Bison Open Patriot League Slate Thursday vs. Army at Sojka Pavilion

Thursday, January 2

Lewisburg, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Army

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Sam Miller

Bison Open Patriot League Slate Thursday vs. Army at Sojka Pavilion

12/30/2019 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

New year, new decade, and a clean slate for the Bucknell men's basketball team. After some struggles against a very difficult non-conference schedule, the Bison can hit the reset button as they start the 30th season of Patriot League play on Thursday at home against Army West Point.

Bucknell has been the premier team in the Patriot League over the last decade, winning eight of the last nine regular-season titles. The quest for another banner begins this week, as all 10 teams open up the league schedule on Thursday. The Bison, who have won 21 straight home games against Patriot League foes, play three of their first four PL contests at Sojka Pavilion. First up is Army, which comes in with a 5-6 record. Bucknell has beaten the Black Knights 11 straight times, but last year's home-and-home series was far from easy. The Bison won both games by one point, coming from 26 down to win at West Point and from 14 down to win at home in the regular-season finale.

Here's more info on Thursday's game vs. Army West Point:

What: Army West Point (5-6, 0-0 PL) at Bucknell (4-9, 0-0 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. | TICKETS
When: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m.
Webcast: Patriot League Network
Local Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM WEGH)
Listen Live: BucknellBison.com and Eagle107.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Jimmy Sotos (13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.1 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (10.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G: Avi Toomer (13.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg)
F: John Meeks (10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.7 apg)
F: Bruce Moore (10.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 apg)

With a Win over Army, Bucknell Would ...

... snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-9 on the season.
... win its Patriot League opener for the sixth straight year.
... win its 22nd straight home game against Patriot League opponents.
... defeat the Black Knights for the 12th time in a row and improve to 59-21 all-time against them.
... improve to 295-122 all-time in Patriot League play.
... give head coach Nathan Davis his 94th win as Bucknell's head coach.

Headlines

After posting a 4-9 record against a difficult non-conference schedule, the Bison are happy to wipe the slate clean and start the 30th season of Patriot League play. Bucknell opens the league schedule against Army for the second straight year and fourth time overall. The Bison are 3-0 in the previous three league openers against the Black Knights.
Bucknell's non-conference schedule ranking is the 82nd most-difficult out of 353 Division I teams, according to Ken Pomeroy's formula. That is the second-toughest in the Patriot League behind Lehigh (25).

Patriot League Non-Conference Strength-of-Schedule Ranking (Ken Pomeroy, includes D-I opponents only)
1. Lehigh 25
2. Bucknell 82
3. Holy Cross 164
4. Boston U. 195
5. Colgate 197
6. American 234
7. Lafayette 265
8. Navy 277
9. Loyola 314
10. Army 340

Bucknell is coming off a 71-59 loss to a 9-3 La Salle team at The Palestra on Saturday. Jimmy Sotos led the Bison in scoring for the third straight game, scoring 17 points. Sotos is averaging 21.0 points over the last three games.
Once again this season brothers Andrew and Tommy Funk will square off when Bucknell and Army meet. Andrew is a sophomore shooting guard for the Bison, while Tommy is a senior point guard for the Black Knights. Here is how the Funks fared in the two head-to-head meetings last season:

Result Andrew Funk Tommy Funk
1/2/19 Bucknell 64, Army 63 3 pts., 1 reb. 10 pts., 7 reb., 6 asst.
3/2/19 Bucknell 62, Army 61 17 pts., 3 reb. 10 pts., 6 reb., 5 asst.

Bucknell has used five different starting lineups this season. The most recent change occurred on Saturday, when junior forward John Meeks made his first career start, with senior Bruce Moore sliding over to the center position.
Bucknell currently has five players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Sotos at 13.6 ppg. He is followed by Avi Toomer (12.3), Funk (10.3), Moore (10.2) and Meeks (10.0). Bucknell is one of 10 Division I teams with five double-digit scorers. The others are Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Colgate, Georgia Southern, Gonzaga (6), Kent State, LSU, North Carolina State and South Dakota.
Bucknell last week played its final game of the decade of the 2010s. Some of the highlights:

Yesterday was our final game of the decade of the 2010s. We'd say it was a pretty good 10-year stretch:
🏀215-116 overall record
🏀128-36 Patriot League record
🏀8 PL regular-season titles
🏀4 PL tournament titles
🏀4 NCAA bids
🏀3 NIT bids#rayBucknell #TheBisonWay
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) December 29, 2019

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).
Army brings a 5-6 record into Patriot League play. After a 4-3 start, the Black Knights have dropped three of their last four, but the win was a good one, an 89-76 road victory at Buffalo on Dec. 14. Army has been idle since an 82-62 loss at Wagner on Dec. 21. Seniors Matt Wilson (14.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Tommy Funk (13.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.2 apg) are two of the Patriot League's top players. Wilson leads the league in rebounding and ranks second in field-goal percentage (.641), while Funk is the league's top assist man. Lonnie Grayson (10.6) also scores in double figures for the Black Knights, who score 69.9 points per game while allowing 73.0.
Bucknell head coach Nathan Davis and Army head coach Jimmy Allen were both members of Don DeVoe's coaching staff at Navy from 1998-2002.

