Bison Wrap up Non-League Slate Saturday vs. Fairfield at Sojka Pavilion

12/26/2013 3:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: TBD

What: Fairfield (2-9) at Bucknell (5-5)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, 2 p.m.
Internet Video: Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network (free)
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or buy online

With a Win over Fairfield, Bucknell Would ...
• ... finish the non-conference slate over .500 (6-5) for the fourth year in a row.
• ... defeat the Stags for the first time (1-2).
• ... finish the 2013 calendar year with a 22-9 record.
• ... improve to 3-1 at home this season.
• ... improve to 115-34 all-time at Sojka Pavilion.

Headlines
• Bucknell has played just once in the last 21 days, that a 69-51 loss at Marist on Dec. 20. The Bison got way behind early in that one and could never recover, and they saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
• On Saturday Bucknell and Fairfield meet for the first time since the 1991-92 season. The Stags are 2-0 all-time against the Bison.
• The Bison have played only three home games to date, but Saturday's contest kicks off a stretch where they will play three straight and four out of five at Sojka Pavilion.
• This will be Bucknell's final non-conference game of the regular season. With the addition of Boston University and Loyola Maryland this season, all Patriot League teams are playing 18 conference games for the first time. That means the league schedule starts on Jan. 2, and teams will play two PL games per week straight through to the postseason. Bucknell opens up league play on Jan. 2 against American at home.
• Senior Cameron Ayers continues to lead the team in scoring at 13.8 ppg. Brian Fitzpatrick is making the most of his increased role this season. After serving as Mike Muscala's backup for the last two years, Fitzpatrick is averaging 11.4 ppg and shooting 59.5% from the field. Fitzpatrick scored a team-high 16 points in each of Bucknell's two victories just before the final exam break.
• This is a “new-look” Bison squad, as three standout players from last year's NCAA Tournament team have graduated (Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson, Joe Willman). Three Bucknell players made their first career starts at Stanford (Brian Fitzpatrick, Dom Hoffman, Ben Brackney), Ryan Frazier started for the first time in his career at Penn State, and Chris Hass did the same against Saint Francis.
• Bucknell returned two starters and 11 lettermen from last year's squad that won a school-record 28 games, captured Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history.
• Fairfield opened the season with a victory over Sacred Heart, then lost eight games in a row before topping Northeastern on Dec. 15. Most recently, the Stags dropped a 74-58 decision at Wisconsin-Green Bay last Saturday. Fairfield lost three starters and six lettermen from last year's team that won 19 games and played in the CIT. Marcus Gilbert leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. Maurice Barrow, the team's lone senior, also scores in double figures at 11.6 ppg.

How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Fairfield game will not be televised, however a free live webcast will be available on Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong calling the action. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off.
• The audio feed is available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
• Live stats can be accessed at BucknellBison.com.

Bucknell vs. Fairfield Series Notes
• Bucknell and Fairfield played a two-game series in 1990-91 and 1991-92, and those are the only two all-time meetings between the two programs.
• In the first meeting at Fairfield, the Stags won handily 94-67. A year later in Davis Gym, Fairfield won again 77-70.
• Brian Fitzpatrick, Cameron Ayers, and Joshea Singleton are the only Bucknell players who were alive the last time these two teams played. Fitzpatrick was two years old, and Ayers and Singleton were four and three months old, respectively.

Bucknell vs. The MAAC
• Bucknell is 44-48 (.478) all-time against the teams that currently comprise the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, including last week's loss at Marist. In addition to their 5-4 record against Marist, the Bison are 30-24 against Rider, 4-5 vs. Niagara, 2-2 vs. Manhattan, 2-4 vs. Iona, 1-0 vs. St. Peter's, 0-6 vs. Canisius, 0-2 vs. Fairfield and 0-1 vs. Siena.

Last Time Out
• It was a tough night for the Bison in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Dec. 20. Coming off a 13-day layoff for final exams, Bucknell fell behind 16-0 and 21-3 en route to a 69-51 loss at Marist.
• Bucknell shot a season-low 28.8% from the floor, compared to 45.8% for Marist. The Red Foxes started out 5-for-7 from 3-point range.
• Steven Kaspar led the Bison with 13 points, although he scored the team's last 12 points of the night in the final 3:13. Cameron Ayers also reached double figures with 10 points, pushing him over the 1,200-point mark for his career.
• Bucknell did get to the free-throw line effectively against Marist. The Bison were 15-for-20 from the line, compared to Marist's 9-for-10.
• Bucknell's 13 turnovers were a season high, as were its 12 forced turnovers and six steals.

Numbers Worth Noting
• Through six games Bucknell was shooting 50.6% as a team, but in the last four games the Bison have shot just 36.6%, bringing their season mark down to 45.2%.
• In each of the last two seasons, Bucknell led the nation in defensive rebounding percentage (i.e. percentage of opponents' missed shots that Bucknell has rebounded). This year, despite playing almost exclusively with a four-guard lineup, the Bison still rank a respectable 19th out of 351 Division I teams in DR%. Last year, led by senior big men Mike Muscala and Joe Willman, Bucknell grabbed 79.0% of its opponents' misses. This year that figure is still a solid 76.5%, and the Bison have outrebounded six of their 10 opponents so far, even though their leading rebounder is point guard Steven Kaspar at 4.5 rpg.
• Bucknell had been struggling to get to the free-throw line for awhile. After going 24-31 at the line in the win at Penn State, the Bison are a combined 77-for-99 in the eight games since then. That includes the Saint Francis game on Nov. 16 when the Bison did not attempt a single free throw. Bucknell has made some strides in this area in the last two games, shooting a combined 44 FTs against Columbia and Marist, but the Bison still rank fifth-to-last in the nation in free-throw attempts (13.9per game) on the season.
• When the Bison do get to the line, they usually convert. Bucknell ranks No. 5 nationally in free-throw percentage (.784), trailing only Incarnate Word (.842), Providence (.816), Lafayette (.802) and Boston College (.792).
• Conversely, Bucknell has done well to avoid foul trouble this season. The Bison have committed 15.4 fouls per game, the seventh-lowest figure in the country.
• Bucknell has typically ranked among the very best in the nation in fewest turnovers under coach Dave Paulsen, and this year has been no different. The Bison are averaging only 9.9 turnovers per game to rank 11th nationally.
• Bucknell's center combo of Brian Fitzpatrick and Dom Hoffman are shooting a combined 59.7% from the field (80-134) while averaging 18.3 ppg.
• Last season Bucknell featured one of the nation's most prolific shot-blockers in Mike Muscala. So far this season the Bison have blocked only six shots in 10 games, compared to 46 by their opponents.
• Through 10 games the Bison are shooting 45.2% from the field and 42.2% from 3-point range. They rank eighth nationally in 3FG%.

Who's Got Next?
• After the Fairfield game Bucknell will shift its focus to the Patriot League schedule. The Bison open league play on Jan. 2 at home against American.
• Bucknell will put an eight-game winning streak on the line against the Eagles, who are 3-7 on the season heading into Sunday's road tilt at Maryland-Eastern Shore.