Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
3-5
Fairfield
2-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknell | 18 | 29 | 25 | 72 |
| Fairfield | 24 | 23 | 19 | 66 |
Kaspar Leads Resilient Bison to 72-66 Overtime Win at Fairfield
12/1/2014 10:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Now 3-5 on the season, Bucknell set a new program record for most points scored in an overtime period with 25. The Bison, who had not played an OT contest since the 2010-11 season, surpassed the previous mark of 20 points set in a win over Hofstra on Jan. 28, 1987.
The 25 points were also seven more than Bucknell scored in the entire first half, when 22-percent shooting led to a 24-18 halftime deficit. Kaspar, who was strong defensively against Fairfield scoring leader Marcus Gilbert, turned into the offensive catalyst in overtime.
The Bison earned a defensive stop to start overtime, and then on their first possession J.C. Show picked out Kaspar in the right corner, and he buried a 3-pointer. On the next sequence, Foulland turned an offensive rebound into a 3-point play, and suddenly Bucknell had a six-point lead.
After K.J. Rose's trey pulled Fairfield within 55-52, Kaspar hit another bomb, this one from the top of the key. Following a Fairfield miss, Kaspar was fouled in the backcourt and made both free throws for a 60-52 lead. The Stags hit a couple of tough shots, but the Bison kept knocking down their free throws. They made 12 straight in one stretch and were 13-for-14 in the extra session and 21-for-25 for the game.
“I am so proud of the team for staying the course and gutting out a win on the road,” said coach Dave Paulsen. “Steven Kaspar epitomized that effort with his outstanding defense and then obviously hitting some big shots in overtime. Here is a senior captain who we took out of the starting lineup, coming in off the bench and flat-out winning a game for us. I couldn't be happier for Steven. What a great role model he is for the younger guys in terms of sticking with it when things might not be going perfectly.”
Kaspar was not the only one who came up big late in the game after some early struggles. Hass was 0-for-7 and scoreless at the half, but he got going with a couple of drives to the basket to start the second period. Then he sparked the late comeback with three straight jumpers in the final five minutes, and he went 6-for-6 from the foul line in overtime.
Same goes for the freshman Show, who was 0-for-7 from the field when he drained a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:20 left in regulation. Show then scored six points in overtime to finish with nine on the night.
“Last year we were in a similar game against Fairfield at home, but we didn't have the resolve to get stops down the stretch,” said Paulsen. “Tonight we got stops, took care of the ball and made some free throws, which are the things that allow you to stay in a game when you are not making shots.”
The Bison got out to a solid start and took a 13-6 lead after Hoffman, Foulland and Cory Starkey accounted for the points in a 7-0 run. But led by 6-11 shot-blocker Malcolm Gilbert, Fairfield tightened up defensively in the final 12 minutes of the half.
Bucknell's lead was 16-13 after a Hoffman elbow jumper, but the Bison missed their next 13 field-goal attempts during a 7:49 scoreless drought. The Stags scored 11 straight points in that span and took a 24-16 lead on a pair of Amadou Sidibe free throws. Hoffman ended the dry spell with a jumper with 45 seconds left in the half to make it a six-point game at the break.
Bucknell shot just 22.2 percent (8-36) in the first half, with nine of the 28 misses coming on Fairfield blocked shots. Malcolm Gilbert had five of those in 10 minutes of action.
Hass scored on a layup and hit three free throws early in the second to get Bucknell within 27-23. But a 3-point play by Mike Kirkland Jr. capped a quick 7-0 run for the Stags and gave them their first double-digit lead at 34-23.
The Fairfield cushion went up to 12 after a Coleman Johnson 3-point play with 11:24 left, but then Bucknell struck back with an 8-2 run. John Azzinaro hit the team's first trey of the night after an 0-for-8 start, and back-to-back buckets by Hoffman cut it to 41-35 with 7:45 to play.
Hass' left-wing jumper made it a four-point game with 5:06 left, and then Show's steal gave the Bison a chance to make it a one-possession game. D.J. MacLeay's shot in the lane rimmed out, however, and then Kaspar was whistled for a hand-check foul with five seconds left on the shot clock. Rose made both ends of a 1-and-1 to push Fairfield's lead back to six with 4:05 left.
Hass responded with a 16-footer, and then another good defensive stand went unrewarded when Marcus Gilbert banked in a crazy shot from the left elbow with Kaspar draped all over him as the shot clock expired. Again Hass answered, this time with a long trey. Rose missed two free throws at the other end, and Show tied it with a 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Hoffman.
Foulland rebounded Tyler Nelson's miss, and the Bison had a chance to go ahead in the final minute. Hass' 3-point attempt was partially blocked, and the ball went out-of-bounds off Kaspar.
Fairfield (2-5) went to Rose at the other end, but his contested runner in the lane was off the mark. Ryan Frazier grabbed the loose ball but was called for a travel in the scrum with one second remaining. Nelson's tough fadeaway jumper from the right corner was off the mark as the buzzer sounded, and the Bison took the lead for good on Kaspar's trey 53 seconds into overtime.
After the 8-for-36 showing in the first half, the Bison went 15-for-27 after the intermission, including 5-for-6 in overtime. Bucknell turned 13 offensive rebounds into a 16-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bison finished with a 37-36 edge on the glass, led by seven from Hoffman and committed only 10 turnovers. Kaspar added five assists, four rebounds and two steals to his eight points.
Defensively, Bucknell forced 17 Fairfield miscues and limited the Stags to 42.3 percent shooting on their home floor. The Bison defeated Fairfield for the first time in four all-time meetings and avenged a 73-64 home loss to the Stags last season.
Rose led Fairfield with a career-high 26 points, well beyond his 5.5 scoring average entering the night.
Bucknell is back in action on Saturday at Columbia at 7 p.m.
