by Mark Lueking's 43 points. Bucknell defeated Army in quarterfinal games in 1991 (67-49), 1992 (74-55), 2002 (70-59) and 2006 (59-47) as well as in the 2007 semifinals (68-47).
• In this year's first meeting, Army shot 53.4% and ended Bucknell's nine-game winning streak with a 90-70 decision at Christl Arena. The Black Knights knocked down 12 3-pointers, and all five starters scored in double figures, led by 23 from Jeremy Hence. Mike Muscala led the Bison with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Joe Willman had his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
• In the rematch this past Saturday at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison used a balanced offensive attack and strong defense to beat Army 78-64. The Black Knights started the game 1-for-16 from the field and finished at 36.7% on the day. Bucknell shot 55.2% in the second half after a similarly slow start and led by as many as 22 in the second half. Seven players scored between seven and 12 points, led by Bryan Cohen with 12. Muscala recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots, and the Bison bench outscored Army's 35-6.
Patriot League Success
• The Bison are 188-92 (.671) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 17 of 21 seasons (including this season).
• 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.
Patriot League Tournament Success
Bucknell has an all-time record of 24-18 in 20 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 20 years. Bucknell's streak of eight straight first-round wins came to an end in 2009 at Holy Cross.
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
2010 2 lost Holy Cross 67-64
2011 1 --
Bucknell as the No. 1 Seed
• This is the third time Bucknell has been the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. In three other seasons, the Bison earned co-regular season titles but lost out on the No. 1 seed on tiebreakers.
• Bucknell is 5-1 while playing as the No. 1 seed.
• In 1993, the Bison were seeded No. 1 but lost at home to Holy Cross in the championship game.
• The last time Bucknell was the top seed was in the 2006 tourney, and that season the Bison defeated the Crusaders at home in the final to cap a perfect 17-0 league season.
No. 1 Seeds in Tournament History
• The No. 1 seeds have dominated throughout the 20-year history of the Patriot League Tournament. The top seed has never failed to reach the championship game, and it has won the title in 15 of 20 seasons, including each of the last five.
• No. 1 seeds are 48-5 all-time in the tournament.
• The last time a No. 1 failed to win the title was Holy Cross in the 2005 tournament, when No. 2 Bucknell beat the Crusaders in the championship game at the Hart Center.
• 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
• Mike Muscala became just the third sophomore to win Patriot League Player of the Year honors. The other two were Tim Szatko of Holy Cross in 2001 and Adonal Foyle of Colgate in 1996.
• Muscala is Bucknell's fourth Player of the Year, joining Patrick King in 1992, Mike Bright in 1993 and Charles Lee in 2006.
• Bryan Cohen became the first two-time winner of the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Award. Cohen also won it last season. He is the fourth Bucknell player to win the award in its seven-year history. Abe Badmus earned the inaugural award in 2005, Stephen Tyree won it as a sophomore in 2008, and Cohen has won it each of the last two seasons.
• Dating back to Bucknell's days in the East Coast Conference, Bucknell has now claimed a first team all-conference player in 25 of the last 28 seasons. With Muscala and Darryl Shazier earning first team honors in 2011, the Bison have two first team selections for the first time since 2006, when Lee and Chris McNaughton were so honored.
• Bryson Johnson (second team) and Muscala were both All-Rookie selections last season.
• Bucknell has now had 41 All-Patriot League players (26 first team, 15 second team). That is the most in the league, just ahead of Holy Cross' 36.
• Bucknell has now claimed 14 all-rookie selections since joining the Patriot League in 1990-91, and the Bison have now had an all-rookie pick in nine of the last 10 years after Cameron Ayers made the team this season.
• Dave Paulsen's selection as Patriot League Coach of the Year gives Bucknell five such honorees. Charlie Woollum captured the award in 1993, and Pat Flannery won it in 1995, 1997 and 2006.
More from Saturday's Army Game
• After slow offensive starts from both teams, the Bison pulled out to a 12-2 lead, had a 30-22 halftime edge and led by as many as 22 in the second half before prevailing 78-64.
• The Bison shot 55.2% in the second half after a 37.5% first half. They outscored Army 48-42 in the final 20 minutes.
• Bucknell went just 5-for-21 (.238) from 3-point range, but it was 20-for-32 (.625) inside the arc.
• Bryan Cohen led the team with 12 points, while Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and Cameron Ayers added 11 each. Seven Bison scored at least seven points, and the bench outscored Army's 35-6.
• Muscala recorded his fifth double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and he added six blocked shots, his second-highest total of the season.
• Johnson set a season-high with six rebounds along with his 11 points. He went 3-for-8 from 3-point range, including a big one just before halftime.
• Darryl Shazier scored seven points and added seven assists without a turnover in 32 minutes.
• Enoch Andoh continued his recent outstanding play, producing a season-high eight points (3-3 FG, 2-2 FT) in 11 minutes.
•Jeremy Hence (26) and Ella Ellis (22) combined for 48 of Army's 64 points. Ellis hit six of Army's 10 3-pointers.
Statistically Speaking
Some other notable numbers from Bucknell's first 30 games:
• Bucknell has a 438-to-336 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best mark in the Patriot League and 25th-best in the nation. The Bison have had a negative ratio only six times all season, against Marquette, Loyola, Dartmouth, Richmond, American and Lafayette. Their 11.2 turnovers per game is the 23rd-best mark in Division I basketball.
• The Bison as a team are shooting 40.4% from long range, up from last season's 32.9% mark. Bucknell ranks 11th nationally in 3-point accuracy. The Bison are trying to shoot 40% from 3-point range for only the fourth time in school history, and for the first time since 1988-89.
• Bucknell's 45.1% field-goal shooting is the best mark in the Patriot League, and the Bison rank No. 1 in the league and No. 3 in the nation in free-throw percentage at 78.9%.
• While the team's 3-point percentage is up, a lower percentage of Bucknell's total shots have come from beyond the 3-point arc. So far 30.8% of the team's attempts have come from long range, down from 34.7% last year and 35.0% in 2008-09.
• Bucknell has recorded an assist on 59.0% of its field goals this season. By comparison, last year the team was credited with an assist on only 51.6% of its baskets.
• Bucknell has scored 70 or more points in 17 of its last 20 games, but had a streak of eight straight 70-point games snapped against American on Feb. 9. Prior to this season, the last time a Bucknell team reached 70 in eight consecutive games was all the way back in 1995-96. The Bison have scored 70+ points 21 times so far, their most since doing it 22 times in Hall-of-Fame coach Charlie Woollum's final season in 1993-94.
• The Bison have held 13 of their last 17 opponents under 40% shooting from the field.
• Bucknell's average margin of victory in its 13 Patriot League wins is 12.5.
• The team has 13 double-digit wins this season, its most since recording 18 in 2005-06.
• The Bison are 13-0 when outrebounding opponents this season.
• The Bison are 6-1 when Mike Muscala scores fewer than 10 points in a game this season (only loss was at Marquette).
• Bucknell has averaged less than five steals per game all season, but in the last two games has 18 thefts.
Who's Got Next?
• Should Bucknell advance out of the quarterfinal round, it would host the winner of the Lehigh-Navy game on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The game would be televised live on CBS College Sports.
