Bucknell University
20-6, 10-0PL
Lafayette
11-14, 6-4PL
Bucknell Men Keep Rolling, Take Three-Game Lead in Patriot League after 90-78 Win over Lafayette
2/11/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2012
| BUY PHOTOS | Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Mike Muscala led five players in double figures with 24 points to lead Bucknell to its 12th straight victory, a 90-78 shootout over Lafayette on Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison reached the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in program history and extended the nation's longest conference winning streak to 20 games dating back to last season. Combined with second-place American's loss at Holy Cross earlier in the day, Bucknell now has a commanding three-game lead in the Patriot League with four games to play.
Now 20-6 overall and 10-0 in the Patriot League, Bucknell placed five players in double figures and racked up 90 points for the first time since Dec. 2, 2009 in a 104-98 overtime loss to Cornell. The last time the Bison scored 90 points in regulation against a Division I opponent was Jan. 14, 1998 in 91-77 win over Lafayette in Davis Gym.
The Bison got to that 90-point plateau by shooting an efficient 30-for-52 (.577) from the floor and 23-for-29 from the foul line. Muscala went a career-best 12-for-12 from the line en route to his 24 points, and he also added seven rebounds and four assists. Joe Willman had a big night with 17 points and eight rebounds. Bryan Cohen continued his offensive hot streak with 15 points, Bryson Johnson went 4-for-6 from 3-point range and finished with 14 points, while Cameron Ayers tallied 11 points and four assists.
Bucknell, which has trailed in the second half for exactly one possession in all 10 of its Patriot League games combined, faced a couple of small deficits in the first few minutes of this one before taking the league for good on a Cohen 3-pointer 3:43 into the game.
The Bison led by as many as 10 in the first half at 24-14 after a Willman tip-in, but Lafayette is a difficult team to shake thanks to its outstanding 3-point shooting. Back-to-back threes by Levi Giese and Ryan Willen quickly cut that 10-point deficit down to four, and later in the half Tony Johnson hit a trey followed by a Jim Mower free throw to cut it to 34-32. But Bucknell scored the last four points of the half, with Willman's buzzer-beater making it 38-32 at the break.
Bucknell then ripped off the first nine points coming out of the locker room to make it a 13-0 run. Ryan Hill, who had a solid game with five points, five rebounds and four assists, connected with Willman for a baseline jumper then knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bison a 47-32 lead.
After Seth Hinrichs made it an eight point game with a 3-pointer with 12:32 to play, Johnson buried a step-back three to push the lead back into double figures, and then Ayers hit from beyond the arc on the very next possession to make it 57-44.
Bucknell led by as many as 19 at 74-55 after a Willman 3-point play followed by another Johnson triple with 5:37 left. Lafayette did get back within eight in the final minute and actually had a chance to cut it to five with 40 seconds left, but Nick Petcovich's open 3-point attempt rimmed out. Cohen and Muscala combined to go 6-for-6 at the line in the last 34 seconds to ice the game.
Bucknell outrebounded Lafayette 39-22 and kept Lafayette to 43.9 percent shooting. The Leopards (11-14, 6-4) did make 11 3-pointers in 26 attempts, and they committed only five turnovers.
Rob Delaney scored a career-high 22 points to lead Lafayette. Willen added 13 and Johnson 10.
Bucknell's 12-game winning streak is now tied for seventh-longest in program history, and it is tied for the second longest since 1919. The Bison won 14 straight games in 2006-07 and also won 12 in a row in 2005-06.
The Bison have now won six in a row from Lafayette, including last year's Patriot League championship game.
Bucknell is now one of only five conference unbeatens in the nation after Harvard fell to Princeton in Ivy League action on Saturday. The 12-game winning streak is the fourth-longest active streak in Division I basketball.
The Bison are now off until Thursday, when they host Lehigh at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Bucknell-Lafayette Highlights
