Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Lehigh Wednesday on ASN/PLN
2/9/2016 4:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
What: Lehigh (9-14, 7-5 PL) at Bucknell (13-10, 10-2 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2016, 7 p.m.
TV: American Sports Network (Where to Find It)
Webcast: Patriot League Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Satellite Radio: XM 203
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Promotions: Free rally towels to first 1,500 fans, courtesy of Matty's Sporthouse Grill; a cappella singing contest
• COMPLETE GAME NOTES
Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Stephen Brown (9.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.2 apg)
G: Ryan Frazier (8.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)
G: Chris Hass (17.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
F: Dom Hoffman (5.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
C: Nana Foulland (12.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
With a Win over Lehigh, Bucknell Would ...
• ... improve to 14-10 overall and 11-2 in Patriot League play.
• ... start 11-2 or better in the Patriot League for the eighth time in 26 years in the league.
• ... maintain a three-game lead in the Patriot League.
• ... sweep the season series from the Mountain Hawks for the first time since 2010-11. The teams have split the regular-season meetings in each of the last four seasons.
• ... improve to 7-5 at home this season and 99-22 all-time against Patriot League opponents at Sojka Pavilion.
Headlines
• The two teams picked first (Lehigh) and second (Bucknell) in the Patriot League preseason poll match up on Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion. While the Bison have been situated at the top of the PL leaderboard from the very start, Lehigh is trying to make a late rally. After alternating losses and wins throughout the first half of league play, the Mountain Hawks have now won three in a row to get back into contention.
• Bucknell responded nicely after last Wednesday's loss at American by trouncing Holy Cross 77-52 at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon. The victory, coupled with a loss by second-place Navy, upped Bucknell's lead to a full three games in the Patriot League with six games to go. Jockeying for position behind the Bison are four teams at 7-5 (Navy, Boston University, Lehigh and Loyola) and another at 7-6 (Colgate).
• Bucknell is 10-2 after 12 Patriot League games for the ninth time since the formation of the conference in 1990-91. That comes on the heels of a seven-game losing streak to close out the non-league slate. The Bison have never had a winning season in which it endured a downturn of that length. Prior to this season, Bucknell had 14 losing streaks of seven or more games — 12 coming prior to 1971 — and finished below .500 in each of those seasons.
• The Bison have scored 80 or more points 12 times and 90 or more four times, and despite a rough shooting night at American last week, they rank a close second in the Patriot League in scoring at 79.1 points per game. Back on Jan. 9 they had a 98-point showing against Holy Cross — their most points in a league game in 22 years — in which they knocked down 16 3-pointers. Bucknell made 40 field goals and tossed in 94 points against Army West Point on Jan. 30. The Bison rank 46th nationally in points per game.
• Including his 40-point game at Army West Point on Jan. 2, senior Chris Hass is averaging a team-best 17.4 points per game. That is the second-best mark in the Patriot League behind Army's Tanner Plomb. Hass canned a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 29-point performance against N.C. State on Dec. 5. Hass also had 26 against Wake Forest on Nov. 15 and has had at least 18 points in all but six games so far. Hass became Bucknell's 39th all-time 1,000-point scorer in the game against Columbia, and he now ranks 16th on Bucknell's career scoring list (1,256).
• Sophomore point guard Stephen Brown has been sensational in Patriot League play, averaging 11.6 points per game on 60.8% shooting with 66 assists, 19 steals and just 19 turnovers and 18 fouls. After scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the win at Boston University on Jan. 23, Brown was named the Lids Team Sports Patriot League Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
• A year ago, the Bison captured the outright Patriot League regular-season title for the fourth time in the last five years before being upset by Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Bucknell lost four players from last year's squad: point guard Steven Kaspar (graduation), forward Joshea Singleton (graduation), forward Cory Starkey (graduation) and guard J.C. Show (transfer to Binghamton).
• Lehigh ran past arch-rival Lafayette 87-72 on Monday night to get to 7-5 in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks have also beaten Loyola and American in their current three-game winning streak. Lehigh features one of the league's top players in center Tim Kempton, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year. Kempton averages 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Austin Price (13.6), Kyle Leufroy (10.7) and Jesse Chuku (10.0) all score in double figures as well, and point guard Kahron Ross averages 9.7 points per game and a league-best 5.8 assists per contest.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Lehigh game will be televised by the American Sports Network in a number of markets around the country. Locally, it will air on WQMY-53 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In addition, a free webcast will be available on the Patriot League Network at PatriotLeague.TV. Jason Knapp will handle the play-by-play duties alongside color analyst Mack McCarthy.
