Thursday, March 5
Washington, D.C.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
14-19,8-10Patriot
64
at
59
American (PL Quarterfinals)
16-14,12-6Patriot
1
2
F
Bucknell
30
34
64
American
29
30
59
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Win and Advance! Bucknell Men Defeat American 64-59 to Move on to PL Semifinals
3/5/2020 9:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PURCHASE TICKETS IN BUCKNELL SECTION FOR SEMIFINALS AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was a classic postseason basketball game at Bender Arena, but Bucknell's Avi Toomer simply would not let his senior year end. Just after American regained the lead on a deep 3-pointer from Jamir Harris, Toomer immediately answered with a drive for a 3-point play, and then a few minutes later he hit the two clinching free throws with 9.9 seconds to go to send seventh-seeded Bucknell to a 64-59 victory over No. 2 American in a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday night.
Toomer finished with a team-high 18 points, Paul Newman added 12 on 6-for-7 shooting and John Meeks (10 points), Jimmy Sotos (4 points, 5 assists) and Walter Ellis (7 points) all made critical buckets in the final two minutes as the two teams punched back and forth down the stretch.
With the game tied at 58 after another deep three by Harris, Meeks powered through a defender for a tough layup, and then Sotos stood tall and drew a painful charge on Patriot League Player of the Year Sa'eed Nelson. Sotos then changed gears in the lane, which sent Nelson to the ground, and Sotos finished the open lefty layup for a 62-58 lead with 18 seconds left. After Nelson split a pair at the foul line with 11 seconds to go, Bucknell inbounded to Toomer, and he made both for a five-point lead. American could not connect on two contested threes as time expired, and the Bison are headed to the semifinals for 23rd time in 30 seasons in the Patriot League.
Bucknell (14-19) will travel to Boston University on Sunday at noon in the first of two semifinal games on CBS Sports Network. Fifth-seeded Lafayette will visit No. 1 Colgate in the other semi.
The Bison, who had not played a road Patriot League Tournament game in 10 years until visiting Colgate in the 2019 championship, were playing a quarterfinal game on the road for the first time since 2009. It was their first PL Tournament road win since the famous John Griffin half-court buzzer-beater that stunned Navy in triple overtime in 2008.
"Give our guys a ton of credit for the way they fought all night," said head coach Nathan Davis. "We've been through a lot as a group this year, but the one thing that has never wavered has been their effort. Guys stepped up and made big plays when it mattered most tonight, and they earned the right to keep playing. American is not an easy team to play, and Sa'eed Nelson is one of the best players the Patriot League has seen. We knew he was going to get his points, he got a few too many layups in the first half but I thought we made it much tougher on him in the second half, and Jimmy stepped in there and took the charge at the end."
Bucknell led 30-29 at the half, but a pair of Toomer-to-Newman feeds sparked a 6-2 run to open the second stanza. After American (16-14) tied it a coupe of times, Ellis hit a 3-pointer at the 12:11 mark to give the Bison a 44-40 lead.
Nelson answered with a trey for AU on the next possession, but the Eagles were limited to just a single free throw over the next 6:26. Bucknell struggled to pull away, however, although Toomer scored on a drive to make it a 50-44 game with 5:32 remaining.
Nelson finally ended American's drought with a layup, but he missed a chance to make it a 3-point play. A wonderfully executed pick-and-roll from Toomer to Meeks made it 52-46, and then Toomer had a late-clock 3-pointer rim out just after the under-4:00 media timeout that might have made it a nine-point game.
Instead, American scored the next seven points to take the lead. Yilret Yiljep shook free for a dunk, and 15 seconds later Nelson jumped a passing lane for a breakaway layup. After a timeout, Harris' 3-pointer gave American its first lead since 21-19.
Toomer struck right back with his romp to the basket for a 3-point play and a 55-53 Bison lead. Stacey Beckton Jr. made two free throws to tie it, but then Sotos found Ellis on the right wing for a go-ahead 3-pointer. Harris immediately answered with a bomb at he other end to make it 58-58 with 1:28 to go, but the Bison had the answers the rest of the way.
