Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
7-9, 2-1PL
Lafayette
9-5, 1-2PL
Big Night from Freshman Class Lifts Bucknell Men to 79-69 Home Win over Lafayette
1/7/2015 10:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Note: The monthly Backcourt Club luncheon will be held on Thursday at noon at La Primavera Restaurant on Rt. 45 in Lewisburg. Coach Dave Paulsen and members of the Bison team will be in attendance and talk about recent and upcoming games.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Seeing extensive playing time for the first time in his career, freshman Zach Thomas recorded 21 points and eight rebounds, and junior Chris Hass picked up his first double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to send Bucknell to a 79-69 victory over Lafayette on Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion. Steven Kaspar added 10 points and four assists while leading a solid defensive effort against a prolific offensive team, and the Bison improved to 2-1 in the Patriot League, 7-9 overall.
Bucknell erased an early eight-point deficit with a 17-4 run, then stretched a six-point halftime lead up to as many as 18 in a dominant second half. The Bison held the sharpshooting Leopards to 38.0 percent shooting, but the buzz all around the arena was for Thomas and the rest of the freshman class that combined for 35 points, 18 rebounds and six blocked shots in the game.
Thomas came into the night with two field goals and eight points in 17 total minutes across four appearances. He had yet to attempt a 3-pointer, but he went 4-for-4 from the arc and 7-for-11 overall in 20 minutes of action. Thomas checked in for the first time at the 14:41 mark with the Bison down 10-2 and struggling offensively. Moments later he tracked down a loose ball and fed Hass for a 3-pointer, then Thomas splashed a three of his own to get the Bison going.
“Zach has been close to getting in the rotation for a few weeks, he just had to get up to speed on some of the things that we value in our program, particularly at the defensive end,” said coach Dave Paulsen. “We have known all along that he is going to be very talented offensive player. He was nothing short of exceptional tonight. He works hard, and we are confident that he will keep improving the other aspects of his game.”
Freshman guard J.C. Show made his first collegiate start and played a smart game with nine points, an assist, two steals and no turnovers in 25 minutes. Show did not attempt a shot in the first half, but he scored Bucknell's first seven points of the second, including a 3-pointer that gave the Bison a 39-30 lead.
The third freshman in the rotation, current Patriot League Rookie of the Week Nana Foulland, was limited to four points, but he contributed eight rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots.
Lafayette (9-5, 1-2 PL) came into the game ranked second nationally in 3-point accuracy at 42.9 percent, and the Leopards also led the league in field-goal percentage (49.4) and free-throw percentage (75.9). The Bison limited them to 1-for-6 from the arc in the first half, and although Lafayette did hit 6 of 9 in the second, every one of those came with Bucknell owning a double-digit lead at the time.
The Leopards had hit at least 10 treys in six of their last seven games, and this was the first time all year that they have been held under 40 percent from the field. Dan Trist paced Lafayette with 20 points, while Seth Hinrichs and Joey Ptasinski added 12 points each.
“I thought we defended extremely well against one of the best offensive teams in the country, and certainly one of the best in the Patriot League,” said Paulsen. “Cory Starkey and Steven Kasper did a terrific job defensively against two very talented, veteran players, and Ryan Frazier handled coming off the bench for the first time this season like the champion and leader that he is.”
Kaspar came off the bench and hit three straight buckets, the last two on consecutive drives down the lane for layups, giving the Bison the lead for the first time at 14-12. Lafayette tied it momentarily on a Trist layup, but John Azzinaro followed with a driving layup and Kaspar fed Thomas for another 3-pointer to put the Bison ahead to stay.
It was a one-point game at 19-18 when Hass tipped in a miss to ignite an 8-0 run. Kaspar made a pretty dish to Foulland for a fastbreak layup, Hass added two free throws, and D.J. MacLeay scored in the post on a feed from Show to give the Bison a 27-18 lead.
Lafayette closed within 32-26 at the break, but Show's trey early in the second half stretched it back to nine, and a Hass layup gave Bucknell a double-digit advantage for the first time at 43-32.
Foulland's brightest moments came just inside 10 minutes to play. First he took a jump pass from Hass and completed a 3-point play, then he blocked three shots in a span of two defensive possessions, the last of which led to a Hass fastbreak finish and a commanding 61-44 lead.
The Bison led by as many as 18 after Thomas converted a 3-point play with 3:42 to play, and they hit 10 of 11 free throws down the stretch to offset some late threes by the Leopards.
“This was a great team victory,” said Paulsen. “The second team prepared us very well in practice to go up against a team that is very difficult to defend. But we said the same thing a week ago after the American game, and then we lost a bit of our edge in the second half at Colgate. The challenge now is to keep it going at Holy Cross on Saturday.”
Bucknell improved to 5-2 at home this season and 16-1 against Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion, with the lone loss coming last year.
The team also celebrated the 11th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball event. A silent auction and raffle drawing were held, with proceeds benefitting Suncom Industries, a local non-profit organization that provides services to adults with disabilities.
At 2-1 in the Patriot League, Bucknell remains one game behind Boston University and Colgate, who both won on Wednesday to improve to 3-0 in league play. Navy is also 2-1 after falling at home to the Terriers.
Bucknell will be back in action on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Holy Cross.
