Wednesday, January 2
West Point, N.Y.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
7-6, 1-0PL
64
at
63
Army West Point
5-9, 0-1PL
1
2
F
BUCKNELL
13
51
64
Army
37
26
63
Photo by: Mady Salvani
Bison Erase 26-Point Second-Half Deficit in 64-63 win at Army
1/2/2019 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Toomer scores winning bucket with 1.6 to go
WEST POINT, N.Y. –Avi Toomer finished a go-ahead layup with 1.6 seconds remaining, capping one of the biggest comebacks in Division I college basketball history as Bucknell rallied from a 26-point, second-half deficit to beat Army West Point 64-63 on Wednesday night at Christl Arena. Nate Sestina scored 17 of his 22 points in the early stages of the second half and added 12 rebounds as the Bison opened up Patriot League play with in improbable victory on the road.
Kimbal Mackenzie added 15 points, and Jimmy Sotos had nine points, seven rebounds and 11 assists -- his second straight double-figure assist game. Bucknell (7-6, 1-0 PL) shot just 4-for-27 in the first half and trailed 37-13 at the break. Army (5-9, 0-1 PL) scored on its first possession of the second half to go up by 26, but the Bison outscored the Black Knights 51-24 the rest of the way.
According to the NCAA record book, the 26-point comeback is tied for the 10th-largest in Division I college basketball history. It is also tied for the seventh-biggest second-half deficit overcome in a win, and the 24-point halftime margin is tied for the sixth-largest deficit overcome.
"We finally got some shots to fall," said head coach Nathan Davis on the second-half comeback. "We missed three layups to start the game and were off on some open threes in the first half and then it just kind of snowballed. But the guys stayed the course, got stops, and got the score back to a manageable deficit fairly quickly in the second half."
Indeed, after the Bison made just the four shots in the opening 20 minutes, they hit seven of their first eight over the first 5:22 of the second half. Sestina scored all 17 of his points in a little over five minutes of what became a 27-4 run. By the time John Meeks hit a 3-pointer and Toomer followed with a 3-point play, the margin was just three at 43-40 with 12:34 still to play.
Army stemmed the tide a bit with five straight points on a Tommy Funk layup and a John Emezie 3-pointer to regain an eight-point lead. The margin was still eight at 55-47 when Bucknell went on a 12-2 run to go in front for the first time all night.
Sotos fed Mackenzie for a pretty backdoor alley-op layup, and then Sotos picked out Andrew Funk – Tommy's younger brother – for a trey on the left wing. After two free throws from Cayne Edwards, Mackenzie got a pull-up in the lane to drop, Sotos hit a tying three in transition, and then he fed Mackenzie for a fastbreak layup, and the Bison led 59-57 with 4:54 to go.
Army took the lead back at 63-61 on Matt Wilson's layup with 2:33 to go, but those would be the Black Knight's final points of the night. Sotos split a pair of free throws to get Bucknell within one, and then after the team's traded misses, the Bison elected to play out the defensive possession with a difference of about seven seconds between the game clock and shot clock.
As the play clock ran down, Toomer forced Tommy Funk into a contested three from the top of the key. Sestina grabbed the rebound, outletted to Sotos, who quickly passed ahead to Mackenzie. The senior took a dribble and then threaded a bounce pass ahead to Toomer, just past the outstretched fingertips of an Army defender. Toomer gathered and laid the ball in with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Army tried a desperation shot that might have been just after the buzzer, but Toomer blocked the shot anyway as the Bison bench erupted.
This was Bucknell's 10th straight victory over Army, and the second in a row that required a monumental comeback. Last year at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison rallied from 19 down to beat the Black Knights in overtime.
Bucknell endured a tough first half, hitting 4 of 27 from the field and 1 of 16 from the arc. Still the Bison trailed by just six at 13-7 at the 11-minute mark, when Army finally got its offense going. The Black Knights connected on six straight shots, three of them from beyond the arc, as part of a 17-0 run that ran the margin all the way up to 30-7.
Wilson scored 14 in the first half, the last two on a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to go that gave Army a 37-13 lead at the break.
After shooting 14.8 percent overall (1-16 3FG) in the first half, the Bison flipped the script and shot 60.0 percent (7-12 3FG) in the second. Meanwhile, Army shot 46.9 percent in the first and 30.3 percent in the second, including a 2-for-17 showing from long distance.
Wilson led Army with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Tommy Funk contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. John Emezie also hit double figures with 10 off the bench.
Bucknell logged a 42-39 edge on the glass, with Toomer and Meeks chipping in six boards apiece. Sestina now has six double-doubles and three 20-point games on the season.
Sotos was coming off a 12-assist performance in Bucknell's win over UNLV on Christmas Day at the Diamond Head Classic. He now has 23 assists and just four turnovers in the last two games.
Now 4-2 on the road this season, the Bison captured their Patriot League opener for the fifth straight year.
Bucknell returns to action on Saturday at Boston University. The 1 p.m. game will be televised on Stadium and streamed on the Patriot League Network at PatriotLeague.tv.
