Tuesday, November 22
Daytona Beach, Fla.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
79
vs
65
Austin Peay
Bison Come from Behind to Beat Austin Peay 79-65, Win Ocean Bracket Title at Sunshine Slam
11/22/2022 2:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Alex Timmerman scored a career-high 23 points, and Tournament MVP Xander Rice scored 18 of his 20 in the second half to help Bucknell rally for a 79-65 win over Austin Peay on Tuesday afternoon at the Ocean Center. Coupled with Monday's win over Presbyterian, the Bison captured the Ocean Bracket championship at the Greenlight Sunshine Slam, presented by Discount Tire.
Bucknell (4-2) trailed by nine points late in the first half but cut it to five by intermission, then completely flipped the game around with a dominant opening 14 minutes of the second half. The Bison shot 69.2 percent from the field in the second half and 57.4 percent for the game, and they cooled off an Austin Peay (3-3) team that came in on a three-game winning streak, including a victory at South Florida in a Sunshine Slam campus-site game. The Governors were held to 33.8 percent shooting, and after they pulled ahead by hitting 7 of 14 from the arc in the first half, Bucknell held them to 2-for-14 in the second.
Seniors Timmerman and Rice were the catalysts for the Bison. With fellow big man Andre Screen limited to 13 minutes due to foul trouble, Timmerman scored 12 points in the first half to keep the team within striking distance. His 23 points surpassed his previous high of 22, which came one year ago Wednesday against Mercer in Cancun. Timmerman also had the primary defensive duties against Austin Peay's 6'11", 255-pound center Elijah-Hutchins Everett. Last year's Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Year, who was coming off a 23-point game in a win over UAlbany, was held to four points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Rice only took one shot and had two points in the first half, but he exploded for 18 on 7-for-8 shooting in the second half. Rice scored 19 points in a four-point loss at Georgia on Friday and had 17 in the win over Presbyterian. He earned Ocean Bracket MVP honors after averaging 18.7 points in the three Sunshine Slam games, and he now leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game on the season.
Rice got going with a steal and layup that tied the game at 33 early in the second half. Later he snapped a 37-all tie with a 3-pointer, and then he scored four straight points to stretch the margin to seven at 46-39. Rice gave the Bison their first double-digit lead with a trey that made it 57-46 just inside the 10-minute mark, and back-to-back triples by Rice and Ruot Bijiek made it a 41-15 run and a 65-48 rout with 6:28 to go.
Up 67-50 after Rice's driving layup with 6:03 to go, the Bison got loose with the basketball and turned it over on their next five possessions. Austin Peay closed within 10 at 67-57 before Timmerman got behind the press for a breakaway layup. Bucknell hit 8 of 10 from the foul line in the last two minutes to seal the win.
"Give the guys a lot of credit, it easily could have gotten away from us at the end of the half, but the guys bowed their necks, got a few stops, got the ball moving, and made a few baskets," said head coach Nathan Davis. "The best way to come out of halftime with the momentum is to go in with it, we were able to continue pushing on. It was cetrainly a very positive trip. It's a group that has worked hard and deserves the opportunity to play good competition and take trips like this. We have a long way to go and we've got to get a lot better, but we will enjoy this tonight and then go back and get ready for the next one and enjoy some turkey."
Bucknell led by as many as six in the first half when Timmerman's 8-footer made it a 16-10 game. But soon after, Austin Peay ran off 13 straight points to go up 26-18.
A Sean Durugordon jumper gave the Governors a 33-24 lead with 1:28 left in the half, but the final minute was important for the Bison. Timmerman made both ends of a 1-and-1, and then after he pulled down a defensive rebound, Ian Motta swished a right-corner 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to send Bucknell to the locker room down by only four at 33-29.
The Bison have now shot 50 percent or better from the field in five of the six games this season. They finished 7-for-17 from 3-point range and 18-for-22 from the foul line. Bucknell amassed a 38-31 rebounding advantage, despite yielding 18 offensive rebounds.
