Monday, November 20
Lewisburg, Pa.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
2-4,0-0Patriot
67
vs
56
Southern Indiana
1-5,0-0OVC
1
2
F
Southern Ind.
33
23
56
Bucknell
26
41
67
Photo by: Jon Lambert
Bucknell Men’s Basketball Overtakes Southern Indiana with Big Second Half, Wins 67-56
11/20/2023 9:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Josh Bascoe scored a career-high 20 points, Jack Forrest recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Noah Williamson led a free-throw parade with an 11-for-13 showing at the stripe as the Bucknell men's basketball team turned back Southern Indiana 67-56 in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Monday night at Sojka Pavilion.
Ruot Bijiek added 10 points and collected four of Bucknell's 10 steals as the Bison (2-4) locked down defensively after the Screaming Eagles (1-5) got out to a hot start. Southern Indiana made its first five 3-pointers of the night, but the Bison held them to 3-for-23 the rest of the way, including 1-for-13 in the second half.
Bucknell shot just 38.3 percent in the game (9-24 from the arc) but went 22-for-27 at the foul line, boosted by a 20-for-23 showing in the second half. Williamson, who was 8-for-15 on the season, made his first 10 in a row and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
"I thought our guys showed a lot of character and toughness tonight," said head coach John Griffin III. "This game was a grind, and over the course of a college basketball season there are going to be games like this. So I was proud of our guys for battling against a well-coached, physical team."
Southern Indiana, which was coming off a one-point loss at La Salle on Saturday, was red-hot early. Jack Mielke, who led the Screaming Eagles with 14 points, hit four first-half 3-pointers, and Jordan Tillmon's 3-point play at the 10:13 mark gave the visitors a 25-12 lead.
Bucknell chipped away and took advantage of a six-point swing on the halftime wraparound. After the Bison forced a shot clock violation in the final 10 seconds, Bascoe raced the ball down the court and found Bijiek in the left corner for a three at the buzzer. That cut the deficit to seven at 33-26 at the half, and then on the first possession of the second stanza, Williamson made a strong move in the paint for an and-one to make it 33-29.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Forrest and Bascoe just after the under-16 timeout gave the Bison their first lead since 6-5. Quin Berger's 25-footer at the end of the shot clock stretched the margin to six, and Williamson made both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it a 20-5 run to start the half and give Bucknell a 46-38 advantage.
Southern Indiana immediately shot back with an 8-0 run, however, tying the game at 46 on Kiyron Powell's free throws at the 8:15 mark. The Screaming Eagles never did retake the lead, however, as Bascoe made two tough floaters in the lane to break ties. The second of those came at the 5:46 mark to make it a 50-48 game. That would be Bucknell's last field goal of the night, but the free-throw party was just getting started.
The Bison defense locked down in crunch time, holding USI to only two points over the next 4:35. During that stretch Bucknell went 11-for-12 at the foul line, with Bascoe's two charity tosses stretching the margin all the way up to 61-50 with 2:04 to go.
Bucknell's final 17 points of the game came at the line, and Southern Indiana never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Screaming Eagles shot 33.3 percent from the field, including a 25.9 percent clip in the second half. They finished 8-for-28 from 3-point distance and 10-for-15 from the foul line.
Led by Forrest's career-high 12 rebounds, Bucknell finished with a 35-31 edge on the glass. The Bison limited Southern Indiana to five offensive rebounds, only two coming in the second half.
This game was Bucknell's third of three in Duke's Blue Devil Challenge, a campus-site MTE. The Bison had previously dropped road games at La Salle and No. 9 Duke. Southern Indiana will wrap up the tournament at Duke on Friday.
Next up for Bucknell is a road game at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night.
Ruot Bijiek added 10 points and collected four of Bucknell's 10 steals as the Bison (2-4) locked down defensively after the Screaming Eagles (1-5) got out to a hot start. Southern Indiana made its first five 3-pointers of the night, but the Bison held them to 3-for-23 the rest of the way, including 1-for-13 in the second half.
Bucknell shot just 38.3 percent in the game (9-24 from the arc) but went 22-for-27 at the foul line, boosted by a 20-for-23 showing in the second half. Williamson, who was 8-for-15 on the season, made his first 10 in a row and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
"I thought our guys showed a lot of character and toughness tonight," said head coach John Griffin III. "This game was a grind, and over the course of a college basketball season there are going to be games like this. So I was proud of our guys for battling against a well-coached, physical team."
Southern Indiana, which was coming off a one-point loss at La Salle on Saturday, was red-hot early. Jack Mielke, who led the Screaming Eagles with 14 points, hit four first-half 3-pointers, and Jordan Tillmon's 3-point play at the 10:13 mark gave the visitors a 25-12 lead.
Bucknell chipped away and took advantage of a six-point swing on the halftime wraparound. After the Bison forced a shot clock violation in the final 10 seconds, Bascoe raced the ball down the court and found Bijiek in the left corner for a three at the buzzer. That cut the deficit to seven at 33-26 at the half, and then on the first possession of the second stanza, Williamson made a strong move in the paint for an and-one to make it 33-29.
Good way to finish the half! #rayBucknell
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) November 21, 2023
Watch live: https://t.co/jMYOPT2Yoj@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/gTFUqTNesj
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Forrest and Bascoe just after the under-16 timeout gave the Bison their first lead since 6-5. Quin Berger's 25-footer at the end of the shot clock stretched the margin to six, and Williamson made both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it a 20-5 run to start the half and give Bucknell a 46-38 advantage.
Southern Indiana immediately shot back with an 8-0 run, however, tying the game at 46 on Kiyron Powell's free throws at the 8:15 mark. The Screaming Eagles never did retake the lead, however, as Bascoe made two tough floaters in the lane to break ties. The second of those came at the 5:46 mark to make it a 50-48 game. That would be Bucknell's last field goal of the night, but the free-throw party was just getting started.
'Scoe for three and the Bison have the lead! #rayBucknell
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) November 21, 2023
Watch live: https://t.co/jMYOPT2Yoj@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/nWw2cdnkfx
The Bison defense locked down in crunch time, holding USI to only two points over the next 4:35. During that stretch Bucknell went 11-for-12 at the foul line, with Bascoe's two charity tosses stretching the margin all the way up to 61-50 with 2:04 to go.
Bucknell's final 17 points of the game came at the line, and Southern Indiana never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Screaming Eagles shot 33.3 percent from the field, including a 25.9 percent clip in the second half. They finished 8-for-28 from 3-point distance and 10-for-15 from the foul line.
Led by Forrest's career-high 12 rebounds, Bucknell finished with a 35-31 edge on the glass. The Bison limited Southern Indiana to five offensive rebounds, only two coming in the second half.
This game was Bucknell's third of three in Duke's Blue Devil Challenge, a campus-site MTE. The Bison had previously dropped road games at La Salle and No. 9 Duke. Southern Indiana will wrap up the tournament at Duke on Friday.
Next up for Bucknell is a road game at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night.
Team Stats
USI
Buck
FG%
.333
.383
3FG%
.286
.375
FT%
.667
.815
RB
31
35
TO
14
15
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
15
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
11
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballOld Dominion at Bucknell Men's Soccer Highlights 9-7-2025
Monday, September 08
Temple at Bucknell Field Hockey Highlights 9-7-2025
Sunday, September 07
Bucknell vs. Marist Post Game Interview
Saturday, September 06
Saint Francis at Bucknell Field Hockey Highlights 9-5-2025
Saturday, September 06