Kimbal Mackenzie added 15 points, and Jimmy Sotos had nine points, seven rebounds and 11 assists -- his second straight double-figure assist game. Bucknell (7-6, 1-0 PL) shot just 4-for-27 in the first half and trailed 37-13 at the break. Army (5-9, 0-1 PL) scored on its first possession of the second half to go up by 26, but the Bison outscored the Black Knights 51-24 the rest of the way.
According to the NCAA record book, the 26-point comeback is tied for the 10th-largest in Division I college basketball history. It is also tied for the seventh-biggest second-half deficit overcome in a win, and the 24-point halftime margin is tied for the sixth-largest deficit overcome.
"We finally got some shots to fall," said head coach Nathan Davis on the second-half comeback. "We missed three layups to start the game and were off on some open threes in the first half and then it just kind of snowballed. But the guys stayed the course, got stops, and got the score back to a manageable deficit fairly quickly in the second half."
Indeed, after the Bison made just the four shots in the opening 20 minutes, they hit seven of their first eight over the first 5:22 of the second half. Sestina scored all 17 of his points in a little over five minutes of what became a 27-4 run. By the time John Meeks hit a 3-pointer and Toomer followed with a 3-point play, the margin was just three at 43-40 with 12:34 still to play.
Army stemmed the tide a bit with five straight points on a Tommy Funk layup and a John Emezie 3-pointer to regain an eight-point lead. The margin was still eight at 55-47 when Bucknell went on a 12-2 run to go in front for the first time all night.
Sotos fed Mackenzie for a pretty backdoor alley-op layup, and then Sotos picked out Andrew Funk – Tommy's younger brother – for a trey on the left wing. After two free throws from Cayne Edwards, Mackenzie got a pull-up in the lane to drop, Sotos hit a tying three in transition, and then he fed Mackenzie for a fastbreak layup, and the Bison led 59-57 with 4:54 to go.
Army took the lead back at 63-61 on Matt Wilson's layup with 2:33 to go, but those would be the Black Knight's final points of the night. Sotos split a pair of free throws to get Bucknell within one, and then after the team's traded misses, the Bison elected to play out the defensive possession with a difference of about seven seconds between the game clock and shot clock.
As the play clock ran down, Toomer forced Tommy Funk into a contested three from the top of the key. Sestina grabbed the rebound, outletted to Sotos, who quickly passed ahead to Mackenzie. The senior took a dribble and then threaded a bounce pass ahead to Toomer, just past the outstretched fingertips of an Army defender. Toomer gathered and laid the ball in with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Here's Avi Toomer's winning basket, as seen on @WatchStadium. Great defensive stop, and then off to the races! #rayBucknell #TheBisonWay pic.twitter.com/EcHUi1pcZN
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) January 3, 2019
Army tried a desperation shot that might have been just after the buzzer, but Toomer blocked the shot anyway as the Bison bench erupted.
This was Bucknell's 10th straight victory over Army, and the second in a row that required a monumental comeback. Last year at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison rallied from 19 down to beat the Black Knights in overtime.
Bucknell endured a tough first half, hitting 4 of 27 from the field and 1 of 16 from the arc. Still the Bison trailed by just six at 13-7 at the 11-minute mark, when Army finally got its offense going. The Black Knights connected on six straight shots, three of them from beyond the arc, as part of a 17-0 run that ran the margin all the way up to 30-7.
Wilson scored 14 in the first half, the last two on a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to go that gave Army a 37-13 lead at the break.
After shooting 14.8 percent overall (1-16 3FG) in the first half, the Bison flipped the script and shot 60.0 percent (7-12 3FG) in the second. Meanwhile, Army shot 46.9 percent in the first and 30.3 percent in the second, including a 2-for-17 showing from long distance.
Wilson led Army with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Tommy Funk contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. John Emezie also hit double figures with 10 off the bench.
Bucknell logged a 42-39 edge on the glass, with Toomer and Meeks chipping in six boards apiece. Sestina now has six double-doubles and three 20-point games on the season.
Sotos was coming off a 12-assist performance in Bucknell's win over UNLV on Christmas Day at the Diamond Head Classic. He now has 23 assists and just four turnovers in the last two games.
Now 4-2 on the road this season, the Bison captured their Patriot League opener for the fifth straight year.
Bucknell returns to action on Saturday at Boston University. The 1 p.m. game will be televised on Stadium and streamed on the Patriot League Network at PatriotLeague.tv.
Some thoughts from Coach Davis after tonight's epic comeback at West Point. pic.twitter.com/hOGpNSMLSk
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) January 3, 2019
More from Coach Davis! pic.twitter.com/VlqbUNbUqy
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) January 3, 2019
Final thoughts from Coach Davis on the start of league play with another long trip to Boston looming. pic.twitter.com/cjSxDVw8Vf
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) January 3, 2019
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
ARMY
FG%
.386
.385
3FG%
.286
.226
FT%
.750
.600
RB
42
39
TO
15
9
STL
2
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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