Men's Basketball Visits Canisius Saturday Night

Saturday, November 16

Buffalo, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Canisius

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

11/15/2019 2:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

What: Bucknell (2-1) at Canisius (0-2)
Where: Koessler Athletic Center
When: Saturday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.
Webcast: ESPN3
Local Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM WEGH)
Listen Live: BucknellBison.com and Eagle107.com
Live Stats: GoGriffs.com

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Jimmy Sotos (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.7 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (8.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G: Avi Toomer (-- ppg, -- rpg, -- apg)
F: Bruce Moore (12.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 apg)
C: Paul Newman (4.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 0.7 bpg)

With a Win over Canisius, Bucknell Would ...

... improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 on the road this season.
... win its first two road games for the second straight season (3-0 road start last year).
... defeat the Golden Griffins for the first time ever (0-7 coming in).
... give head coach Nathan Davis his 92nd win as Bucknell's head coach.

Headlines

Bucknell returns to the city of Buffalo for the first time since the 2017 NCAA Tournament, when it dropped a close 86-80 decision to West Virginia in the first round. This is Bucknell's first visit to the Canisius campus since the 2001-02 season.
This is the second of four road games against MAAC teams for the Bison this season. Bucknell has already beaten Fairfield and will later travel to Rider and Siena.
Bucknell and Canisius both last played on Wednesday night. The Bison defeated Hofstra 86-71 at home, while the Golden Griffins lost at Albany 83-57. This will be the home opener for Canisius.
Bison point guard Jimmy Sotos might be lobbying the coaches to schedule a game on Nov. 13 next season. Sotos is coming off a career-high 24-point performance on that date against Hofstra. His previous personal best was 23 points exactly one year earlier against Canisius.
It has been feast or famine from the newly extended 3-point arc for Bucknell in the early going. The Bison went 10-for-23 in the season-opener at Fairfield but followed that up with a frosty 3-for-22 in a three-point loss to Vermont. On Wednesday, however, the Bison went 15-for-28 from the arc, including stretches in the second half where they made seven in a row and 11 out of 13. Another way to look at Bucknell's 3-point shooting: 25-for-51 (.490) in the two wins and 3-for-22 (.136) in the loss.
Meanwhile, Bucknell's 3-point defense has been terrific through three games. Opponents are just 21-for-56 (.214) from downtown, and Bucknell ranks 12th nationally in 3FG defense.
Bucknell's bench has been a big story in the early going. The Bison reserve unit has combined for 96 of the team's 217 points (44.2%) so far. Junior forward John Meeks has been the catalyst. Meeks is averaging a team-best 16.3 ppg coming off the bench, highlighted by a career-high 19 points against Fairfield. Meeks is the Patriot League's fourth-leading scorer, and he is averaging 26.8 points per 40 minutes.
Bucknell was picked second to Colgate in the Patriot League preseason poll. Those two teams played in the 2019 Patriot League Tournament final, with the Raiders prevailing 94-80 to thwart Bucknell's hopes of a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Bucknell and Colgate shared the 2019 Patriot League regular-season title with 13-5 conference records. It was Bucknell's fifth straight PL regular-season crown and eighth in the last nine years. The run of five regular-season titles in a row is the second-longest current streak in the nation, behind only Gonzaga (7).
The Bison return three starters in 2019-20, but the two graduation losses were both All-Patriot League selections. Guard Kimbal Mackenzie was a First Team pick after averaging 17.6 points per game last season, and he is now playing professionally in Spain. Center Nate Sestina (15.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) was a Second Team all-star last season, and he is using his final year of eligibility as a graduate student at Kentucky.
Senior wing Avi Toomer, senior forward Bruce Moore, and junior point guard Jimmy Sotos all return to their starting posts this year, although Toomer missed the start of the season due to injury.
Canisius opened the season with road losses to Brown (75-68) and Albany (83-57). Malik Johnson leads the team in scoring at 16.5 ppg, boosted by a 24-point performance against Brown. Majesty Brandon also scores in double figures at 13.0 ppg. In two games Canisius has been limited to 36.9% shooting, including a 25.6% mark (10-39) from 3-point distance. The Golden Griffins finished 15-17 overall and 11-7 in MAAC play last season. The fell to Monmouth in the second round of the MAAC Tournament. Canisius this season was picked seventh in the MAAC Preseason Poll, with Johnson earning Preseason All-MAAC honors.

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Canisius game can be seen on ESPN3, with Jay Moran and Richard Walsh calling the action.
The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM). Doug Birdsong handles the play-by-play duties. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off.
Live statistics can be accessed via GoGriffs.com.
The audio feed is available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com and Eagle107.com.
Follow @Bucknell_MBB for in-game updates on Twitter.

