Sunday, March 10
Lewisburg, Pa.
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
20-11
97
vs
75
Lehigh (PL Semifinals)
20-10
1
2
F
Lehigh
39
36
75
Bucknell
45
52
97
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Bucknell Surges into Patriot League Championship Game after 97-75 Semifinal Win over Lehigh
3/10/2019 4:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bison to play at Colgate for PL title Wednesday night
NOTE: Bucknell fans can sign up for a FREE bus trip to Colgate for the Patriot League championship game on Wednesday, March 13. All riders must have purchased a ticket through the Bucknell Campus Box Office (buy online at bucknell.edu/boxoffice – use "Bus Trip" option – or call 570-577-1000). Buses will depart at 2 p.m. and return to Lewisburg following the game. Bucknell Athletics thanks Susquehanna Trailways, Weis Markets and Silvertip Inc. for sponsoring the bus trip.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell rode a sensational, team-wide effort in the second half and a big day from its senior class to a 97-75 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals on Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison earned a berth in Wednesday's Patriot League championship game and a chance to become the second team in league history to win three straight tournament titles. The Bison will travel to Hamilton, N.Y., on Wednesday evening to face top-seeded Colgate for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Seniors Kimbal Mackenzie and Nate Sestina made their final game at Sojka Pavilion memorable, combining for 48 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory. Mackenzie led the Bison charge in the first half, scoring 19 of his game-high 25 points and staking Bucknell to a 45-39 lead at the half. Sestina sent the Bison to the locker room with a six-point lead and some momentum when he closed the opening half with an emphatic put-back dunk, then he scored 14 of his 23 points and grabbed nine of his 14 rebounds in Bucknell's 52-point second half.
The second-seeded Bison (21-11) shot 66.7 percent (16-24) in the second half – including 11-for-12 on two-point attempts – to pull away from the third-seeded Mountain Hawks (20-11). At the other end, Bucknell held the Patriot League's highest-scoring team to 39.3-percent shooting in the second half.
Lehigh came into the game leading the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 42.5 percent, but the Bison (12-31) outscored the Mountain Hawks (5-15) 36-15 from the arc.
Bucknell shot 53.4 percent overall and broke the Patriot League Tournament record for points scored in a semifinal game. The previous mark was 96, set by Fordham against Lehigh in 1992 and by Navy against Lafayette in 1997. It was also the most points ever scored by Bucknell in any Patriot League Tournament game, and the most the Bison have scored in a postseason tilt since a 106-80 win over Rider in the 1989 East Coast Conference quarterfinals.
"Give our guys a ton of credit, we had tremendous focus the last two days, and we played like it," said head coach Nathan Davis. "We played with a lot of energy and a lot of effort. We shared the ball, and we did all of the things you need to do to beat a good team."
In the opening half, Bucknell went more than four minutes without a field goal, but weathered an 11-0 Lehigh run thanks in large part to the continued hot hand of Mackenzie. The senior from Oakville, Ontario was coming off a 27-point performance in which he canned a career-high seven 3-pointers in Bucknell's quarterfinal win over Holy Cross on Thursday.
This time he took control of the game late in the first half. Over a stretch of 3:36, Mackenzie scored 15 of Bucknell's 17 points, punctuated by three straight made 3-pointers. The first of those treys gave the Bison a 28-27 lead, and by the time he was done they had a 38-31 advantage.
Lehigh scored six straight to get back within one, but Bucknell closed the period on a 7-2 run, punctuated by Sestina's thunderous put-back jam with nine seconds remaining to give the Bison a 45-39 lead at the interval.
The teams swapped points over the first four minutes of the second half before the Bison finally gained some separation with a 10-0 spurt, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Sestina to make it 61-45.
Later it was a 66-53 game when John Meeks came off the bench to score six points in 38 seconds. He swished a three from the left wing on a nice kick-out pass from Sestina, and then Meeks finished in the lane, plus a free throw, for a 19-point Bison lead.
Lehigh finally got some 3-pointers to drop, collecting three in a row from Jordan Cohen, Kyle Leufroy and Jeameril Wilson to keep things interesting. Wilson's reverse layup with 4:57 to go brought the Mountain Hawks within 10 at 78-68.
