Men's Basketball Hosts La Salle Saturday on 17th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball

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. -- The Bison men's basketball squad hosts La Salle on Saturday in its only home game in the month of December. There is quite a bit happening surrounding the game, most notably the 17th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball. The festivities serve as a major fundraiser for Suncom Industries, a local organization that employs adults with developmental disabilities. Dirk Sojka, the late son of former Bucknell president Gary Sojka and his wife Sandy, was employed at Suncom before his passing in 2002. Fans are encouraged to participate in the raffle drawing and silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting Suncom.

Saturday's game will also kick off a basketball doubleheader at Sojka Pavilion, as the Bison women will follow with a game against George Mason at 5 p.m. Fans attending the men's game are invited to stay for the women's contest. An additional ticket is not required. There is also a special promotion for the twin bill. For $20, fans can receive two tickets, good for both games, as well as two hot dogs, two bags of chips and two sodas. To take advantage of the special offer, call the Campus Box Office at 570-577-1000 or visit online and use promo code "20PACK" on checkout.

Ticket Special

On the floor, the Bison will be looking to shake a three-game losing streak, with all three of those setbacks coming on the road before the final exams break. Bucknell's last outing was an 82-69 loss at Princeton on Dec. 7. The Bison are 2-1 at home this season, including an overtime victory over Siena in the most recent game at Sojka Pavilion on Nov. 28. Bucknell will be taking on a La Salle squad that has won three straight games to improve to 5-4 on the season. The Explorers defeated Penn 76-74 in a Big Five matchup at Tom Gola Arena this past Saturday.

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

GAME DIGEST
What: La Salle (5-4, 0-0 A10) at Bucknell (2-8, 0-0 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Dec. 18, 2 p.m.
TV: WQMY-TV
Internet Stream: ESPN+
Local Radio: The Valley WVLY 100.9 FM
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
BUY TICKETS

Bucknell Tentative Starters
G: Xander Rice (12.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg)
G: Andrew Funk (17.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 apg)
G: Elvin Edmonds IV (5.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.5 apg)
F: Jake van der Heijden (7.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg)
C: Alex Timmerman (10.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.9 apg)

With a Win over La Salle, Bucknell Would ...

... snap a three-game losing streak and end the Explorers' three-game winning streak.
... win its third straight game at home and improve to 3-1 at Sojka Pavilion this season.
... improve to 9-20 all-time against the Explorers but 3-1 in the last four series meetings.
... give head coach Nathan Davis his 111th victory as Bucknell's head coach, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program's all-time wins list.

Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball

Bucknell on Saturday will celebrate the 17th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball. The day serves as a major fundraiser for Suncom Industries, a local organization that employs adults with developmental disabilities. Dirk Sojka, the late son of former Bucknell president Gary Sojka and his wife Sandy, was employed at Suncom before his passing in 2002. Fans are encouraged to participate in the raffle drawing and silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting Suncom.

Headlines

Bucknell is back in action on Saturday after an 11-day break for final exams. The Bison last played on Dec. 7 at Princeton, and they will be looking to shake a three-game losing streak dating back to their last victory on Nov. 28 against Siena.
Bucknell will be playing just its fourth home game of the season, while La Salle will be playing just its third true road game. The Bison are 2-1 at home, while the Explorers are 5-1 at home but 0-2 on the road. This is only La Salle's second game all season outside the city of Philadelphia, with the other an 85-82 overtime loss at Delaware back on Nov. 17.
The Bison are looking for a return to the defensive form that was pivotal in that home win over Siena. Bucknell won that one 65-56 in overtime while limiting the Saints to 33.8 FG%. Since then, however, the Bison have allowed three straight opponents (Saint Francis, Hofstra, Princeton) to shoot better than 50% from the field, and those three foes averaged 87.7 ppg.
Senior guard Andrew Funk leads the Patriot League in scoring (17.9), 3-pointers made (3.4), and minutes played (35.8). Funk has two 30-point games this season, including a career-high 38 at Illinois State on Nov. 20. Funk is one of only seven Division I players to hit six or more 3-pointers in a game three times this season (nobody has done it four times), and his 38 points are tied for eighth most in the nation.

Most Points in a Division I Game, 2021-22 Season
   Player Pts.
1. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana vs. Marshall    43
2. Dylan O'Hearn, NJIT vs. Lafayette 42
3. Felipe Haase, Mercer vs. Winthrop 41
4. Jackson Gibbs, Jacksonville St. vs. Elon 40
5. Antoine Davis, Detroit vs. Hofstra 39
   Adrian Delph, Appalachian St. vs. Delaware 39
   Dereon Seabron, N.C. State vs. Nebraska   39
8. Andrew Funk, Bucknell vs. Illinois State 38
   Kofi Cockburn, Illinois vs. UTRGV 38
   Max Abmas, Oral Roberts vs. Tulsa   38

Most Games with 6+ Made 3FGs, 2021-22 Season
   Player G
1. Andrew Funk, Bucknell    3
   Max Abmas, Oral Roberts    3
   Antoine Davis, Detroit 3
   Riley Miller, St. Thomas 3
   Alfonso Plummer, Illinois   3
   Kaiden Rice, Georgetown   3
   Cameron Tyson, Seattle    3

Junior Alex Timmerman has been terrific since taking over the starting center duties six games ago. In those six games, Timmerman has two 20-point games and has averaged 13.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg while shooting 63.5 FG% and 80.0 FT%. On the season, Timmerman now ranks second in the Patriot League in FG% (.629) and fourth in rebounding (7.2).
La Salle brings a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game, with all three coming at home against Holy Cross (84-65), Fairleigh Dickinson (81-55) and Penn (76-74). The Explorers have also beaten two upcoming Bucknell opponents in Albany (67-64) and Army (61-58).
Josh Nickelberry leads a balanced La Salle scoring attack with 13.1 ppg. Jhamir Brickus (10.0) is the only other explorer scoring in double figures, but seven others average at least 5.3 ppg.

