Thursday, December 5
Stockton, Calif.
4 p.m. (ET)
Bucknell University
vs
No. 2 USC
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
No. 10 Men's Water Polo Faces USC in NCAA Quarterfinal Round
12/2/2019 5:34:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The No. 10 Bucknell University men's water polo team will take on No. 2 USC in an NCAA Quarterfinal game on Thursday, December 5 in Stockton, California.
Setting the Scene
What: No. 10 Bucknell (23-8, 10-2 MAWPC vs. No. 2 USC (14-5, 3-0 MPSF)
Where: Chris Kjeldsen Pool, Stockton, Calif.
When: Thursday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. (ET)
Watch: University of the Pacific on Stadium
Tournament Central
About the Bison
The winner of the Bucknell-USC contest will face No. 1 Stanford on Saturday, Dec. 7 in the national semifinals.
Setting the Scene
What: No. 10 Bucknell (23-8, 10-2 MAWPC vs. No. 2 USC (14-5, 3-0 MPSF)
Where: Chris Kjeldsen Pool, Stockton, Calif.
When: Thursday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. (ET)
Watch: University of the Pacific on Stadium
Tournament Central
About the Bison
- Bucknell defeated previously undefeated and ninth-ranked Harvard on Saturday to advance to Thursday's quarterfinal in a thrilling 13-12 victory at Blodgett Pool.
- The Bison continued their late defensive prowess in the postseason, limiting the Crimson to three goals in the second half after allowing nine in the first two quarters.
- Bucknell, which had not allowed a goal in the fourth quarter in the postseason until Harvard scored 17 seconds into the final period on Saturday, has allowed just two goals in the fourth quarter since taking on La Salle to open the MAWPC Tournament.
- Bucknell has prevailed in three games this postseason decided by three goals or less, and the one-goal victory over the Crimson was the tenth game in a row between the two schools that was decided by two goals or fewer.
- The 13-12 decision was also the same score that Bucknell found itself on the opposite end of in 2016 against Harvard in the NCAA Opening Round.
- Rade Joksimovic scored six times in that game, including going 3-for-4 from penalty shots. Senior Logan Schofield drew two exclusions to set up Joksimovic, while Mitchell Scott and Andu Vlasceanu each drew an exclusion.
- Schofield was named Bison Athlete of the Week for his efforts after also scoring three times in the win.
- Joksimovic now stands at 525 career goals to go along with 186 assists for 711 career points.
- Schofield is five ejections drawn from reaching 300 for his career.
- Bucknell's senior class, which combined for seven of the nine goals against George Washington in the MAWPC Championship, scored 11 of Bucknell's 13 goals in the win. Cullen Jacuzzi notched a goal and an assist, while Cooper Dolan scored the eventual game-winning goal in addition to a stellar defensive game in the center.
- In what looked certain to be an offensive shootout after the first period with Harvard leading 6-5, Bucknell used a 3-0 run to end the first half to take a two-goal advantage. The Bison limited the Crimson to three goals in the second half while getting big goals from Jared Stanley and Dolan in the third and fourth period, respectively, to hold on for the win.
- Bucknell's win over Harvard was its first to open NCAA Tournament play in its history. The Bison appeared in the tournament five times from 1977-1985, but lost their first game in each of those instances.
- Bucknell has now scored 403 goals this season, the fifth-most all-time and 15 behind the 2018 team. Three of Bucknell's top-ten scoring seasons in program history have come in the last four years (2016, 2018, 2019).
- Defensively, the Bison have turned things up a notch, limiting their opponents to ten or fewer goals in seven of their last nine games.
- The Bison picked up their 23rd win of the season on Saturday, tying the 2016 team (23-5) for the most wins by the program in a single season under Head Coach John McBride.
- Bucknell will take on USC for the fifth time in program history, with the Trojans taking all four previous matchups.
- The two teams last met in 2009, with Bucknell falling 21-4. Bucknell and USC also met in 2004 (L, 3-14), 1992 (L, 7-20), and 1987 (L, 5-17).
- The Trojans, who have won ten National Championships, earned an at-large bid into the Tournament this season. USC completed a 30-3 season in 2018 en route to winning the National Championship.
- USC fell in the MPSF semifinals to Cal before rebounding with a win over UCLA in the third-place game. The Trojans, by qualifying for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, have now made the field 15 straight seasons.
- Jacob Mercep leads USC with 43 goals, while Marin Dasic, Hannes Daube, Jake Ehrhardt, and Sam Slobodien have each scored 25 or more goals this season. Dasic ranks 21st in program history with 131 career goals.
- The two teams share two common opponents in San Jose State and Princeton. Bucknell dropped a narrow 11-10 decision to the Spartans in triple overtime on Oct. 27, while USC defeated SJSU 17-9 on Nov. 3.
- Bucknell defeated the Tigers 11-8 on the road, while USC defeated Princeton, 14-6, at Loyola Marymount on Sept. 27.
The winner of the Bucknell-USC contest will face No. 1 Stanford on Saturday, Dec. 7 in the national semifinals.
Players Mentioned
CD
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
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