The Bison countered by finding Bruce Moore in the paint, resulting in two free throws. Jimmy Sotos made a terrific defensive play on the baseline to force a tough shot from Lehigh scoring leader Lance Tejada, and then Mackenzie fed Sestina for a layup to make it an 82-68 game.
When Avi Toomer drove the baseline for a layup plus a foul with 3:42 to go, the Bison had a commanding 85-70 lead. Toomer hit Bucknell's 12th and final 3-pointer of the day with 3:03 left, igniting a 9-0 run that sent the differential over 20 for the first time.
Head coach Nathan Davis cleared the bench with 1:33 remaining, and the seniors exited the Sojka Pavilion floor for the final time to a standing ovation.
Mackenzie and Sestina both stuffed the boxscore. Mackenzie had six assists and six rebound along with his 25 points, which put him over the 1,300-point mark for his career. He went 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-8 from the 3-point arc. Sestina logged 23 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
Toomer (12 points) and Moore (10 points) both battled foul trouble, but they registered 10 big points apiece in the second half. Sotos finished with nine points and seven assists.
Bucknell finished with a 34-27 rebounding edge and limited Lehigh to four offensive rebounds. Both teams were strong at the free-throw line, with Bucknell finishing 23-for-27 and Lehigh 22-for-26.
This is Bucknell's 13th appearance in the Patriot League championship game and third time that the team has made it in three straight seasons. Holy Cross is the only school in conference history to claim three straight titles, winning it from 2001 to 2003.
Top-seeded Colgate defeated fifth-seeded Navy 80-70 in the other semifinal game, setting up a rematch of last year's Patriot League final. Bucknell won that one 83-54 at Sojka Pavilion, but this one will be played on Colgate's home court, where the Raiders are 14-1 this season.
The Bison and Raiders both went 13-5 in league play and split their season series, but Colgate was awarded the No. 1 seed based on a better record against fourth-place American. Bucknell defeated Colgate 84-81 at home on Jan. 9, but the Raiders came back with a 75-64 win at Cotterell Court on Feb. 19.
Wednesday's championship game will tip at 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
PHOTO GALLERY:
Gallery: (3/10/2019) Men's Basketball vs. Lehigh
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell rode a sensational, team-wide effort in the second half and a big day from its senior class to a 97-75 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals on Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison earned a berth in Wednesday's Patriot League championship game and a chance to become the second team in league history to win three straight tournament titles. The Bison will travel to Hamilton, N.Y., on Wednesday evening to face top-seeded Colgate for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Seniors Kimbal Mackenzie and Nate Sestina made their final game at Sojka Pavilion memorable, combining for 48 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory. Mackenzie led the Bison charge in the first half, scoring 19 of his game-high 25 points and staking Bucknell to a 45-39 lead at the half. Sestina sent the Bison to the locker room with a six-point lead and some momentum when he closed the opening half with an emphatic put-back dunk, then he scored 14 of his 23 points and grabbed nine of his 14 rebounds in Bucknell's 52-point second half.
The second-seeded Bison (21-11) shot 66.7 percent (16-24) in the second half – including 11-for-12 on two-point attempts – to pull away from the third-seeded Mountain Hawks (20-11). At the other end, Bucknell held the Patriot League's highest-scoring team to 39.3-percent shooting in the second half.
Lehigh came into the game leading the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 42.5 percent, but the Bison (12-31) outscored the Mountain Hawks (5-15) 36-15 from the arc.
Bucknell shot 53.4 percent overall and broke the Patriot League Tournament record for points scored in a semifinal game. The previous mark was 96, set by Fordham against Lehigh in 1992 and by Navy against Lafayette in 1997. It was also the most points ever scored by Bucknell in any Patriot League Tournament game, and the most the Bison have scored in a postseason tilt since a 106-80 win over Rider in the 1989 East Coast Conference quarterfinals.
"Give our guys a ton of credit, we had tremendous focus the last two days, and we played like it," said head coach Nathan Davis. "We played with a lot of energy and a lot of effort. We shared the ball, and we did all of the things you need to do to beat a good team."
