Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
27-5
Army
16-15
Bucknell Men Outlast Army 78-70, Advance to Patriot League Final for 10th Time
3/9/2013 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2013
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Mike Muscala posted 21 points and 14 rebounds, Cameron Ayers scored 17 of his 19 in the second half, and Bryson Johnson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game to lift top-seeded Bucknell to a 78-70 victory over No. 4 Army in a Patriot League Tournament semifinal game on Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are on to the Patriot League final for the third year in a row and 10th time in 23 years as a member of the conference, and they will host second-seeded Lafayette on Wednesday night for the league title.
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NOTE: Due to Wednesday's simultaneous championship events inside the Kenneth Langone Athletics & Recreation Center (Patriot League men's basketball final and PIAA Swimming & Diving Championships), code regulations require that the number of sold seats at Sojka Pavilion be set at 3,375.
Bucknell's ticket allotment has sold out. Should the visiting team return tickets from its allocation, they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Check BucknellBison.com on Tuesday for further updates. |
Bucknell tied the school victory record in improving to 27-5 overall, and now they will face Lafayette in the league title game for the second time in three years. The Bison defeated the Leopards 72-57 in the 2011 Patriot League championship game. Lafayette advanced with an 82-69 home win over Lehigh earlier in the day.
Muscala recorded his national-best 21st double-double of the season, and he also became the first player in Bucknell history and the fifth in Patriot League history to cross the 2,000-point plateau. He helped carry the team down the stretch, recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half, and in the final 3:30 he got to the free-throw line on three consecutive possessions, hitting 5 of 6, to stretch a two-point lead up to seven.
Ayers was also brilliant in the second half. He scored 10 of Bucknell's 13 points in one stretch, showing off an array of pull-ups and mid-range jumpers while several of his fellow starters were sidelined with foul trouble. He made 8 of 16 shots from the floor and also had five rebounds and two assists.
Army's best season since joining the Patriot League in 1990-91 came to an end with a 16-15 record. Five Black Knights scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Patriot League Rookie of the Year Kyle Wilson. Kyle Toth added 13, and Ella Ellis, Kevin Ferguson and Larry Toomey tallied 11 apiece. Ellis, a First Team All-Patriot League selection, was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble. He made only one field goal in three tries, but did damage at the line, going 9-for-10 in a game that featured a combined 46 fouls and 63 free throws.
Bucknell had not trailed in any of its last four games, but the Black Knights ended that streak when Wilson hit an early trey to give them a 3-2 lead. Johnson's 3-pointer off an offensive rebound and kick-out from Joe Willman started a 9-2 run that put the Bison right back in front.
Bucknell led 36-31 at the half and stretched that margin up to seven at 51-44 after Ayers hit a fadeaway jumper from the left baseline.
A tightly called game left both teams with foul issues and put both sides in the bonus early in the second half. Army made up its deficit primarily at the charity stripe, where it went 8-for-12 over a five-minute stretch. Two free throws by Ferguson pulled Army within 59-58, and then Wilson drove hard to the basket for a layup and a foul, and his 3-point play gave the Black Knights a 61-59 lead with 4:52 to play.
Bucknell was scrambling a bit on its next possession, but late in the shot clock Johnson found enough space to drain a clutch 3-pointer from just in front of his own bench, igniting a game-changing 10-1 run. At the other end Toth came up short on a 3-pointer. Ayers pounced on the long rebound out near the top of the key and outraced two Black Knights the length of the floor for a layup and a 64-61 lead.
After a media timeout, Ferguson tripped trying to drive to the basket and Muscala was called for his fourth foul with 3:41 left. Ferguson made 1 of 2 at the line, but then Muscala was fouled away from the ball at the other end, and he converted both free throws.
Muscala pulled down defensive rebounds on Army's next two possessions. The first led to two more free throws, and after the second, he secured yet another board on the offense end and was fouled going back up. This time he made 1 of 2, giving Bucknell a 69-62 lead with 1:48 to play.
Ellis hit a pair at the stripe to bring Army within 69-64, but sophomore point guard Steven Kaspar then made two monumental plays for the Bison. First, he drove down the middle of the lane and Ellis fouled out after coming in late to try to take a charge. Kaspar followed with the two biggest free throws of his career to build the lead back to seven.
Back at the other end, Dylan Cox drove along the baseline and tried to feed a pass to a cutter coming down the lane, but Kaspar jumped to smother the pass and came away with the steal. That led to a pair of Johnson free throws, as Army was forced to foul with under a minute to go. The Bison made 7 of 8 at the line in the final minute and 24 of 28 overall.
Bucknell's point guard platoon of Kaspar, Ryan Hill and Ryan Frazier all made big plays. Hill hit a first-half 3-pointer and finished with five points and two assists. Frazier also knocked down his only 3-point attempt and tallied five points, and he was on the floor defensively when Bucknell got those big stops down the stretch.
Ben Brackney secured a career-high five rebounds, playing 16 big minutes with Willman limited to 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Willman finished with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting to go with five rebounds and two assists.
The Bison shot 47.2 percent for the game, and most impressively, against Army's aggressive, full-court man-to-man defense, Bucknell turned the ball over only three times all night.
"This was a heck of a gut-check victory for us," said coach Dave Paulsen, who moved into sole possession of fourth place on Bucknell's career list with his 98th victory. "We showed great toughness. When they went up one and we were sort of teetering on the ropes, Bryson hit a huge shot. We had good contributions across the board. Our point guards by committee did a great job. To only have three turnovers against that kind of relentless pressure in incredible." Army shot 38.0 percent overall and made 5 of 18 3-pointers and 28 of 35 free throws.
Bucknell swept three games from Army this season, although the last two came right down to the wire. The Bison won 60-58 at West Point on Feb. 9. Bucknell has now beaten Army seven straight times. The Bison improved to 13-1 at home this season and 31-19 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
Muscala came in needing 14 points to reach 2,000 for his career. He hit the milestone with a layup with 13:05 left in the second half. He is now the only player in Patriot League history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The No. 1 seed has never failed to reach the championship game in the 23-year history of the Patriot League. Bucknell's 10th trip to the final ties Holy Cross for the most in league history.
Bucknell and Lafayette split two games during the regular season. The Bison won 66-51 at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 19, and the Leopards pulled out a 63-62 win on Tony Johnson's jumper with 0:04 left in Easton on Feb. 16.
Bucknell-Army Highlights
