Bison Men Travel to D.C. for Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 5

Washington, D.C.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

American (PL Quarterfinals)

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Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bison Men Travel to D.C. for Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals

3/4/2020 3:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

NOTE: Bucknell fans wishing to purchase tickets in the Bucknell section can buy online HERE. There will also be a fan bus departing the Bucknell campus at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday. Fans wishing to ride the bus must have purchased a ticket, and the bus package is also available online. For more information, please call the Campus Box Office at 570-577-1000 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Bucknell survived a down-to-the-wire test from 10th-seeded Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament first round on Tuesday night, and now the Bison head on the road to face No. 2 seed American in the quarterfinal round on Thursday night.

Playing Patriot League Tournament games on the road has been a rarity for Bucknell. Prior to last season's championship game at Colgate, the Bison had played 22 straight PLT games at home dating all the way back to 2009. That 2009 game is also the last time Bucknell played a road quarterfinal game, when it was the No. 7 seed and lost at Holy Cross.

Bucknell and American played two close games this season, with the home team winning each time. The Eagles prevailed 61-60 at Bender Arena on Jan. 15, thanks to a Connor Nelson 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Bison won 72-68 at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 15 in a game in which they nearly let a double-digit lead slip away due to some poor free-throw shooting down the stretch. That was also a career game for Kahliel Spear, who had 20 points and seven rebounds.

Bucknell is 4-2 in its last six games, including wins over the top two tournament seeds in Colgate and American. The Bison nearly added third-seeded Boston University to the list on Saturday in the regular-season finale, but the Terriers overcame a 16-point deficit to win 74-71 at Case Gym. Junior forward John Meeks earned Third Team All-Patriot League honors on Monday. Meeks is one of four Bison scoring in double figures. Jimmy Sotos, who is averaging 17.5 points over his last four games, regained the team scoring lead at 11.8 ppg, followed by Meeks (11.4), Andrew Funk (11.2) and Avi Toomer (10.6). Also honored this week was Funk, who was named to the five-man Academic All-Patriot League Team.

American is led by 2020 Patriot League Player of the Year Sa'eed Nelson, who is the league's second-leading scorer at 18.4 points per game. Nelson also leads the league in steals (2.8) by a wide margin, and he is No. 2 in assists at 4.8 per game. He recently became American's all-time leading scorer, and he is the only player in Patriot League history with 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Also honored this week was junior guard Stacy Beckton Jr., who was both a Third Team All-Patriot League and PL All-Defensive Team selection.

Since losing that game at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 15, American won three of its last four to close out the regular season and earn the No. 2 seed. Their two most recent games were blowout victories, 79-59 over Lafayette at home and 90-47 at Holy Cross last Saturday. Nelson played reduced minutes in the Holy Cross game and finished with nine points and eight assists, ending his run of six straight 20-point games.

Here's more info on Thursday's game at American:

What: #7 Bucknell (13-19, 8-10 PL) at #2 American (16-13, 12-6 PL)
Where: Bender Arena, Washington, D.C. | TICKETS
When: Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m.
Internet: Patriot League Network
Local Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM WEGH)
Listen Live: BucknellBison.com and Eagle107.com
Live Stats: AUEagles.com

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Jimmy Sotos (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (11.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G: Avi Toomer (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg)
F: John Meeks (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)
C: Paul Newman (4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.6 bpg)

With a Win over American, Bucknell Would ...

... advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the 23rd time in 30 seasons in the league. The Bison would play on the road against the winner of the Navy at Boston University quarterfinal game.
... improve to 44-24 all-time against American and 11-9 at Bender Arena.
... improve to 3-0 against the Eagles in Patriot League Tournament play and 3-1 in postseason play (includes a loss in the East Coast Conference Tournament in 1983).
... improve to 43-23 in Patriot League Tournament games.