• 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.
• Satellite radio listeners can tune in on Xm 203. Mike Corey and Glenn Frazer will have the call for the Heritage Sports Radio Network.
• The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com, and for a small charge through the official Bison Athletics mobile app available in the Apple and Android marketplaces.
• Live statistics can be viewed at BucknellBison.com.
Bucknell vs. Lehigh
• Bucknell has played more games (165) and won more games (101) against Lehigh than any other school. The Bison have a 101-64 lead in a series that originated in 1902.
• Since the start of Patriot League play in 1990-91, Bucknell holds a 41-18 advantage, including a 22-6 mark at home.
• Lehigh owns the most wins of any team over Bucknell in Sojka Pavilion (5).
• Lehigh is responsible for snapping Bucknell's 35-game home winning streak against Patriot League foes. The Bison had not lost to a conference opponent at Sojka Pavilion in nearly five years, until the Mountain Hawks won 56-54 in Lewisburg on Jan. 30, 2008.
• Lehigh also won the first game ever played in Sojka Pavilion, a 60-56 decision on Jan. 15, 2003. Including that game, Bucknell is 10-5 against the Mountain Hawks in Sojka.
• Bucknell and Lehigh split their two meetings last season, with the home team winning each contest. The Bison won 68-62 at home, while the Mountain Hawks prevailed 84-65 in the rematch in Bethlehem. The game at Sojka Pavilion was a memorable one for Bucknell. The Bison trailed 50-34 after Miles Simelton's layup for Lehigh with 9:07 to play. But in the final 8:51 the Bison doubled their point total, outscoring Lehigh 34-12 the rest of the way, and won 68-62. Zach Thomas scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the final 6:27 of the contest. Kahron Ross logged 17 points and 10 assists in Lehigh's runaway win late in the year.
• Back on Jan. 11 at Stabler Arena, Bucknell won the first meeting of this season 82-76. Chris Hass led the Bison with 21 points, while Stephen Brown added 14 points and six assists. Tim Kempton (29) and Kyle Leufroy (23) both recorded career scoring highs and combined for 52 of Lehigh's 76 points.
Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 246-110 (.691) all-time in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. The Bison are guaranteed a .500 or better league record this season, and they have now finished at least .500 in PL play in 22 of the 26 Patriot League seasons.
• Bucknell won three straight outright Patriot League regular-season titles from 2011-13, becoming the first team in league history to accomplish that feat.
• The Bison went 13-1 in the league in 2011 and 12-2 in both 2012 and 2013, making them 37-5 over those three campaigns. Dating back to mid-2010, Bucknell has won 78 of its last 99 league games.
• Bucknell won Patriot League Tournament titles in 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2013. The Bison have made it to the semifinals 19 times and to the championship game 10 times in the 25-year history of the league.
• The Bison are the only team to go unbeaten in league play in a season (14-0 ten years ago in 2006).
Last Time Out
• Nana Foulland scored a career-high 22 points, and Zach Thomas led a big effort from the Bucknell bench with 14 points and 10 rebounds to send the Bison to a 77-52 victory over Holy Cross at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon.
• D.J. MacLeay added 13 points as part of a 35-point, 17-rebound afternoon from the Bison reserves, and Chris Hass was Bucknell's fourth double-digit scorer with 12 points. Stephen Brown sparked a late run that put the game away and finished with four points, six assists and no turnovers.
• After Bucknell posted its largest win ever over the Crusaders at the Hart Center, Foulland was the recipient of the Martin O'Malley Award as MVP of Holy Cross' Winter Homecoming game. He was 9-for-14 from the field and 4-for-6 from the foul line, and he also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
• After going 0-for-15 from 3-point distance at American last Wednesday, the Bison hit eight treys in 20 attempts in this one. Thomas was the catalyst. After his three triples in the first half, he finished 4-for-5 from the arc and recorded his fifth career double-double.
• The Bison shot 50.9% overall and also did well at the foul line (13-16). Bucknell had 17 assists on 28 field goals with only nine turnovers.
• Defensively, John Azzinaro and Dom Hoffman had three steals each as the Bison forced 12 Holy Cross turnovers and held the Crusaders to 32.1 percent shooting (28.6 in the second half). Bucknell finished with a 37-32 rebounding advantage.
