Saturday, February 12
Lewisburg, Pa.
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
6-20,3-11Patriot
72
vs
78
Holy Cross
8-16,6-6Patriot
1
2
F
Holy Cross
39
39
78
Bucknell
33
39
72
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Late Rally Comes Up Short as Men's Basketball Falls to Holy Cross, 78-72
2/12/2022 4:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Xander Rice scored 21 points in 24 minutes of playing time, and Andrew Funk totaled 16 points and four assists, but five Holy Cross players scored in double figures as the Bucknell men's basketball team lost to the red-hot Crusaders 78-72 Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell (6-20, 3-11 PL) trailed 66-55 with under seven minutes to play. Two free throws from Andre Screen, a 3-pointer by Funk, and a Rice jumper in the lane cut the deficit to four points with about five minutes to go.
The Bison drew to within two points multiple times in the final minutes, but Holy Cross (8-16, 6-6 PL) made six consecutive free throws in the final 17 seconds to hold off the Bucknell rally. The Crusaders made 18 of 21 free throws overall on the way to their fifth win in the last six outings.
Jake van der Heijden scored 10 points for Bucknell, while Screen contributed eight points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots, and three assists. Malachi Rhodes tallied 10 rebounds in 15 minutes despite foul trouble. That matched his previous career high, which also came against Holy Cross.
Gerrale Gates led the Crusaders with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kyrell Luc added 14 points and six rebounds, Bo Montgomery added 13 points, and Caleb Kenney and Judson Martindale tallied 10 apiece.
Offensive rebounding was a huge factor in the outcome. Holy Cross grabbed 13 offensive boards to Bucknell's five, leading to a 21-4 disparity in second-chance points. The Crusaders also outscored the Bison 18-10 at the foul line.
Bucknell got out to a slow start with turnovers on its first three possessions of the day, but the Bison hit three early 3-pointers to grab a 15-11 lead. It was 28-28 late in the opening half when Holy Cross made the first big run for either side, an 11-0 spurt keyed by a DaJion Humphrey 3-pointer.
The Bison pulled within 39-33 at the half on five straight points from van der Heijden, but the Crusaders built the lead back into double figures in the opening stages of the second stanza.
With Bucknell trailing 49-39, Rice converted a 4-point play, and then back-to-back 3-pointers by Rice and Funk capped a 10-2 run made it a 51-49 game. Martindale ended the surge with a third-chance 3-pointer, which ignited a 10-2 response by Holy Cross.
A tip-in by Screen and a fastbreak layup by Funk made it a 68-66 game with 2:23 to go, but the Bison could not get over the hump. Gates and Screen traded buckets, the latter coming with 59 seconds remaining. The Bison thought they had a stop at the other end when Screen blocked Gates' shot in the lane and then Gates missed a putback, but Kenney got a third crack at it and finished the layup to make it a 72-68 margin with 27 seconds left.
Bucknell never did have a shot to tie or take the lead, as Holy Cross iced the game at the foul line. Montgomery and Martinson both hit two to stretch two-point leads back to four, with Martinson's final attempt taking a complete circuit around the rim before spinning in.
Bucknell shot 47.4 percent from the field and went 8-for-17 from 3-point range. The Bison had 19 assists on 27 made field goals compared to 13 turnovers, and they also blocked a season-high nine shots. Holy Cross shot 38.8 percent overall and 8-for-18 from 3-point distance.
Holy Cross snapped a five-game losing streak to Bucknell and a six-game skid in Sojka Pavilion.
Rice notched his fifth 20-point game of the season, finishing 6-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from the arc, and 6-for-6 from the foul line.
Bucknell will have a quick turnaround before visiting Lehigh on Monday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
Bucknell (6-20, 3-11 PL) trailed 66-55 with under seven minutes to play. Two free throws from Andre Screen, a 3-pointer by Funk, and a Rice jumper in the lane cut the deficit to four points with about five minutes to go.
The Bison drew to within two points multiple times in the final minutes, but Holy Cross (8-16, 6-6 PL) made six consecutive free throws in the final 17 seconds to hold off the Bucknell rally. The Crusaders made 18 of 21 free throws overall on the way to their fifth win in the last six outings.
Jake van der Heijden scored 10 points for Bucknell, while Screen contributed eight points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots, and three assists. Malachi Rhodes tallied 10 rebounds in 15 minutes despite foul trouble. That matched his previous career high, which also came against Holy Cross.
Gerrale Gates led the Crusaders with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kyrell Luc added 14 points and six rebounds, Bo Montgomery added 13 points, and Caleb Kenney and Judson Martindale tallied 10 apiece.
Offensive rebounding was a huge factor in the outcome. Holy Cross grabbed 13 offensive boards to Bucknell's five, leading to a 21-4 disparity in second-chance points. The Crusaders also outscored the Bison 18-10 at the foul line.
Bucknell got out to a slow start with turnovers on its first three possessions of the day, but the Bison hit three early 3-pointers to grab a 15-11 lead. It was 28-28 late in the opening half when Holy Cross made the first big run for either side, an 11-0 spurt keyed by a DaJion Humphrey 3-pointer.
The Bison pulled within 39-33 at the half on five straight points from van der Heijden, but the Crusaders built the lead back into double figures in the opening stages of the second stanza.
With Bucknell trailing 49-39, Rice converted a 4-point play, and then back-to-back 3-pointers by Rice and Funk capped a 10-2 run made it a 51-49 game. Martindale ended the surge with a third-chance 3-pointer, which ignited a 10-2 response by Holy Cross.
A tip-in by Screen and a fastbreak layup by Funk made it a 68-66 game with 2:23 to go, but the Bison could not get over the hump. Gates and Screen traded buckets, the latter coming with 59 seconds remaining. The Bison thought they had a stop at the other end when Screen blocked Gates' shot in the lane and then Gates missed a putback, but Kenney got a third crack at it and finished the layup to make it a 72-68 margin with 27 seconds left.
Bucknell never did have a shot to tie or take the lead, as Holy Cross iced the game at the foul line. Montgomery and Martinson both hit two to stretch two-point leads back to four, with Martinson's final attempt taking a complete circuit around the rim before spinning in.
Bucknell shot 47.4 percent from the field and went 8-for-17 from 3-point range. The Bison had 19 assists on 27 made field goals compared to 13 turnovers, and they also blocked a season-high nine shots. Holy Cross shot 38.8 percent overall and 8-for-18 from 3-point distance.
Holy Cross snapped a five-game losing streak to Bucknell and a six-game skid in Sojka Pavilion.
Rice notched his fifth 20-point game of the season, finishing 6-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from the arc, and 6-for-6 from the foul line.
Bucknell will have a quick turnaround before visiting Lehigh on Monday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
Team Stats
HolyCr
Buck
FG%
.388
.474
3FG%
.444
.471
FT%
.857
.625
RB
37
33
TO
9
13
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
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