Last Time Out

Jimmy Sotos, Andrew Funk and Walter Ellis each made four 3-pointers and Bucknell connected on 11 of 16 from behind the arc in the second half to defeat Hofstra 86-71 on Wednesday evening at Sojka Pavilion.
The Bison finished the game 15-for-28 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Pride 48-33 to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Sotos led all scorers with a career-high 24 points, and Bucknell's bench had another huge night with 36 points, led by 14 points from John Meeks, 12 from Ellis, and eight points, three rebounds and four blocked shots from Kahliel Spear.
Paul Newman posted a game and career-high 14 rebounds for Bucknell.
Bucknell trailed by four points early in the second half after a big 20-4 run from the Pride. But the Bison outscored Hofstra 46-27 over the game's final 17 minutes. Red-hot 3-point shooting was a major factor. Bucknell made seven straight from downtown in one stretch to turn the game into a rout.
Bucknell and Hofstra, one-time rivals in the East Coast Conference, were meeting for the first time since December 29, 2001. The Pride won a school-record 27 games along with the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title a year ago.
The Bison turned in a strong defensive effort, limiting Hofstra to 38.1% shooting, including a 6-for-19 showing from 3-point distance.
Hofstra did hit 17 of 27 from the foul line, compared to 9 of 11 for Bucknell, but the Bison countered much of that disparity with a 48-33 rebounding edge. The Bison grabbed 15 offensive rebounds — six from Newman — which led to 14 second-chance points.
Bucknell had 19 assists on 31 made field goals, with six players recording multiple assists. The Bison shot 46.3% on the night.

Bucknell vs. Canisius Series Notes

Canisius has won all seven previous meetings, starting with a 37-29 verdict on March 13, 1917 in Buffalo.
The Golden Griffins are 4-0 in Lewisburg and 3-0 in Buffalo.
After a 15-year hiatus, the teams met last season at Sojka Pavilion with Canisius coming away with an 82-73 victory. Jimmy Sotos hit five 3-pointers and scored a then-career-high 23 points for Bucknell. Former MAAC Rookie of the Year Takal Molson paced Canisius with 25 points. The Bison cut a 20-point deficit down to six in the second half but could not get over the hump.
Bucknell's last visit to the Koessler Athletic Center came on Jan. 5, 2001. Canisius won that one 66-49. Boakai Lalugba had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bison, while the Golden Griffins received 17 points from Toby Foster.

Bucknell vs. the MAAC

Bucknell is 52-57 (.477) in 109 all-time games against the teams that currently comprise the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, including a 1-2 record last season (win over Monmouth, losses to Fairfield and Canisius) and a win at Fairfield to start the 2019-20 campaign.
The Bison are 30-24 against Rider, 6-4 against Marist, 4-2 vs. Manhattan, 4-5 vs. Niagara, 3-5 vs. Fairfield, 2-4 vs. Iona, 1-0 vs. St. Peter's, 1-2 vs. Monmouth, 1-4 vs. Siena and 0-7 vs. Canisius.
The Bison will play Rider and Siena later in the season. All four of Bucknell's games against the MAAC this season are on the road.

Notable Numbers

Center Paul Newman's minutes have been limited due to some foul trouble this season, but his rebounding numbers have been off the charts. He is averaging 9.7 rebounds per game, 0.6 rebounds per minute, and 22.7 rebounds per 40 minutes. Newman has grabbed 29.3% of all available rebounds during his time on the floor thus far.
Walter Ellis has shot the ball well in Bucknell's two victories. He is 7-for-11 from 3-point range this season but 7-for-9 in the wins over Fairfield (3-4) and Hofstra (4-5). Ellis was 4-for-4 from deep in the second half against Hofstra.
Kahliel Spear is developing into quite a shot-blocker for the Bison. He had four against Hofstra on Wednesday and ranks No. 2 in the Patriot League with six blocks on the season in just 16.6 minutes per game off the bench. In 50 total minutes this season, Spear has 20 points, 14 rebounds and the six blocks.
One trend the Bison will look to correct is a free-throw disparity. Opponents have attempted 76 free throws to just 50 for Bucknell through three games. In the Nathan Davis era the Bison are 57-15 when attempting more free throws than their opponent, but just 28-29 when attempting fewer.

Who's Got Next?

Bucknell faces Central PA rival Penn State on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The 6:30 p.m. game will air on the Big Ten Network.
This will be the first meeting between the Bison and Nittany Lions since November 2015, a 62-58 Penn State win.