Men's Basketball Home Wednesday vs. Former MAC & ECC Rival Rider

SPECTATOR POLICY: Bison Athletics and the Bucknell men's basketball team are pleased to welcome fans back to Sojka Pavilion this season. Please note that per University policy, masks are required for all individuals inside all public and academic indoor campus spaces, regardless of social distancing or vaccination status.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell returns home on Wednesday evening to face Rider in a 7 p.m. tilt at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are in search of their first win of the campaign after opening with losses to N.C. State and Penn, while Rider rebounded from an opening-night loss at Duquesne to post back-to-back home wins over Coppin State and Delaware State.

The Bison showed a number of bright moments in both games but had some difficulty down the stretch. They jumped out to a 13-1 lead at N.C. State and were tied at 40-40 at halftime before falling 88-70. Then on Sunday, Bucknell led by six early in the second half and was all tied up at 60-60 with 3:30 to go, but Penn used a 9-2 run to escape with a 73-68 win. The outcome against the Quakers overshadowed a brilliant performance from senior Andrew Funk, who hit seven 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 32 points. Through Monday night's games, Funk leads the Patriot League in scoring at 23.0 points per game.

Here are some links to get you up to speed on this year's squad.

• 2021-22 Season Preview
• Complete Game Notes
• 2021-22 Media Guide
• Digital Game Program

GAME DIGEST
What: Rider (2-1, 0-0 MAAC) at Bucknell (0-2, 0-0 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m.
Internet Stream: ESPN+
Local Radio: WVLY 100.9 FM
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Happenings: Magnet schedule giveaway, presented by W&L Dealerships

Bucknell Tentative Starters
G: Xander Rice (10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.0 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (23.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg)
G: Josh Adoh (7.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)
F: Jake van der Heijden (8.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.5 apg)
C: Andre Screen (7.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg)

With a Win over Rider, Bucknell Would ...

... pick up its first victory in three outings this season.
... improve to 31-25 all-time against the Broncs.
... improve to 194-65 all-time in Sojka Pavilion.
... give head coach Nathan Davis his 109th victory as Bucknell's head coach and bring him within one of Malcolm Musser for fourth on the program's all-time wins list.

Headlines

The Bison play at home for the second time this week, hosting Rider on Wednesday night.
Bucknell is off to an 0-2 start, with a road loss at North Carolina State followed by Sunday's 73-68 home setback against Penn. The Bison and Quakers were tied at 60-60 inside four minutes to play, but Penn took control with a 9-2 run.
On Sunday, the Bison played in front of fans at Sojka Pavilion for the first time in 621 days, dating back to a Patriot League Tournament win over Holy Cross on March 3, 2020. Bucknell played five home games last year during the abbreviated, conference-only schedule, but fans were not permitted per Patriot League policy.
Bucknell and Rider could possibly play again in one week's time. Both teams are headed to the Cancun Classic next week, and depending on day one results, they could meet in the Mayan Division championship or consolation game on Nov. 24. Bucknell plays Mercer in the opening round on Nov. 23, while Rider takes on Middle Tennessee State.
The Bison got out to a great start in the season opener in Raleigh, but N.C. State pulled away in the second half for an 88-70 win. Bucknell jumped out to a 13-1 lead on the Wolfpack, and the game was tied at 40-40 at halftime.
The N.C. State contest was Bucknell's first non-conference game in 682 days. The Wolfpack were Bucknell's first non-league foe since Dec. 28, 2019, a 71-59 loss to La Salle at The Palestra.
The Bison finished 5-7 in that modified schedule last year. The Patriot League went to a three-division format to reduce travel, with teams playing weekend home-and-home series on Saturdays and Sundays. Bucknell finished second in the Patriot League Central Division and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals before falling to eventual-champion Colgate.
Bucknell won eight Patriot League regular-season titles in a nine-year span from 2011-19, and the Bison went to the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018 during that stretch. This year Bucknell is trying to rebound from rare back-to-back sub-.500 seasons, although the Bison did get as far as the conference tournament semifinals in both years.
Head coach Nathan Davis is looking forward to playing a full non-conference schedule, as this year's squad is short on experience. Andrew Funk is the only senior on the roster and the only player on the squad who has appeared in more than 48 games. Funk has played in 80 career contests, with junior Xander Rice, Funk's fellow co-captain, next at 48.
Funk is coming off the best game of his career on Sunday, when he torched Penn for 32 points. The 32 points are tied for the most by a Patriot League player this season, and Funk leads the league in scoring at 23.0 ppg.
Rider is 2-1 on the season after back-to-back home wins over Coppin State and Delaware State. The Broncs opened the campaign with a 73-61 loss at Duquesne before posting the two double-digit wins over foes from the MEAC.
Dimencio Vaughn (16.0 ppg) and Dwight Murray Jr. (15.7) are Rider's top scorers. The Broncs are shooting just 39.3% overall and 26.1% from the 3-point arc, but they are +5.0 on the glass, led by Ariji Ogemuno-Johnson at 11.0 rpg.

