Bucknell University
12-6, 2-0PL
Colgate
5-11, 0-2PL
Bucknell Men Now 2-0 in Patriot League after 70-57 Win over Colgate
1/11/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2012
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bryson Johnson scored a game-high 17 points Wednesday night, and Bryan Cohen and Mike Muscala added 13 each to lead Bucknell to a 70-57 win over Colgate and a 2-0 start in Patriot League play. The victory was the fourth in a row overall and 12th straight against conference opponents for the Bison, who are now 12-6 on the season.
Muscala added 11 rebounds to give him his eight double-double of the season, and point guard Ryan Hill dished out a career high eight assists for Bucknell, which shot 52.9 percent from the field and led by at least eight points for the game's final 22 minutes.
The Bison led 38-29 after shooting 55.6 percent in the first half, but the key swing in the game came with about nine minutes remaining. Colgate had the ball down by eight points at 52-44 but threw the ball away on the left wing. At the other end, Johnson was left wide open for one of his five 3-pointers. The Raiders turned it over again on their next possession, and Cohen followed with a 17-foot jumper to push the lead up to a commanding 13 points at 57-44. Bucknell led by double digits the rest of the way.
Cohen had a big second half, when he scored 11 of his 13 points, including Bucknell's first nine of the period. Cohen, who was 6-for-8 from the field in the game, is now just 31 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
Colgate was hot from 3-point range early on. The Raiders canned treys on three straight possessions and started 4-for-6 from long distance. A three by Mitch Rolls gave Colgate a 16-13 lead, but Bucknell countered with a 10-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Johnson and Cameron Ayers, to assume the lead for good.
Bucknell tightened up defensively after Colgate's early 3-point flurry. The Bison conceded only one trey in the second half, a deep banked-in shot from Pat Moore with 14:30 to play. Bucknell held Colgate to 32.0 percent shooting in the second half and 37.0 percent for the game. Moore and Brandon James led the Raiders with 10 points each.
Muscala was honored prior to the game for scoring his 1,000th point earlier in the season, and his 13 points move him up to 27th place on Bucknell's all-time scoring list with 1,072. He also blocked the 160th shot of his career, which ties him for second all-time with Dan Bowen.
The Bison are now 7-1 at home this season and 91-30 all-time at Sojka Pavilion. This was Bucknell's fifth straight win over Colgate and its ninth in a row at home against the Raiders.
Bucknell, Holy Cross and Lafayette are all off to 2-0 starts in Patriot League play. The Bison will be at Lafayette on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a rematch of last year's conference title game.
Bucknell-Colgate Highlights
