Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
11-6, 1-0PL
Army
7-9, 0-1PL
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknell | 44 | 31 | 75 |
| Army | 29 | 30 | 59 |
Bucknell Men Open Patriot League Play with 75-59 Win at Army
1/7/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2012
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Mike Muscala recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocks to help Bucknell get off to a good start in Patriot League play with a 75-59 road win over Army on Saturday at Christa Arena. Cameron Ayers added 14 points and four assists, and the Bison received a huge lift from its bench in improving to 11-6 overall.
The Bison shot 60 percent in the first half and led by as many as 19 early on before taking a 15-point halftime lead. They withstood one Army flurry in the second half that cut the lead to eight before finishing it off at the free-throw line.
Bucknell got 25 points and 14 rebounds from its bench, led by nine points from Bryson Johnson and eight points and seven rebounds from Brian Fitzpatrick. Ryan Hill, in his third game as the starting point guard, had his best game yet with eight points, three assists, two steals and no turnovers in 26 minutes. Joe Willman added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Army, which had won 4 of 5 coming in and was trying to get to .500 on the season, was led by 17 points from Josh Herbeck. Top scorer Ella Ellis was held to 14 on 5-for-19 shooting.
Bucknell got out to a quick start behind Muscala, who scored all eight points in an 8-1 run to begin the contest. After Muscala scored the first eight, Ayers accounted for the next eight, with his 3-pointer giving the Bison a 16-6 advantage. Johnson became the first Bison other than Muscala or Ayers to score, and his trey made it 19-6 at the 11:01 mark.
Bucknell held Army to two field goals in the first 15 minutes, although the Black Knights hung around with some free throws in a foul-filled first half. But Fitzpatrick came off the bench and hit two free throws followed by a short jump-hook in the lane, and Bucknell had its largest lead of 19 points at 33-14.
Army (7-9) warmed up a bit late in the half and pulled within 11 at 36-25 after an 11-3 run, but Ayers ended the run with a pull-up jumper in the lane. Ben Brackney made two free throws to put Bucknell up 40-27, and then Hill finished a spectacular spinning layup to push the lead back to 15. After an Andrew Stire layup for Army, Brackney hit a jumper with 36 seconds left and the Bison had a good final defensive possession to take a 44-29 lead into the locker room.
The Black Knights scored the first five points of the second half to get back within 10. After Muscala's dunk put the Bison back up by 15 at 51-36, Army scored seven straight points, capped by a Milton Washington layup, to get back within eight with 12:33 to play.
A big swing occurred at about the 10-minute mark when Muscala made two free throws and then Mo Williams missed the front end of a 1-and-1. At the other end, Hill drained a 3-pointer, and after Army was called for a moving pick, Willman drove to the basket for a layup to give the Bison a 60-45 lead with 9:26 left.
Bucknell scored its next 12 points from the free-throw line, as the last eight minutes of the contest ground to a halt with a flurry of foul calls. Even without making a field goal for more than six minutes, the Bison were able to extend their lead back to 17 at 69-52 on a pair of Johnson charity tosses with 4:22 to play.
Bucknell has now won three straight and improved to 5-5 on the road. Including the Patriot League Tournament, this was Bucknell's 11th straight victory against Patriot League opposition. There were a combined 51 fouls and 61 free throws in the game. The Bison shot 44.9 percent overall and went 7-for-12 from 3-point range and 24-for-31 from the line. Army shot 33.3 percent and made only four 3-pointers, half of its season average.
The Bison return home on Wednesday to face Colgate at 7 p.m.
