Men's Basketball Plays at Home Twice in Three-Day Span, Starting Saturday vs. Boston University

The Bucknell men's basketball team is 4-1 at home in Patriot League play this season -- and 26-1 in its last 27 PL games -- and now the Bison are prepping for two home tilts about 29 hours apart. Boston University comes to town on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip on WQMY-TV, and then on Monday night it's Lafayette for a CBS Sports Network appearance.

Bucknell Dining is running a pregame special in conjunction with Saturday's game. Kids 12 and under can eat lunch for free in the Bostwick Marketplace with a paying adult (two kids per adult). Bucky Bison and the Bucknell Cheerleaders will be on hand to take photos with the kids. The Bostwick Marketplace is located on the second floor of the Elaine Langone Center, just across the street from Sojka Pavilion.

On Saturday, we will also pay tribute to "Big Al" Yearick, who passed away on Monday at the age of 91. Big Al attended practice every day and traveled with the team until his health declined in recent years. Big Al served in a support role, handling everything from team security to equipment cleanup to filling water bottles, but his most important function came as an inspirational friend and sounding board to countless Bucknell players and coaches. In addition to a moment of silence prior to the game, the team will be wearing Big Al patches on their uniforms and shooting shirts, and his familiar seat at the end of the bench will be specially marked and left empty for the remainder of the season.

On Monday, an Orange Out has been declared for the nationally televised contest with Lafayette. Free orange tee shirts will be given away, courtesy of Weis Markets, and one shirt will be specially marked with the recipient winning a $100 Weis gift card. In addition to the Orange Out shirts, the first 150 students sitting in the Bison Nation Student Section receive a free gift card to Dunkin'.

While there is lots happening surrounding these two games, the action on the floor will take on major importance. Bucknell, Boston University and Lafayette are three of the seven teams separated by just two games at the top of the Patriot League standings.

Kids Eat Free

Here's more info on Saturday's game vs. Boston University:

What: Boston University (12-10, 6-3 PL) at Bucknell (9-13, 5-4 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. | TICKETS
When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
TV: WQMY-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 (12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.0 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G: Avi Toomer (11.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F: John Meeks (12.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F: Bruce Moore (9.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.8 apg)

With a Win over Boston University, Bucknell Would ...

... improve to 10-13 overall and 6-4 in the Patriot League.
... continue its run of alternating wins and losses to nine straight games.
... improve to 14-5 all-time against the Terriers.
... improve to 7-3 at home this season and 138-27 all-time against Patriot League foes at Sojka Pavilion.
... improve to 300-126 all-time in Patriot League play (regular season). The Bison would become the first PL team to reach 300 wins. Holy Cross has the next-most victories with 237.
... give Nathan Davis his 99th win as Bucknell's head coach.

Headlines

The only Patriot League team that Bucknell has yet to face is Boston University, and that will change on Saturday when the Terriers come to Sojka Pavilion to start the second half of conference play.
The Patriot League standings are quite a jumble at the midway point, with the top seven teams separated by only two games, and the bottom three separated by just one game. Now 5-4 after a 68-59 loss at Army on Wednesday, the Bison are tied for fifth place along with Lafayette and Army, but just two games behind league-leading Colgate with nine to play.
It has been a season of stops and starts for the Bison, who have alternated wins and losses over their last eight games. Bucknell has not won more than two straight or lost more than three straight all season. The eight straight games of alternating wins and losses is tied for the third-longest streak in team history.
John Meeks entered the starting lineup just before the start of league play and was terrific in the month of January. He set career highs with 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Army, and he ranks ninth in the Patriot League in scoring at 15.0 points per game in conference action. Meeks is shooting 50.0% from the field, 41.2% from 3-point distance and 25-for-26 from the foul line in the nine PL contests, and he has scored in double figures in all nine games.
Boston University has put together back-to-back wins on the heels of a two-game losing streak, and the Terriers have climbed back within one game of league-leading Colgate. Boston University, which defeated South Carolina 78-70 during non-conference play, is coming off a 92-77 home rout of Loyola on Wednesday night. Senior center Max Mahoney was magnificent in the Loyola win with 29 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Javante McCoy added 24 points and five assists as the Terriers shot 53% from the field against the Greyhounds.
Mahoney leads the team in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (7.5) while shooting 61.2% from the field on the season. He also averages 2.5 assists per game from his center position. Walter Whyte is back on the floor after missing all of last season with an injury, and he has been productive as well with 12.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Boston University averages 72.1 points per game while conceding 68.7. The Terriers shoot 46.0% from the field and are also one of the league's top rebounding teams. They lead the PL by grabbing 75.3% of all available defensive rebounds, and they rank second by rebounding 28.4% of their own misses. Mahoney is the catalyst on the offensive glass, as he is second in the conference with 2.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Bucknell freshman Jake van der Heijden and Boston University sophomore Jack Hemphill were teammates at Ravenscroft High School in North Carolina in 2017-18.

