Bison, Greyhounds Meet Saturday Night at Sojka

Saturday, January 25

Lewisburg, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Loyola

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Photo by: Phil Inglis

1/24/2020 2:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

The Bison men's basketball team has alternated wins and losses over the last three weeks, and after falling at Colgate on Monday, the squad is hoping to continue the pattern and ignite an elusive winning streak when Loyola visits Sojka Pavilion on Saturday night. This game starts a stretch with three of the next four at home, which will be followed by five of seven on the road to close out the regular season.

Bucknell has had good success against Loyola through the years -- the Bison are 18-3 all-time and have won five straight in the series -- but even though the injury-plagued Greyhounds have dropped six straight games, this is a dangerous team. Three of their six recent losses weren't decided until the final buzzer, including Wednesday's 93-91 overtime setback against American where Sa'eed Nelson hit two go-ahead free throws with 0.3 remaining. The Bison must contend with senior Andrew Kostecka, who is the Patriot League's leading scorer at 21.5 points per game. Kostecka logged 32 points against American last time out, and he had 29 and 25 in the two games against Bucknell last season.

For the Bison, junior John Meeks is emerging into one of the Patriot League's top point-producers. Meeks has scored in double figures in all seven Patriot League games, and his 15.1 PL scoring average is eighth-best in the league. Jimmy Sotos continues to lead Bucknell in scoring with 12.2 ppg on the season, but Meeks is right behind at 12.0. Avi Toomer (11.9) and Andrew Funk (10.6) also score in double figures.

Bucknell coaches will be wearing sneakers with their suits on Saturday in an effort to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, services and awareness. This year, fans can participate along with head coach Nathan Davis and the Bison program by making a donation on Bucknell's Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers website. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Fans can follow along on the national leaderboard at SuitsAndSneakers.org. The top fundraising college and high school teams in the nation will be recognized as Suits And Sneakers Week National Champions.

Here's more info on Saturday's game vs. Loyola:

What: Loyola (9-11, 1-6 PL) at Bucknell (8-12, 4-3 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. | TICKETS
When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.
TV: Stadium TV
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 (12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.1 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (10.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
G: Avi Toomer (11.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F: John Meeks (12.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.9 apg)
F: Bruce Moore (9.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)

With a Win over Loyola, Bucknell Would ...

... improve to 5-3 in Patriot League play and maintain a top-four standing.
... defeat the Greyhounds for the sixth straight time and improve to 19-3 all-time against them.
... improve to 137-27 against Patriot League opponents in Sojka Pavilion.
... improve to 299-125 all-time in Patriot League play.
... give Nathan Davis his 98th win as Bucknell's head coach.

Headlines

Bucknell is looking to bounce back from an 80-65 loss at first-place Colgate on Monday. The Bison entered that game holding Patriot League opponents to 28.9% shooting from the 3-point arc, but the Raiders went off in the second half. They hit 11 of 15 from downtown after halftime to break open what had been a close game for the first 33 minutes.
It has been a season of stops and starts for the Bison, who have alternated wins and losses over their last six games. Bucknell has not won more than two straight or lost more than three straight all season.
John Meeks entered the starting lineup just before the start of league play and has been terrific in the month of January. He set career highs with 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Army, and he ranks eighth in the Patriot League in scoring at 15.1 points per game in conference action. Meeks is shooting 51.3% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point distance and 17-for-18 from the foul line in the seven PL contests.
Beyond the starting five, the Bison have received strong play from freshman Xander Rice and sophomores Walter Ellis and Kahliel Spear in recent games. Spear had one of the best games of his career last Saturday, when he logged nine points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and a +20 rating in 15 minutes off the bench against Lehigh. Ellis made his first career start at American with Andrew Funk out of the lineup (illness) and matched his career high with 12 points. He added eight more off the bench against Lehigh, all coming in Bucknell's big first half, and he is 5-for-8 from the arc in his last three games. Rice has played his best basketball over the last six games, when he is 11-for-20 from the field and has committed only one turnover in 99 minutes.
Despite a tough second half on Monday at Colgate, Bucknell's defensive numbers in Patriot League play have been excellent. The Bison are conceding a league-low 64.0 points per game against PL foes, and they also rank No. 1 in steals (9.1) and forced turnovers (16.1).
Loyola has been plagued by injuries for much of the season, and after going 5-1 in the month of December, the Greyhounds have struggled of late. Since beating Holy Cross in the Patriot League opener on Jan. 2, they have dropped six straight, although three of those losses are by three points or fewer. Just in the last week, the Greyhounds fell 81-80 at Army on a last-second 3-pointer and 93-91 in overtime against American on two free throws with three-tenths of a second remaining.
Loyola features one of the league's best players in senior Andrew Kostecka, who leads the Patriot League in scoring at 21.5 points per game. Kostecka is coming off a 32-point performance against American, his eighth career game with 30 or more points. Isaiah Hart scored 8.4 ppg and leads the team with 66 assists, and the Bison will have to be mindful of reserve Kenneth Jones, who is one of the league's most accurate 3-point shooters at 44.3%. Loyola ranks third in the Patriot League in both points per game (72.2) and field-goal percentage (.460).