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Army game will not be televised, however it will stream live on the Patriot League Network at PatriotLeague.tv.
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 at BucknellBison.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 scored 17 points and Philadelphia native Andrew Funk added 10, but La Salle jumped out to a big early lead and defeated Bucknell 71-59 on Saturday afternoon at The Palestra.
Jared Kimbrough scored 16 points and Isiah Deas had 15 for a resurgent La Salle team that won its fifth game in a row and improved to 9-3 after winning just 10 games all of last season.
The Explorers have been getting it done with defense, holding opponents under 40% shooting on the season. In this one, La Salle limited the Bison to 35.3% shooting and forced 23 turnovers.
Bucknell did close the game on a positive note, holding La Salle to two field goals in the final 12 minutes while cutting a 23-point deficit down to 10. The Bison collected 11 steals from La Salle's 16 turnovers and outrebounded the Explorers 38-30. Bucknell also had a perfect day at the free-throw line, finishing 18-for-18. That is the fifth-most free throws without a miss in team history.

Most Free Throws without a Miss, Bucknell History
22-22   vs. Lafayette, 2/1/89
21-21   vs. Richmond, 12/17/11
20-20   vs. Lafayette, 2/4/05
19-19   vs. Lafayette, 3/3/12
18-18   at La Salle, 12/28/19
15-15   at Lafayette, 1/14/12
11-11   at Loyola, 1/23/19
10-10   at Navy, 1/28/12

La Salle took control early. After a Funk driving layup tied the game at 4-4, the Explorers outscored the Bison 13-0 over the next seven minutes.
After shooting 24.0% in the first half, the Bison shot 46.2% in the second to finish at 35.3. They were 5-for-19 from 3-point distance. La Salle finished at 47.2% overall, including a 7-for-19 showing from downtown.
Moore and Funk shared game-high honors with eight rebounds apiece, and Funk added three steals. John Meeks had five points and three rebounds in his first career start.

Bucknell vs. Army West Point

The Bison hold a 58-21 lead in a series that dates back to 1929. Bucknell has won the last 11 meetings, including two come-from-way-behind one-point victories last season.
The Bison are 33-5 all-time at home against Army.
Army won the first 10 series showdowns, nine of them coming prior to 1966.
As Patriot League rivals, Bucknell has won 57 of 68 meetings.
In Patriot League Tournament action, Bucknell is 8-2 against Army. Eight of those 10 postseason meetings have come in the quarterfinals, including Army's 72-71 win at Sojka Pavilion in 2014, which was its most recent victory over the Bison.
Exactly one year ago (Jan. 2, 2019) at West Point, Bucknell recorded one of the biggest comebacks in college basketball history. The Bison trailed by 26 points (39-13) early in the second half but came back to win 64-63 on Avi Toomer's last-second layup (see below for more details). In the rematch at Sojka Pavilion in the regular-season finale, the Bison found themselves 14 points down with 8:51 to go, but again found away to pull out a one-point win (62-61). Kimbal Mackenzie's free throws with 10.9 seconds left were the difference.

Revisiting Last Year's Comeback at West Point

It was one for the ages at West Point on Jan. 2, 2019. The Bison endured a horrific first half, hitting 4 of 27 shots from the floor and 1 of 16 from 3-point range. They trailed by 24 (37-13) at the half and then by 26 (39-13) in the opening minute of the second half before storming back to win 64-63.
The rally happened quickly. After Jacob Kessler's put-back gave Army the 39-13 lead, Bucknell went on a 27-4 run in a span of just 6:56. By the 12:34 mark of the second half, the Bison found themselves down just 43-40.
Bucknell needed only 3:38 to double its first-half point total and just 3:03 to double its first-half field-goal total.
Nate Sestina was one of the catalysts in the comeback. Embedded in that 27-4 run were 17 points from Sestina on 7-for-7 shooting, all coming in a span of just 5:17. Sestina finished the night with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
After Army regained a couple of eight-point leads, Bucknell tied the game for the first time at 57-57 on a Jimmy Sotos 3-pointer, and their first lead of the night on a Kimbal Mackenzie layup with 4:54 to play.
In the closing sequence, Army had the ball and a 63-62 lead with a seven-second differential between the shot clock and game clock. Avi Toomer contested Tommy Funk's 3-point attempt from the top of the arc, and it came up short. 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 could not get off a shot as time expired.
After shooting 14.8% overall (1-16 3FG) in the first half, the Bison flipped the script and shot 60.0% (7-12 3FG) in the second. Meanwhile, Army shot 46.9% in the first and 30.3% in the second, including a 2-for-17 showing from long distance.
According to the NCAA record book, the 26-point comeback was tied for the 10th-largest in Division I college basketball history. It was also tied for the seventh-biggest second-half deficit overcome in a win, and the 24-point halftime margin was tied for the sixth-largest deficit overcome.

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

Notable Numbers

Bucknell is coming off an 18-for-18 performance at the free-throw line against La Salle, and the Bison have made 20 in a row coming into the Army game. Bucknell's season FT% is up to .758, which ranks second in the Patriot League and 38th nationally. Jimmy Sotos (.905) is one of 29 Division I players shooting 90% or better.
Over his last three games, Jimmy Sotos has 63 points and has hit 7-18 (.389) from 3-point range and 20-23 (.870) from the foul line.
Sotos has 49 points in the last three second halves of games.
Avi Toomer has hit multiple 3-pointers in six of his last seven games and is shooting 41.2% from the arc this season, up from 35.3% last year.
Andrew Funk has hit a 3-pointer in 18 of his last 21 games dating back to last season. His only games without a trey this year were against Yale and La Salle.
Funk has eight steals in his last three games after logging four in his first 10 games.
The Bison have had difficulty shutting down opponents' scoring runs this season. Bucknell foes have put together a run of at least 10 or more unanswered points in a row in nine of the 13 games thus far.