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-La Salle game will be televised on WQMY in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market, and it will also be streamed on ESPN+. Adam Marco and Hall-of-Fame coach Pat Flannery will have the call on WQMY, and Doug Birdsong and Terry Conrad will descrive the action on ESPN+.
Sam Kuperman has the radio call on The Valley, WVLY 100.9 FM.
The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
Live in-game statistics can be accessed at BucknellBison.com.
Follow @Bucknell_MBB for in-game updates on Twitter.

Last Time Out

On a night when both teams shot better than 50% from the field, Princeton was able to get more looks at the basket and defeated Bucknell 82-69 on Dec. 7 at Jadwin Gym.
Alex Timmerman scored 17 points to lead the Bison, who dropped their third straight heading into an extended layoff for final exams. Jake van der Heijden (11) and Xander Rice (10) also scored in double figures for the Bison.
Jaelin Llewellyn paced Princeton (7-3) with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and Tosan Evbuomwan added 16 on 8-for-10 accuracy. The Tigers, who had previous wins over South Carolina and Oregon State this season, improved to 5-0 at home.
Bucknell shot a season-best 51.0% from the field, slightly better than Princeton's 50.7%. But the Tigers attempted 67 shots to Bucknell's 49 thanks in part to a +8 edge in offensive rebounds and +4 turnover margin. The Bison did outscore Princeton 12-4 from the foul line, but the Tigers hit 10 shots from 3-point range to Bucknell's seven.

Bucknell vs. La Salle Series Notes

Bucknell and La Salle are former conference rivals in both the Middle Atlantic Conference and the East Coast Conference.
La Salle has a 20-8 lead in a series that dates all the way back to 1903, but the Bison have won two of the last three.
Bucknell's series wins came in 1903, 1904, 1979, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017 and 2018.
The Bison were 0-11 against La Salle on the Explorers' home floor until 2010-11, when Bucknell prevailed 89-77 behind 21 points from Mike Muscala.
Bucknell's last series win came in 2018-19, 92-79 at Tom Gola Arena behind a career-high 24 points from Nate Sestina, 19 from Kimbal Mackenzie, and a then-career-high 17 along with six rebounds, six assists and three steals from Avi Toomer. Bucknell had to manage foul trouble all day, and all 11 players who saw action in the game scored points. The Bison went 11-for-24 from 3-point range after an 0-for-6 start.
The most recent meeting came on Dec. 28, 2019 at The Palestra, with La Salle prevailing 71-59. The Explorers built a 23-point lead before the Bison pulled within 10 points late in the game.

Notable Numbers

Bucknell has been excellent at the free-throw line thus far, hitting at an 80.8% clip. That is the best mark in the Patriot League and fifth-best in all of Division I basketball.

NCAA Team Leaders, Free-Throw Percentage
   Player FTM   FTA   Pct.
1. Charlotte 102   125   .816
2. Kent State    109   134   .813
3. Colorado State 135   166   .813
4. Portland 196   242   .810
5. Bucknell 139   172   .808
6. East Tennessee State 105   130   .808
7. Monmouth 179   222   .806
8. VMI   137   170   .806
9. Montana 169   210   .805
10. UMBC 143   178   .803

Josh Adoh has scored 24 points in 34 minutes over his last two games. In that span he is 6-10 FG, 4-6 3FG and 8-8 FT.
Jake van der Heijden is 12-26 (.462) from 3-point range over his last five games, and he has moved up to sixth in the Patriot League in 3FG% at 43.9% on the season.
Bison opponents have attempted eight or fewer free throws in each of the last four games.
Bucknell has made 35.4% of its shots from 3-point range this season, compared to 33.3% by the opposition.
That shooting advantage has been undermined by a wide disparity in turnovers, however. The Bison have a -6.0 turnover margin on the season, and their opponents have 92 steals to only 35 for Bucknell. Opponents have attempted 111 more shots this season.

Who's Got Next?

Bucknell has two more non-conference games remaining, both on the road. The Bison visit Richmond on Wednesday and Albany on Dec. 29.
Patriot League play starts on New Year's Day at Boston University.

Men's Basketball Hosts La Salle Saturday on 17th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Adoh

Elvin Edmonds IV

Andrew Funk

Andrew Funk

Xander Rice

Xander Rice

Alex Timmerman

Alex Timmerman

Jake van der Heijden

Men's Basketball Hosts La Salle Saturday on 17th Annual Dirk Sojka's Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Adoh

Elvin Edmonds IV

Andrew Funk

Andrew Funk

Xander Rice

Xander Rice

Alex Timmerman

Alex Timmerman

Jake van der Heijden

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