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Loyola game will be televised by Stadium TV with D.J. Sixsmith and Craig Esherick on the call. The broadcast will also 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, and he will be joined by Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Pat Flannery '80. 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

Jordan Burns hit six of Colgate's 11 second-half 3-pointers, helping the Raiders to an 80-65 victory over Bucknell on Monday night at Cotterell Court. Andrew Funk scored 16 for the Bison, who played well in long stretches but just could not keep up with Colgate's red-hot shooting from downtown.
The Raiders went 11-for-15 from the arc in the second half and 14-for-23 in the game, and they kept a hold on sole possession of first place. Bucknell hit 10 3-pointers of its own in 29 attempts and shot 43% overall.
John Meeks tallied 11 points, and Avi Toomer logged 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bison. Burns scored all 23 of his points in the second half to lead Colgate. Will Rayman had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Tucker Richardson hit four treys and scored 16 points, and Nelly Cummings added 14 points.
Bucknell trailed 32-29 after a back-and-forth, foul-laden first half. Things quickly opened up in the second stanza, however, as the teams swapped a pair of 3-pointers apiece in the first 90 seconds. But the Raiders didn't stop. Five of their first six second-half buckets were from long range, including three from Burns. A Rayman three at the 13:49 mark helped Colgate extend the margin to 10 at 49-39.

Bucknell vs. Loyola

The Bison and Greyhounds have met 21 times previously. Bucknell leads 18-3 in the series, including a 12-1 mark since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013-14.
Bucknell is 9-1 all-time at Loyola's Reitz Arena and 9-2 at home (2-0 in Davis Gym, 7-2 at Sojka Pavilion). Both of the Greyhounds' wins in Sojka Pavilion came before they joined the Patriot League.
Bucknell had beaten Loyola eight straight times until the Greyhounds won 78-77 in Baltimore in 2016-17.
The first series meeting came on Jan. 7, 1987 in Lewisburg. The Bison prevailed that day 72-70. A year later Bucknell won 80-60 on Loyola's home floor.
Bucknell and Loyola played twice within the 1992-93 season. The Bison won 75-59 in Baltimore, and in late February at Davis Gym the Bison rolled to a 116-85 victory. In the latter game, the Bison produced their second-highest point total in program history, led by an incredible 9-for-10 3-point shooting performance by Hall-of-Famer Mike Bright.
Bucknell swept the season series last year to extend its winning streak to five in a row over the Greyhounds. The Bison held on for a 71-68 win at Sojka Pavilion before prevailing 84-72 in Baltimore two weeks later.
In last season's first meeting, Kimbal Mackenzie scored 16 points and Avi Toomer had 14 in Bucknell's 71-68 win. Loyola scored 10 straight points to tie the game in the final minute, but Jimmy Sotos was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 5.8 seconds remaining, and he made all three free throws to win it for the Bison. Andrew Kostecka paced Loyola with 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
In the rematch at Reitz Arena, Mackenzie hit a career-high six 3-pointers on the way to 24 points, and Nate Sestina added 22 points as Bucknell again held off a late Loyola surge. The Bison led 58-43 with 10:43 to go, but the Greyhounds closed within 60-58 with a 15-2 run. Mackenzie hit a huge trey to start a 7-0 run that gave the Bison the momentum back, and with just over a minute to go he took a charge that fouled out Kostecka, who was having another huge night with 29 points, five assists and five steals.

Notable Numbers

Bucknell has shot 3-pointers (.351 to .341) and free throws (.760 to .711) much better on the road than at home this season. But the team's overall field-goal percentage has been better at home (.439 to .406). The Bison have struggled from inside the arc on the road, shooting just 44.2%, compared to 50.6% at home.
Bucknell has held opponents to 40.5% shooting overall and 29.9% from 3-point distance in its victories this season. Those numbers jump all the way up to 50.9% and 38.9% in the team's losses.
Avi Toomer has hit multiple 3-pointers in 11 of his last 14 games and is shooting 43.4% from the arc this season, up from 35.3% last year. Toomer is 15-for-32 in Patriot League play, which includes an 0-for-5 in the loss to Navy.
As a team, Bucknell did not have more than seven steals in any of its first 10 games of the season, but they have pilfered seven or more in eight of their last 10 games and 10 or more in six of the last 10.
John Meeks is averaging a team-best 19.1 points per 40 minutes.
Freshman guard Xander Rice has 29 points, seven assists and only one turnover in his last six games, marking his best stretch of the season.
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 11 of the 20 games thus far.

Possible Upcoming Milestones

Avi Toomer needs 15 points for 700 in his career.
Jimmy Sotos needs 35 assists to catch Abe Badmus (375) for eighth on Bucknell's career chart.
Sotos needs eight steals for 100 in his career, two rebounds for 300 in his career, and 37 points for 700 in his career.

Who's Got Next?

Bucknell plays a rare weekday morning game with an 11 a.m. start at Army West Point on Wednesday. The Black Knights are hosting a youth day event in conjunction with the game.
The Bison defeated Army 67-65 in the Patriot League opener at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 2. Paul Newman blocked a potential tying layup as time expired, and John Meeks had a big night with 22 points and nine rebounds for Bucknell.