Team Numbers Worth Noting
• Bucknell has significantly improved its defensive efficiency since the start of league play. Here is a comparison of Bucknell's defensive numbers against league opponents vs. the non-conference action:
| Stat | vs. Non-League (prior to Dec. 30) | vs. PL Opponents (since Dec. 30 |
| Scoring Defense | 80.1 | 66.8 |
| Opponent Points per Possession | 1.07 | 0.94 |
| Opponent FG% | .445 | .400 |
| Opponent 3FG% | .378 | .331 |
| Opponent 3FGs per Game | 8.3 | 8.7 |
| Opponent Turnovers per Game | 12.5 | 14.3 |
| Bucknell Steals per Game | 6.7 | 7.6 |
• Bucknell has the 12th-best in-conference scoring margin in the country, through Monday's games.
In-Conference Scoring Margin
1. Stephen F. Austin +21.3
2. Stony Brook +19.4
3. Valparaiso +18.8
4. Wichita State +18.2
5. Yale +17.5
6. Gonzaga +15.3
7. Dayton +15.2
8. VCU +13.7
9. Texas Southern +13.3
10. Saint Mary's +12.8
11. Arkansas Little Rock +12.1
12. Bucknell +11.8
13. Iowa +11.7
14. New Mexico State +11.6
15. Villanova +11.5
• Bucknell ranks 33rd nationally (out of 346 teams) in field-goal percentage (.476) and 46th in scoring offense (79.1). The Bison recently dropped from 31st to 64th in 3-point percentage after the 0-for-15 showing at American, and they now rank 63rd at .372.
• Bucknell is attempting to average 80 points in a season for the seventh time in program history. The last time the Bison finished a season with a scoring average better than 80 was 1993-94 (83.1). The team record is 83.3 in 1987-88.
• Bucknell has done an excellent job getting to the foul line. The Bison rank 37th nationally in free throws made (417) and 48th in free-throw attempts (578).
• Bucknell has typically gotten out to good starts this season. They have outscored opponents 214-172 in the first five minutes of games, and they have been ahead or tied at the five-minute mark in 20 of the 23 outings.
• Whether it is a result of a more up-tempo offense or the reduction to the 30-second shot clock, Bucknell is playing at a much faster pace this season. Bucknell's first 23 games have seen an average of 73.1 possessions per game, compared to 65.1 for the full season in 2014-15. The Bison are averaging an efficient 1.08 points per possession so far.
• Bucknell last season averaged 4.1 steals per game to rank last (10th) in the Patriot League in that category. This season the Bison lead the league in steals at 7.2 per game.
• Only three teams have shot 50% or better from the field against Bucknell this season: North Carolina State (.544), Princeton (.545) and American (.550).
• Bucknell has had 10 different players score 10 or more points and six different players score 20 or more in a game this season. Eight different players have led the team in scoring this year.
Individual Numbers Worth Noting
• Bucknell plus-minus leaders: Chris Hass +105, D.J. MacLeay +102, Stephen Brown +90, Nana Foulland +74, Ryan Frazier +68. All but two players on the roster have a positive +/- for the season.
• Dom Hoffman entered the season with one career made 3-pointer in five attempts. He has tried 37 shots from beyond the arc this season, making 13.
• Point guard Stephen Brown has five or more assists in 13 of the 23 contests this season. Brown has assisted on 34.1% of the field goals made while he is on the floor. In Patriot League games he is averaging 11.6 ppg on 48-for-79 (.608) shooting from the field, 6-for-12 from the 3-point arc, 37-for-47 (.787) from the foul line, and he has 66 assists and 19 steals while committing just 19 turnovers and 18 fouls.
• Brown now has enough field-goal attempts to qualify for the Patriot League full-season FG% leaders, and he is currently fifth at 53.0%. He is the only guard ranked in the top 13 in the league in FG%. In league-only games, his 60.8 FG% is the best in the Patriot League. Lehigh's Tim Kempton ranks second at 60.1%
• Brown has improved his free-throw shooting considerably thus far. Last year he shot just 47.5% from the line, but this year he ranks eighth in the Patriot League at 80.3%.
• MacLeay leads the team in rebounds per 40 minutes (11.6), and he is now shooting 63.2% from the field this season. He is 30-for-42 (.714) from the field in his last nine games, and he produced his career scoring high with 15 against Lafayette on Jan. 25.
• Ryan Frazier is now shooting 36.5% from 3-point range this season. He was a career 28.9% long-range shooter entering the year, although he has improved his percentage every season so far.
Who's Got Next?
• Bucknell is back on the road again on Saturday, facing Colgate at 2 p.m. at Cotterell Court.
• Bucknell will be looking to avenge an 84-73 loss to the Raiders on Jan. 16.