Cameron Copeland led five Austin Peay players in double figures with 15 points off the bench. Jalen Ware and Carlos Paez scored 12 each, and Durugordon had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
This was Bucknell's first in-season tournament title since the 2016-17 season, when it won the mid-major crown at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
Bucknell will now return home for its next two games, starting Saturday against Marist at 2 p.m.
Gallery: (11-22-2022) Men's Basketball vs. Austin Peay
Bucknell (4-2) trailed by nine points late in the first half but cut it to five by intermission, then completely flipped the game around with a dominant opening 14 minutes of the second half. The Bison shot 69.2 percent from the field in the second half and 57.4 percent for the game, and they cooled off an Austin Peay (3-3) team that came in on a three-game winning streak, including a victory at South Florida in a Sunshine Slam campus-site game. The Governors were held to 33.8 percent shooting, and after they pulled ahead by hitting 7 of 14 from the arc in the first half, Bucknell held them to 2-for-14 in the second.
Seniors Timmerman and Rice were the catalysts for the Bison. With fellow big man Andre Screen limited to 13 minutes due to foul trouble, Timmerman scored 12 points in the first half to keep the team within striking distance. His 23 points surpassed his previous high of 22, which came one year ago Wednesday against Mercer in Cancun. Timmerman also had the primary defensive duties against Austin Peay's 6'11", 255-pound center Elijah-Hutchins Everett. Last year's Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Year, who was coming off a 23-point game in a win over UAlbany, was held to four points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Rice only took one shot and had two points in the first half, but he exploded for 18 on 7-for-8 shooting in the second half. Rice scored 19 points in a four-point loss at Georgia on Friday and had 17 in the win over Presbyterian. He earned Ocean Bracket MVP honors after averaging 18.7 points in the three Sunshine Slam games, and he now leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game on the season.
Rice got going with a steal and layup that tied the game at 33 early in the second half. Later he snapped a 37-all tie with a 3-pointer, and then he scored four straight points to stretch the margin to seven at 46-39. Rice gave the Bison their first double-digit lead with a trey that made it 57-46 just inside the 10-minute mark, and back-to-back triples by Rice and Ruot Bijiek made it a 41-15 run and a 65-48 rout with 6:28 to go.
Up 67-50 after Rice's driving layup with 6:03 to go, the Bison got loose with the basketball and turned it over on their next five possessions. Austin Peay closed within 10 at 67-57 before Timmerman got behind the press for a breakaway layup. Bucknell hit 8 of 10 from the foul line in the last two minutes to seal the win.
Congrats @Bucknell_MBB @GreenlightCard @DiscountTire pic.twitter.com/UTNXERcCzT
— Sunshine Slam (@thesunshineslam) November 22, 2022
"Give the guys a lot of credit, it easily could have gotten away from us at the end of the half, but the guys bowed their necks, got a few stops, got the ball moving, and made a few baskets," said head coach Nathan Davis. "The best way to come out of halftime with the momentum is to go in with it, we were able to continue pushing on. It was cetrainly a very positive trip. It's a group that has worked hard and deserves the opportunity to play good competition and take trips like this. We have a long way to go and we've got to get a lot better, but we will enjoy this tonight and then go back and get ready for the next one and enjoy some turkey."
Bucknell led by as many as six in the first half when Timmerman's 8-footer made it a 16-10 game. But soon after, Austin Peay ran off 13 straight points to go up 26-18.
A Sean Durugordon jumper gave the Governors a 33-24 lead with 1:28 left in the half, but the final minute was important for the Bison. Timmerman made both ends of a 1-and-1, and then after he pulled down a defensive rebound, Ian Motta swished a right-corner 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to send Bucknell to the locker room down by only four at 33-29.
The Bison have now shot 50 percent or better from the field in five of the six games this season. They finished 7-for-17 from 3-point range and 18-for-22 from the foul line. Bucknell amassed a 38-31 rebounding advantage, despite yielding 18 offensive rebounds.
Cameron Copeland led five Austin Peay players in double figures with 15 points off the bench. Jalen Ware and Carlos Paez scored 12 each, and Durugordon had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
This was Bucknell's first in-season tournament title since the 2016-17 season, when it won the mid-major crown at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
Bucknell will now return home for its next two games, starting Saturday against Marist at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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