Sunday, March 8
Boston, Mass.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
14-20
61
at
64
Boston University (PL Semifinals)
20-13
1
2
F
Bucknell
22
39
61
Boston University
35
29
64
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Bucknell’s Comeback Falls Just Short in 64-61 Loss to Boston University in PL Semifinals
3/8/2020 2:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON, Mass. – Backed by a career-high 23 points from senior Avi Toomer, Bucknell cut a 17-point deficit down to three and had a look at a tying shot in the closing seconds, but Boston University prevailed 64-61 in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals at Case Gym. The third-seeded Terriers advance to the championship game to face either Colgate or Lafayette, while seventh-seeded Bucknell's season ends one game shy of a 14th title-game appearance.
The Terriers led 30-13 after a piping-hot start. It was 35-22 at the half, and they still led by 10 at 62-52 after a Jonas Harper 3-pointer with 6:19 left. The Bison pitched a shutout for the next 5:17, however, and brought it all the way back to a one-possession game.
A three from Andrew Funk and a baseline jumper from Jimmy Sotos on consecutive possessions made it a 62-57 game. The Bison had three straight empty possessions but kept getting stops, and they cut it to 62-59 on Sotos' waltz down the lane with 2:16 to go.
After Max Mahoney missed at the rim for Boston University, Funk had a potential tying three rim out from deep in the right corner. Javante McCoy finally broke the Terriers' scoring drought with a layup with 1:02 left before Toomer drove to the rim for a layup.
Down 64-61 with about a 12-second shot-clock differential, the Bison forced a desperation shot late in the clock. Walter Ellis rebounded and passed ahead to Sotos, who was fouled on the fastbreak. The foul was ruled on the floor, and after inbounding with 7.7 seconds left, Toomer had a clean look from the left wing that was just off the mark, and the McCoy collected the rebound.
Bucknell had to foul twice in order to send Mahoney to the line with 1.5 seconds left. He missed the front end, but the Bison were out of timeouts, and a full-court heave at the buzzer came up short as time expired.
The Bison could not get anything going in the first half, but Toomer's wide-open three got them off to a 13-4 start in the second. Bucknell shot 62.5 percent in the second half, compared to 32.0 percent in the first. The Bison shot 46.9 percent overall, including 9-for-22 from the arc.
Boston University shot 48.1 percent from the field, 6-for-18 from three, and 6-for-12 from the foul line. Bucknell had nine steals among the Terriers' 15 turnovers.
In addition to Toomer's game-high 23 points, Sotos finished with 10, and Paul Newman had eight points and five rebounds. Newman went 4-for-5 from the field, making him 10-for-12 in the last two games.
Mahoney (17 points, 10 rebounds), Walter Whyte (16 points, 10 rebounds) and McCoy (12 points, 8 assists) – Boston University's three all-conference players – were the catalysts for the Terriers.
"It's always emotional to have your season come to an end, because it happens so abruptly," said head coach Nathan Davis. "These guys wanted so badly to get back to the championship game for the fourth year in a row, and I think that desire really showed over the last two weeks when we played our best basketball of the season. Unfortunately, we got off to slow start today and then came up just a play or two short. Avi Toomer was terrific again today, he really put the team on his shoulders in this tournament. He should walk out with his head held high."
The Terriers controlled play at both ends of the floor throughout the first half. They came out of the blocks hitting their first five shots of the day before finally missing 3:58 into the game. Moments later an Andrew Petcash 3-pointer made them 4-for-4 from downtown on the way to a quick 16-6 lead.
Bucknell cut an 11-point deficit down to seven as Toomer made a 3-pointer and two free throws in a 5-1 run. But those would be the last Bison points for five minutes, and Boston University scored 10 straight points to run the margin up to 17 at 30-13.
Sotos buried a 30-footer just before the buzzer to bring Bucknell within 35-22 and salvage something out of a tough first half.
A Meeks jumper pulled the Bison within 39-35 just under four minutes into the second half, but Boston University responded with an 8-0 run to get the margin right back up to 12.
Down 49-37, Funk connected on a 3-pointer and then Toomer splashed two in a row as part of a 9-2 run. The Bison started the second half 6-for-8 from three, but the Terriers always seemed to have an answer. Mahoney and McCoy scored off of offensive rebounds, and the Harper three made it 62-52 with 6:19 to go before Bucknell stormed back one more time.
Additional Notes:
Bucknell's 13 Patriot League championship game appearances are the most in league history, as are its 23 semifinal appearances in the PL's 30-year history … Toomer finished 8-for-13 from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point distance, and 2-for-2 from the line … his previous career high was 21 points against Albany back on Dec. 2 … his five made 3-pointers were also a personal best … Sotos also had three assists, giving him 390 in his career … he will enter next season in eighth place in school history, nine shy of Cal Puriefoy for the No. 7 spot … Sotos finishes the year as Bucknell's leading scorer at 11.5 points per game, followed by Toomer (11.3), Meeks (11.2) and Funk (10.8).