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Boston University game will be televised locally on WQMY in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre TV market. The game will also stream live on the Patriot League Network at PatriotLeague.tv. Adam Marco and Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Pat Flannery will call 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 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

Bucknell came from 13 points down to tie the score with just over eight minutes to play, but red-hot Army West Point outscored the Bison 15-6 from there and pulled away for a 68-59 win on Education Day at Christl Arena on Wednesday morning.
John Meeks paced the Bison with 19 points and nine rebounds, and it was his free throws that tied the game 53-all with 8:11 left. Bucknell had won the last 12 games in the series, with major comebacks punctuating the last four. After trailing 19-6 in the early going, it looked like the Bison had another double-digit rally in store, but this time it was the Black Knights staging the final flurry to secure their fifth straight win.
The Bison went ice cold after tying the game, finishing 2-for-12 over the final four minutes.
Walter Ellis joined Meeks in double figures with 11 points. Avi Toomer had seven points and five rebounds, and Kahliel Spear matched his career high with four blocked shots to go with two points, three rebounds and two steals off the bench.
Tommy Funk paced Army with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Matt Wilson added 16 points, Josh Caldwell scored 11, and Alex King and Lonnie Grayson scored 10 apiece as the Black Knight starting five accounted for 66 of the team's 68 points.
Bucknell shot 37.9% from the field, including 6-for-21 from 3-point range. Despite their 3-for-18 performance from long distance, Army shot 44.1% overall thanks to 23-for-41 shooting from inside the arc. The Black Knights entered the game ranked second nationally only to Dayton in 2-point field goal accuracy at better than 58 percent.
Both teams had good days at the foul line, where Bucknell went 9-for-10 and Army 13-14. The Black Knights were the worst free-throw shooting team in the Patriot League at 57.6% coming in, but they made their first 13 in this one before missing on their final attempt.
Army's last win over Bucknell came on March 5, 2014, a 72-71 decision in the Patriot League Tournament at Sojka Paviion. In addition to winning 12 straight in the series, Bucknell had also won the last five meetings at West Point.

Bucknell vs. Boston University

Bucknell and Boston University have met 18 times previously in men's basketball, and the Bison have a 13-5 lead in the series.
Bucknell is 6-3 at home in the series, 6-2 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites. In games played in Boston, Bucknell is 2-1 at Agganis Arena and 4-1 at Case Gym.
The two teams met for the first time at the 2005 Cable Car Classic at Santa Clara. The Bison won that one 63-57.
The Bison and Terriers split the season series last season, with the home team winning both times. Highlighting the two games were some awesome battles between centers Nate Sestina and Max Mahoney.
A dominant performance on the glass helped Boston University to an 87-80 win in last season's first meeting at Case Gym. The Terriers turned 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points. Mahoney had a huge night for Boston University with 26 points and 14 rebounds, offsetting a 27-point, nine-rebound effort from Sestina. Sestina hit a career-high five 3-pointers in seven attempts.
Sestina was at it again in the rematch at Sojka Pavilion. He scored 11 points in the first nine minutes to help stake the Bison to a 27-14 lead, and he finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in an 82-76 victory. Fellow senior Kimbal Mackenzie added 20 points, while Bruce Moore and John Meeks scored 10 each. Javante McCoy scored 19 points, including five threes, while Mahoney had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Terriers.
The two teams will meet again in Boston on the final day of the regular season on Feb. 29.

Notable Numbers

Bucknell has shot 3-pointers (.348 to .343) and free throws (.768 to .701) much better on the road than at home this season. But the team's overall field-goal percentage has been better at home (.451 to .404). The Bison have struggled from inside the arc on the road, shooting just 44.1%, compared to 52.8% at home.
Bucknell's short-range shooting issues have been even more magnified in the Patriot League, which has five teams ranked in the top 50 nationally in 2-point field goal percentage (2-Army, 15-Lafayette, 20-Loyola, 37-Boston University, 50- Colgate). The Bison rank 226th.
Bucknell has held opponents to 41.2% shooting overall and 29.9% from 3-point distance in its victories this season. Those numbers jump all the way up to 50.3% and 37.3% in the team's losses.
Bucknell has held eight of its nine Patriot League opponents to 33% shooting or worse from 3-point range. The big anomaly came in the loss at Colgate, where the Raiders went 14-for-23 (.609) from the arc.
The Bison would like to even up a free-throw shooting disparity. Opponents have attempted 105 more free throws this season (484-379), leading to a 344-275 scoring edge. Bucknell has attempted more charity tosses than its opponents in each of the last five seasons.
Avi Toomer has hit multiple 3-pointers in 11 of his last 16 games and is shooting 41.8% from the arc this season, up from 35.3% last year. Toomer is 17-for-40 (.425) 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 10 of their last 12 games and 10 or more in six of the last 12.
John Meeks is averaging a team-best 19.6 points per 40 minutes.
Bucknell had a perfect day at the free-throw line at La Salle, finishing 18-for-18. That is the fifth-most free throws without a miss in team history. The Bison ran their streak to 25 straight made free throws before missing late in the Army game.

Possible Upcoming Milestones

Avi Toomer needs two points for 700 in his career.
Jimmy Sotos needs 29 assists to catch Abe Badmus (375) for eighth on Bucknell's career chart.
Sotos needs seven steals for 100 in his career and 17 points for 700 in his career.

Who's Got Next?

Bucknell has another short turnaround with Lafayette coming to Sojka Pavilion on Monday night for a CBS Sports Network broadcast.
The Bison defeated the Leopards 78-66 in Easton on Jan. 5, but Lafayette has been playing very well of late. On Wednesday they completed a season sweep of first-place Colgate, and they will bring an impressive 7-4 road record into Monday's game at Sojka.

Men's Basketball Plays at Home Twice in Three-Day Span, Starting Saturday vs. Boston University

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Walter Ellis

Andrew Funk

Kimbal Mackenzie

John Meeks

Bruce Moore

Nate Sestina

Jimmy Sotos

Jimmy Sotos

Kahliel Spear

Avi Toomer

Jake van der Heijden

Bucknell University Athletics

Men's Basketball Plays at Home Twice in Three-Day Span, Starting Saturday vs. Boston University

Next Event

Related News

Players Mentioned

Walter Ellis

Andrew Funk

Kimbal Mackenzie

John Meeks

Bruce Moore

Nate Sestina

Jimmy Sotos

Jimmy Sotos

Kahliel Spear

Avi Toomer

Jake van der Heijden

Related Videos