🏀 Wednesday's @PatriotLeague Championship is set! @Bucknell_MBB takes down Lehigh and will travel to @ColgateMBB for the big showdown on @CBSSportsNet! 📺 @JasonKnapp44 and @COACH_MOCASSARA will have the call. pic.twitter.com/57O7bvz9eF
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) March 10, 2019
In the opening half, Bucknell went more than four minutes without a field goal, but weathered an 11-0 Lehigh run thanks in large part to the continued hot hand of Mackenzie. The senior from Oakville, Ontario was coming off a 27-point performance in which he canned a career-high seven 3-pointers in Bucknell's quarterfinal win over Holy Cross on Thursday.
This time he took control of the game late in the first half. Over a stretch of 3:36, Mackenzie scored 15 of Bucknell's 17 points, punctuated by three straight made 3-pointers. The first of those treys gave the Bison a 28-27 lead, and by the time he was done they had a 38-31 advantage.
Lehigh scored six straight to get back within one, but Bucknell closed the period on a 7-2 run, punctuated by Sestina's thunderous put-back jam with nine seconds remaining to give the Bison a 45-39 lead at the interval.
The teams swapped points over the first four minutes of the second half before the Bison finally gained some separation with a 10-0 spurt, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Sestina to make it 61-45.
Later it was a 66-53 game when John Meeks came off the bench to score six points in 38 seconds. He swished a three from the left wing on a nice kick-out pass from Sestina, and then Meeks finished in the lane, plus a free throw, for a 19-point Bison lead.
Lehigh finally got some 3-pointers to drop, collecting three in a row from Jordan Cohen, Kyle Leufroy and Jeameril Wilson to keep things interesting. Wilson's reverse layup with 4:57 to go brought the Mountain Hawks within 10 at 78-68.
The Bison countered by finding Bruce Moore in the paint, resulting in two free throws. Jimmy Sotos made a terrific defensive play on the baseline to force a tough shot from Lehigh scoring leader Lance Tejada, and then Mackenzie fed Sestina for a layup to make it an 82-68 game.
When Avi Toomer drove the baseline for a layup plus a foul with 3:42 to go, the Bison had a commanding 85-70 lead. Toomer hit Bucknell's 12th and final 3-pointer of the day with 3:03 left, igniting a 9-0 run that sent the differential over 20 for the first time.
Head coach Nathan Davis cleared the bench with 1:33 remaining, and the seniors exited the Sojka Pavilion floor for the final time to a standing ovation.
Mackenzie and Sestina both stuffed the boxscore. Mackenzie had six assists and six rebound along with his 25 points, which put him over the 1,300-point mark for his career. He went 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-8 from the 3-point arc. Sestina logged 23 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
Toomer (12 points) and Moore (10 points) both battled foul trouble, but they registered 10 big points apiece in the second half. Sotos finished with nine points and seven assists.
Bucknell finished with a 34-27 rebounding edge and limited Lehigh to four offensive rebounds. Both teams were strong at the free-throw line, with Bucknell finishing 23-for-27 and Lehigh 22-for-26.
This is Bucknell's 13th appearance in the Patriot League championship game and third time that the team has made it in three straight seasons. Holy Cross is the only school in conference history to claim three straight titles, winning it from 2001 to 2003.
Top-seeded Colgate defeated fifth-seeded Navy 80-70 in the other semifinal game, setting up a rematch of last year's Patriot League final. Bucknell won that one 83-54 at Sojka Pavilion, but this one will be played on Colgate's home court, where the Raiders are 14-1 this season.
The Bison and Raiders both went 13-5 in league play and split their season series, but Colgate was awarded the No. 1 seed based on a better record against fourth-place American. Bucknell defeated Colgate 84-81 at home on Jan. 9, but the Raiders came back with a 75-64 win at Cotterell Court on Feb. 19.
Wednesday's championship game will tip at 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
PHOTO GALLERY:
Team Stats
Lehigh
Buck
FG%
.444
.534
3FG%
.333
.387
FT%
.846
.852
RB
27
34
TO
14
15
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
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