The Terriers led 30-13 after a piping-hot start. It was 35-22 at the half, and they still led by 10 at 62-52 after a Jonas Harper 3-pointer with 6:19 left. The Bison pitched a shutout for the next 5:17, however, and brought it all the way back to a one-possession game.
A three from Andrew Funk and a baseline jumper from Jimmy Sotos on consecutive possessions made it a 62-57 game. The Bison had three straight empty possessions but kept getting stops, and they cut it to 62-59 on Sotos' waltz down the lane with 2:16 to go.
IT IS A ONE POSSESSION GAME!!!@Bucknell_MBB | @PatriotLeague pic.twitter.com/FVz92ekQWw
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 8, 2020
After Max Mahoney missed at the rim for Boston University, Funk had a potential tying three rim out from deep in the right corner. Javante McCoy finally broke the Terriers' scoring drought with a layup with 1:02 left before Toomer drove to the rim for a layup.
Down 64-61 with about a 12-second shot-clock differential, the Bison forced a desperation shot late in the clock. Walter Ellis rebounded and passed ahead to Sotos, who was fouled on the fastbreak. The foul was ruled on the floor, and after inbounding with 7.7 seconds left, Toomer had a clean look from the left wing that was just off the mark, and the McCoy collected the rebound.
Bucknell had to foul twice in order to send Mahoney to the line with 1.5 seconds left. He missed the front end, but the Bison were out of timeouts, and a full-court heave at the buzzer came up short as time expired.
The Bison could not get anything going in the first half, but Toomer's wide-open three got them off to a 13-4 start in the second. Bucknell shot 62.5 percent in the second half, compared to 32.0 percent in the first. The Bison shot 46.9 percent overall, including 9-for-22 from the arc.
Boston University shot 48.1 percent from the field, 6-for-18 from three, and 6-for-12 from the foul line. Bucknell had nine steals among the Terriers' 15 turnovers.
In addition to Toomer's game-high 23 points, Sotos finished with 10, and Paul Newman had eight points and five rebounds. Newman went 4-for-5 from the field, making him 10-for-12 in the last two games.
Mahoney (17 points, 10 rebounds), Walter Whyte (16 points, 10 rebounds) and McCoy (12 points, 8 assists) – Boston University's three all-conference players – were the catalysts for the Terriers.
"It's always emotional to have your season come to an end, because it happens so abruptly," said head coach Nathan Davis. "These guys wanted so badly to get back to the championship game for the fourth year in a row, and I think that desire really showed over the last two weeks when we played our best basketball of the season. Unfortunately, we got off to slow start today and then came up just a play or two short. Avi Toomer was terrific again today, he really put the team on his shoulders in this tournament. He should walk out with his head held high."
The Terriers controlled play at both ends of the floor throughout the first half. They came out of the blocks hitting their first five shots of the day before finally missing 3:58 into the game. Moments later an Andrew Petcash 3-pointer made them 4-for-4 from downtown on the way to a quick 16-6 lead.
Bucknell cut an 11-point deficit down to seven as Toomer made a 3-pointer and two free throws in a 5-1 run. But those would be the last Bison points for five minutes, and Boston University scored 10 straight points to run the margin up to 17 at 30-13.
Sotos buried a 30-footer just before the buzzer to bring Bucknell within 35-22 and salvage something out of a tough first half.
A Meeks jumper pulled the Bison within 39-35 just under four minutes into the second half, but Boston University responded with an 8-0 run to get the margin right back up to 12.
Down 49-37, Funk connected on a 3-pointer and then Toomer splashed two in a row as part of a 9-2 run. The Bison started the second half 6-for-8 from three, but the Terriers always seemed to have an answer. Mahoney and McCoy scored off of offensive rebounds, and the Harper three made it 62-52 with 6:19 to go before Bucknell stormed back one more time.
Additional Notes:
Bucknell's 13 Patriot League championship game appearances are the most in league history, as are its 23 semifinal appearances in the PL's 30-year history … Toomer finished 8-for-13 from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point distance, and 2-for-2 from the line … his previous career high was 21 points against Albany back on Dec. 2 … his five made 3-pointers were also a personal best … Sotos also had three assists, giving him 390 in his career … he will enter next season in eighth place in school history, nine shy of Cal Puriefoy for the No. 7 spot … Sotos finishes the year as Bucknell's leading scorer at 11.5 points per game, followed by Toomer (11.3), Meeks (11.2) and Funk (10.8).
Team Stats
BUCKN
BOSTONU
FG%
.469
.481
3FG%
.409
.333
FT%
.545
.500
RB
23
38
TO
13
15
STL
9
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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