Bucknell University
UNLV
Bison Roll Past UNLV 97-72 to Finish Third at Diamond Head Classic
12/25/2018 8:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jimmy Sotos breaks tourney record with 12 assists
Six Bison scored in double figures, paced by Kimbal Mackenzie with 16 points. Nate Sestina added 15 and six rebounds, and Bruce Moore, Avi Toomer and Andrew Funk all chipped in 11 points each. Funk scored all 11 in the first half -- a new career high -- to help Bucknell sprint to a 47-30 halftime lead.
The Bison shot 57.8 percent overall and had 26 assists on 37 made field goals en route to a 2-1 mark in their first-ever trip to Hawai'i. Bucknell opened the tournament with an 84-82 win over Rhode Island, before falling to TCU 82-65 in the semifinals.
Ten different Bison recorded an assist in the game, with Sotos setting a new career high along with the tournament record with his dozen helpers. TCU's Alex Robinson recorded 11 assists in each of the Horned Frogs' first two games of the tourney, but his share of the record was erased by Sotos, who had eight assists in the second half alone.
The Bison had six double-digit scorers for the first time since Nov. 16, 2012 against Niagara, and they nearly had eight. Paul Newman had a terrific game off the bench with eight points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in 16 minutes, and John Meeks tossed in seven points in nine minutes. All told the Bison bench contributed 30 points on 13-for-22 shooting.
Not sure Coach Davis will ever do a postgame interview in a more scenic location. #rayBucknell #TheBisonWay pic.twitter.com/erp4NtX2J7
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) December 26, 2018
Coach Davis' thoughts on the team's progress through non-league play with the @PL_MBB opener coming up on Jan. 2. pic.twitter.com/LdVQ01F286
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) December 26, 2018
Bucknell turned in perhaps its best half of the season in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 8 of 13 shots from long range and shooting 54.5 percent overall en route to a 47-30 halftime lead. The Bison then surpassed that efficiency in the second stanza, scoring 50 points on 61.3 percent shooting.
The Bison stunned the Runnin' Rebels with a dizzying array of fastbreak layups, low-post buckets, and long-range bombs. Seven different players connected on a 3-pointer, including three each from Funk, Toomer and Mackenzie.
At one point in the second half, Bucknell scored on the fastbreak on three straight possessions, then got consecutive 3-pointers from Sotos, Moore, and Mackenzie, and then Mackenzie's drive for a 3-point play gave the Bison an 18-4 run in just 2:13 and a 36-point lead at 88-52 with 6:17 to play.
The torrid scoring pace slowed a bit in the final few minutes, and Bucknell just missed the tournament scoring record of 99 points, set by Ohio against DePaul in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Bison limited UNLV to 38.0 percent shooting for the game, including 4-for-25 from 3-point range. Joel Ntambwe connected on a trey on UNLV's first possession of the day, but the Rebels would not hit another one until 5:40 remained in the game.
UNLV came in as one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation, and all of those misses did lead to 24 offensive boards and 26 second-chance points. But everything else went Bucknell's way in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Moore hit a late-shot-clock 3-pointer on the game's very first possession, and the Bison were off and running. Toomer canned back-to-back treys, and then Sotos' driving layup gave Bucknell a quick 11-3 lead.
Funk hit three triples on the way to an 11-point first half. He juked his way into space for his first of the day, and Mackenzie followed with a layup to give the Bison their first double-digit lead of the day at 18-7.
Andrew Funk breaking ankles! https://t.co/RxpM6FRRuz
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) December 26, 2018
UNLV (6-6) pulled within nine on an Amauri Hardy layup, but then Sotos fed Moore for a quick layup the other way. Sotos then converted a rare five-point play, when he was fouled on a layup, and the UNLV bench was assessed a technical foul. Sotos hit all three free throws for a 42-26 lead. After back-to-back buckets for the Rebels, Sotos scored with a sweet scoop shoot, and Mackenzie finished the half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it a 17-point game at the break.
Bucknell wrapped up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 6-6 record. Over the last 10 days, the Bison suffered a tough two-point loss at No. 15/14 Ohio State, and then went 2-2 on this holiday trip against the likes of Saint Mary's, Rhode Island, TCU and UNLV.
The Bison now have a long flight back to the East coast, and then they will begin preparations for the Patriot League opener on Jan. 2 at Army West Point.