Last Time Out

Andrew Funk scored 17 points and Avi Toomer hit the game-clinching 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining to help lead the Bucknell men's basketball team to a 65-62 victory over Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament First Round on Tuesday evening at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell converted 24 turnovers by the 10th-seeded Crusaders into 25 points. The Bison recorded 11 steals in the contest. Funk, Jimmy Sotos and Toomer each had a pair of steals for the Bison, while Xander Rice recorded a game-high three.
Sotos scored 14 points, while Toomer added 10, including the critical three late in the game. With his team clinging to a 62-60 lead, Sotos used a crossover dribble to clear space and drive diagonally across the key. He dished to Toomer in the right corner, and the senior buried the biggest shot of the season to make it 65-60.
Funk intercepted a Joe Pridgen pass in the lane on the ensuing possession, forcing the Crusaders to foul. After a missed free throw, Pridgen converted a put-back lay-up with under five seconds left, but the Bison were able to inbound successfully to run out the clock.
Pridgen, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, scored a game-high 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists while playing the full 40 minutes, but he committed 10 of the Crusaders' 24 turnovers.
Bucknell shot 44.6% for the game and went 7-for-18 from 3-point distance. The team's recent free-throw slump continued with an 8-for-15 showing from the line. Holy Cross shot an even 50% despite 5-for-18 long-range shooting. The Crusaders were 7-for-12 from the foul line.
Holy Cross outrebounded the Bison 36-26 and had a 15-8 edge in second-chance points. Bucknell on the other hand led 25-9 in points off turnovers and 13-2 in fastbreak points. The Bison also led 17-2 in bench scoring, as Holy Cross used only six players in the game. Bucknell received solid contributions from its three reserves Ellis (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Kahliel Spear (7 points) and Rice (2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals).
Bucknell and Holy Cross were no strangers to March matchups. This is the 30th Patriot League Tournament, and the Bison and Crusaders met for the 17th time in the event. It is by far the most-played Patriot League Tournament matchup.

Most-Played Patriot League Tournament Matchups (includes Thursday's quarterfinal games)
1. 17   Bucknell vs. Holy Cross
2. 10   Bucknell vs. Army
10   Colgate vs. Lafayette
10   Bucknell vs. Lehigh
5. 9   Colgate vs. Lehigh

Bucknell Patriot League Tournament History

Bucknell has an all-time record of 42-23 (.646) in 30 Patriot League Tournaments. The Bison have reached the championship game a league-record 13 times, including wins in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018, and reached at least the semifinals in 22 of the first 29 years.
This is Bucknell's third appearance as the No. 7 seed and its first time playing in a first-round game as part of a 10-team field. The Bison do have a win as a No. 7 seed, that being the memorable 87-86 triple-overtime win at Navy in 2008 that culminated with John Griffin's half-court buzzer-beater.

Bison PL Tourney Log
Year   Seed   Results
1991   4   def. Army 67-49; lost Fordham 82-76
1992   2   def. Army 74-55; def. Holy Cross 86-77; lost Fordham 70-65
1993   1   def. Lehigh 69-65; def. Colgate 75-73; lost Holy Cross 98-73
1994   5   lost Holy Cross 96-91
1995   2   lost Army 94-78
1996   4   def. Lafayette 56-55; lost Colgate 67-61
1997   2   def. Lehigh 84-54; def. Colgate 71-58; lost Navy 76-75
1998   3   def. Holy Cross 60-56; lost Navy 80-61
1999   3   def. Holy Cross 76-52; def. Lehigh 58-50; lost Lafayette 67-63
2000   3   lost Lehigh 73-62
2001   6   def. Colgate 75-68; lost Navy 88-64
2002   3   def. Army 70-59; lost Holy Cross 64-57
2003   5   def. Lehigh 52-47; lost Holy Cross 75-50
2004   4   def. Holy Cross 66-60; lost Lehigh 60-45
2005   2   def. Lafayette 70-34; def. American 53-35; def. Holy Cross 61-57
2006   1   def. Army 59-47; def. American 64-50; def. Holy Cross 74-59
2007   2   def. Navy 62-43; def. Army 68-47; lost Holy Cross 74-66
2008   7   def. Navy 87-86 (3OT); lost Colgate 54-40
2009   7   lost Holy Cross 75-56
2010   2   lost Holy Cross 67-64
2011   1   def. Army 78-51; def. Lehigh 66-64; def. Lafayette 72-57
2012   1   def. Navy 87-63; def. Lafayette 79-52; lost Lehigh 82-77
2013   1   def. Navy 58-42; def. Army 78-70; def. Lafayette 64-56
2014   4   lost 72-71 Army
2015   1   def. Holy Cross 90-83 (OT); lost Lafayette 80-74
2016   1   lost Holy Cross 77-72 (2OT)
2017   1   def. Army 78-62; def. Navy 70-65; def. Lehigh 81-65
2018   1   def. Loyola 83-78; def. Boston U. 90-59; def. Colgate 83-54
2019   2   def. Holy Cross 77-65; def. Lehigh 97-75; lost Colgate 94-80
2020   7   def. Holy Cross 65-62; vs. American

PL TOURNAMENT BY OPPONENT
American   2-0
Army   8-2
Boston U.   1-0
Colgate   4-3
Fordham   0-2
Navy   5-3
Holy Cross   9-8
Lafayette   5-2
Lehigh   7-3
Loyola   1-0