Bucknell shot 60.9 percent (14-23) in the second half and 52.0 percent for the game, even though the Bison were 5-for-17 from long range. Two-point shooting efficiency has been an issue for the Bison throughout the season, but they went 21-for-33 (.636) inside the arc in this one.
Meanwhile, Bucknell held American to 36.2 percent overall and a 5-for-23 showing from three. Nelson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and five steals. He was 7-for-18 from the field and 7-for-13 from the foul line. Harris was the only other Eagle in double figures with 15 points.
The Bison outrebounded the Eagles 35-31, led by seven boards from Funk.
Neither team led by more than five points in a tightly contested first half. The Eagles went up 16-11 on a Beckton dunk, but the Bison held them to just a pair of free throws over the next six minutes.
Toomer's second 3-pointer of the game broke a 21-all tie, and later two free throws by Meeks and a short jump-hook by Newman gave the Bison a 28-24 lead. Spear's layup off a Sotos feed with 10 seconds left made it 30-26, but Connor Nelson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer to make it a one-point game at the break.
Bucknell dropped both regular-season meetings with Boston University, including a tough 74-71 setback just last Saturday at Case Gym, when the Terriers rallied from 16 down to win. Boston University advanced to the semifinals with a 69-63 win over Navy on Thursday.
Additional Notes:
Bucknell is now 43-23 all-time in Patriot League Tournament play, including 3-0 against American … head coach Nathan Davis is now 10-2 in the PL Tournament … the Bison are now 3-2 when playing as the No. 7 seed … Jimmy Sotos and Avi Toomer both reached the 800-point mark in the game.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was a classic postseason basketball game at Bender Arena, but Bucknell's Avi Toomer simply would not let his senior year end. Just after American regained the lead on a deep 3-pointer from Jamir Harris, Toomer immediately answered with a drive for a 3-point play, and then a few minutes later he hit the two clinching free throws with 9.9 seconds to go to send seventh-seeded Bucknell to a 64-59 victory over No. 2 American in a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday night.
Toomer finished with a team-high 18 points, Paul Newman added 12 on 6-for-7 shooting and John Meeks (10 points), Jimmy Sotos (4 points, 5 assists) and Walter Ellis (7 points) all made critical buckets in the final two minutes as the two teams punched back and forth down the stretch.
With the game tied at 58 after another deep three by Harris, Meeks powered through a defender for a tough layup, and then Sotos stood tall and drew a painful charge on Patriot League Player of the Year Sa'eed Nelson. Sotos then changed gears in the lane, which sent Nelson to the ground, and Sotos finished the open lefty layup for a 62-58 lead with 18 seconds left. After Nelson split a pair at the foul line with 11 seconds to go, Bucknell inbounded to Toomer, and he made both for a five-point lead. American could not connect on two contested threes as time expired, and the Bison are headed to the semifinals for 23rd time in 30 seasons in the Patriot League.
Sotos with the shake ... and bake!
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) March 6, 2020
Watch: https://t.co/sDZqLEHXsk pic.twitter.com/ws980FU2hp
Bucknell (14-19) will travel to Boston University on Sunday at noon in the first of two semifinal games on CBS Sports Network. Fifth-seeded Lafayette will visit No. 1 Colgate in the other semi.
The Bison, who had not played a road Patriot League Tournament game in 10 years until visiting Colgate in the 2019 championship, were playing a quarterfinal game on the road for the first time since 2009. It was their first PL Tournament road win since the famous John Griffin half-court buzzer-beater that stunned Navy in triple overtime in 2008.