How to Get the Games

Wednesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, with Doug Birdsong calling the play-by-play and former Bucknell assistant coach Terry Conrad serving as the color analyst. Birdsong is in his 22nd season as Bucknell's lead announcer.
Sam Kuperman have the radio call on WVLY 100.9 FM in the Susquehanna Valley.
The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
Live statistics can be accessed via BucknellBison.com.
Follow @Bucknell_MBB for in-game updates on Twitter.

Last Time Out

Bucknell and Penn engaged in a tight one on Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion, with the Quakers pulling away late for a 73-68 win.
The loss overshadowed a career day for senior Andrew Funk, who scored 32 points to surpass his previous career high by 10. Funk went 7-for-13 from 3-point range, hitting five in a row in one stretch, and 7-for-7 from the foul line.
Funk primarily scored in batches of three. He drained a career-high seven 3-pointers in the game, twice he was fouled on attempts from behind the arc and then hit all of the free throws, and he also drew a foul on a layup and converted the 3-point play.
Freshman Elvin Edmonds IV hit double figures for the first time in his career with 10 points, hitting half of his shots on the day (4-8 FG, 2-4 3FG).
The Bison outrebounded Penn 41-36 and led 13-6 in second-chance points. Andre Screen paced the Bison with nine rebounds, tying his career high.

Bucknell vs. Rider Notes

Bucknell and Rider were once league rivals in both the Middle Atlantic Conference and the East Coast Conference. The Bison lead the all-time series 30-25, including a 2-2 mark in ECC Tournament action. Rider defeated Bucknell 73-71 in the 1984 ECC Championship game. Bucknell came back to win 74-62 in the semifinals the following year, and the the Bison also won 106-80 in the 1989 quarterfinals on the way to the league title.
The first meeting between the two teams came on Dec. 3, 1969 in Lawrenceville. The Broncs won that one 94-90 in overtime.
These two teams met during the 2019-20 season, with Rider winning 89-69 on its home floor. Bruce Moore led Bucknell with 20 points and Avi Toomer had 18. It was just a two-point game at the half, but Rider outscored the Bison 52-34 in the second half. Six Broncs scored in double figures, led by Dimencio Vaughn with 19 points.
That was the first clash between the two teams since the 2005-06 season opener, when Kevin Bettencourt rattled in a 17-foot jumper with 1.2 seconds remaining to lift the Bison to a 56-54 win at Alumni Gym. Chris McNaughton scored 14 points for the Bison, who overcame a seven-point second-half deficit to win a defensive struggle. Future NBA player Jason Thompson led Rider with 17 points. Future Rider assistant coach John Griffin had six points and five assists for the Bison. Future Bucknell assistant coach Dane Fischer was a first-year assistant at Rider at the time.
Rider's last trip to Lewisburg came on Nov. 19, 2004. The Bison won that one 69-50 at Sojka Pavilion, paced by 19 points from Bettencourt and 13 points and 10 rebounds from McNaughton. Bucknell held Rider to 27.5% shooting.

Bucknell vs. The MAAC

Bucknell is 52-60 (.464) in 112 all-time games against the teams that currently comprise the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Bison are 30-25 against Rider, 6-4 against Marist, 4-2 vs. Manhattan, 4-5 vs. Niagara, 3-5 vs. Fairfield, 2-4 vs. Iona, 1-0 vs. St. Peter's, 1-2 vs. Monmouth, 1-5 vs. Siena and 0-8 vs. Canisius.
The Bison will host Siena on Nov. 28, and they could play Rider for a second time in Cancun on Nov. 24.

Who's Got Next?

After the Rider game, the Bison will head out to the Cancun Challenge for a Thanksgiving-week tournament. Bucknell first visits Illinois State in a campus-site game, then it's off to Cancun, Mexico for two games on Nov. 23-24. The Bison open the event against Mercer, and then they will play either Middle Tennessee State or Rider in the championship/consolation round.
This will be the second time in team history that the Bison have played a regular-season game outside one of the 50 states. Charlie Woollum's team opened the 1990-91 season at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. After opening with an 81-68 loss to Popeye Jones-led Murray State, Bucknell rebounded with quality wins over Northern Iowa (71-57) and Saint Louis (103-93).

Men's Basketball Home Wednesday vs. Former MAC & ECC Rival Rider

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Adoh

Elvin Edmonds IV

Andrew Funk

Andrew Funk

Xander Rice

Xander Rice

Andre Screen

Jake van der Heijden

Men's Basketball Home Wednesday vs. Former MAC & ECC Rival Rider

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Adoh

Elvin Edmonds IV

Andrew Funk

Andrew Funk

Xander Rice

Xander Rice

Andre Screen

Jake van der Heijden

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