Bucknell vs. American

Bucknell has an overall 43-24 lead in an all-time series with American that includes some historic dates. The very first meeting on Jan. 14, 1939 also happened to be the first game ever played in Davis Gym (AU won 38-33). Coincidentally, American was also the opponent for the very last game ever played in Davis Gym on Jan. 11, 2003 (a 63-52 Bison win).
As Patriot League rivals, Bucknell leads 28-12, including victories in the 2005 and 2006 PL Tournament semifinals.
Bucknell has won 25 of 32 series meetings in Lewisburg, including 16 out of 18 at Sojka Pavilion, but the Bison are just 10-9 at Bender Arena since American joined the Patriot League in 2001-02.
American took this year's first encounter 61-60 at Bender Arena on Jan. 15, thanks to a Connor Nelson 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Avi Toomer had just given the Bison a 60-58 lead with two tiebreaking free throws with five seconds left. John Meeks recorded 14 points and seven rebounds and Walter Ellis scored 12 points in his first career start, as the Bison played without Moore (injury) and Andrew Funk (illness). Jamir Harris led five players in double figures for American with 14 points.
In the rematch at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 15, Kahliel Spear doubled his previous scoring high with 20 points as Bucknell held on to win 72-68. The Bison built a 12-point lead in the second half, but 6-for-16 free-throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Eagles to get back in the game. Sa'eed Nelson collected 28 points for American, including the 2,000th of his career.
This is the fourth time Bucknell and American have met in the postseason and the third time as members of the Patriot League. Each of the three previous meetings came in the semifinal round. Bucknell went on to win Patriot League titles in 2005 and 2006, while American lost to La Salle 75-73 in the 1983 ECC title game.

Bucknell vs. American in the postseason
Year   Event Result Notable
1983   ECC semis at Lafayette   AU, 51-49 (OT)   Mark Nickens (16 pts.) hit GW jumper with 0:04 left for AU
Jaye Andrews 18 pts., Jay Wright 4 pts. for BU
2005   PL semis at Bucknell BU, 53-35 BU held AU to 28% FG
2006   PL semis at Bucknell BU, 64-50 Kevin Bettencourt, Chris McNaughton 16 pts. each for BU
  Linas Lekavicius 21 pts. for AU

Notable Numbers

Bucknell has five players with 38 or more 3-pointers in a season for the first time in school history (Sotos 55, Toomer 55, Funk 49, Ellis 45, Meeks 38). In fact, never before had more than three Bison made 38+ in a season.
Bucknell has done well to limit opponents' 3-point shooting in recent games. Over the last eight contests, Bison foes are just 34-for-134 (.254) from downtown. Over the course of the entire season, only four teams have made more than seven 3-pointers in a game against the Bison: Syracuse (14), Princeton (13), Colgate (14) and Lafayette (9).
Bucknell has held 15 of its 19 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.
Kahliel Spear is 29-for-50 (.580) from the field over the last eight games, upping his season field-goal percentage to .529. Spear shot 59.7% in Patriot League play. Despite playing in a reserve role (14.5 mpg), Spear leads the Bison in 3-point play opportunities with 11. He scored a career-high 20 points in the win over American on Feb. 15, doubling his previous personal best.
Jimmy Sotos scored 20 points at Lehigh on Feb. 23 after combining for 20 in his previous four games. Sotos now has five 20-point games this season, the most on the team. He has remained hot since then, with 70 points in his last four games (17.5 ppg).
Sotos has multiple steals in nine of his last 10 games and now has 52 on the season. In the last 13 seasons, only Stephen Brown (57 in 2016-17) has had more.
Walter Ellis has made a 3-pointer in 15 straight games, and he is averaging 10.1 ppg off the bench in his last seven games. Ellis has multiple triples in each of his last seven games, and he now ranks second in the Patriot League in 3-point percentage at .409.
The Bison had been a solid free-throw shooting team for most of the season, but they have struggled of late. In the last seven games the Bison are 59-for-107 (.551) from the line.
In addition to getting back to a better percentage, the Bison would also like to earn more chances at the foul line. Opponents have attempted 152 more free throws this season, leading to a 476-367 scoring edge. Bucknell has attempted more charity tosses than its opponents in each of the last five seasons.
Bucknell has struggled to finish around to the basket this season. The Bison are now shooting 47.2% from 2-point distance, which ranks 10th in the Patriot League.
Bucknell's streak of 10 straight seasons with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio is likely to end, but over the last six games the Bison have 75 assists and 65 turnovers. Bucknell is on the plus side against Patriot League foes with 242 assists compared to 229 turnovers.
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

Jimmy Sotos needs 17 assists to catch Cal Puriefoy (399) for seventh on Bucknell's career chart.
Sotos needs four points for 800 in his career.
Avi Toomer needs nine points for 800 in his career.