"Give our guys a ton of credit for the way they fought all night," said head coach Nathan Davis. "We've been through a lot as a group this year, but the one thing that has never wavered has been their effort. Guys stepped up and made big plays when it mattered most tonight, and they earned the right to keep playing. American is not an easy team to play, and Sa'eed Nelson is one of the best players the Patriot League has seen. We knew he was going to get his points, he got a few too many layups in the first half but I thought we made it much tougher on him in the second half, and Jimmy stepped in there and took the charge at the end."
Bucknell led 30-29 at the half, but a pair of Toomer-to-Newman feeds sparked a 6-2 run to open the second stanza. After American (16-14) tied it a coupe of times, Ellis hit a 3-pointer at the 12:11 mark to give the Bison a 44-40 lead.
Nelson answered with a trey for AU on the next possession, but the Eagles were limited to just a single free throw over the next 6:26. Bucknell struggled to pull away, however, although Toomer scored on a drive to make it a 50-44 game with 5:32 remaining.
Nelson finally ended American's drought with a layup, but he missed a chance to make it a 3-point play. A wonderfully executed pick-and-roll from Toomer to Meeks made it 52-46, and then Toomer had a late-clock 3-pointer rim out just after the under-4:00 media timeout that might have made it a nine-point game.
Instead, American scored the next seven points to take the lead. Yilret Yiljep shook free for a dunk, and 15 seconds later Nelson jumped a passing lane for a breakaway layup. After a timeout, Harris' 3-pointer gave American its first lead since 21-19.
Toomer struck right back with his romp to the basket for a 3-point play and a 55-53 Bison lead. Stacey Beckton Jr. made two free throws to tie it, but then Sotos found Ellis on the right wing for a go-ahead 3-pointer. Harris immediately answered with a bomb at he other end to make it 58-58 with 1:28 to go, but the Bison had the answers the rest of the way.
🏀 No. 7 @Bucknell_MBB pulls the big upset on the road at second-seeded American! The Bison move on the @PatriotLeague semifinals with the win.#PatriotMBB | @Stadium | @marchmadness pic.twitter.com/f5tMrfqKZF
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) March 6, 2020
Bucknell shot 60.9 percent (14-23) in the second half and 52.0 percent for the game, even though the Bison were 5-for-17 from long range. Two-point shooting efficiency has been an issue for the Bison throughout the season, but they went 21-for-33 (.636) inside the arc in this one.
Meanwhile, Bucknell held American to 36.2 percent overall and a 5-for-23 showing from three. Nelson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and five steals. He was 7-for-18 from the field and 7-for-13 from the foul line. Harris was the only other Eagle in double figures with 15 points.
The Bison outrebounded the Eagles 35-31, led by seven boards from Funk.
Neither team led by more than five points in a tightly contested first half. The Eagles went up 16-11 on a Beckton dunk, but the Bison held them to just a pair of free throws over the next six minutes.
Toomer's second 3-pointer of the game broke a 21-all tie, and later two free throws by Meeks and a short jump-hook by Newman gave the Bison a 28-24 lead. Spear's layup off a Sotos feed with 10 seconds left made it 30-26, but Connor Nelson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer to make it a one-point game at the break.
Bucknell dropped both regular-season meetings with Boston University, including a tough 74-71 setback just last Saturday at Case Gym, when the Terriers rallied from 16 down to win. Boston University advanced to the semifinals with a 69-63 win over Navy on Thursday.
Additional Notes:
Bucknell is now 43-23 all-time in Patriot League Tournament play, including 3-0 against American … head coach Nathan Davis is now 10-2 in the PL Tournament … the Bison are now 3-2 when playing as the No. 7 seed … Jimmy Sotos and Avi Toomer both reached the 800-point mark in the game.
The final countdown. Great performance tonight, and we got a HUGE boost from our crowd, band and cheeleaders. You all rocked tonight! #rayBucknell #TheBisonWay pic.twitter.com/f0doiZs9I1
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) March 6, 2020
Team Stats
Buck
Americ
FG%
.520
.362
3FG%
.294
.217
FT%
.636
.600
RB
35
31
TO
15
9
STL
5
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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