Wednesday, February 28
Baltimore, Md.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
68
at
46
Loyola
Big First Half Carries Bison Men to 1,500th All-Time Win, 68-46 at Loyola
2/28/2024 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE, Md. – Jack Forrest scored 18 points and the Bucknell men's basketball team built an early 22-point lead on the way to a commanding 68-46 win – the 1,500th in program history -- over Loyola on Wednesday night at Reitz Arena. The Bison won their second straight game, holding the opponent under 50 points in both, and at 9-8 in the Patriot League, they have clinched a top-six seed and a bye into the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.
Josh Adoh scored all 10 of his points in that big first half, and Josh Bascoe added 10 more off the bench. Elvin Edmonds IV tallied nine points, five assists, and three of Bucknell's season-high-tying three steals. Bucknell got just about any shot it wanted in the game's first 16 minutes, when it started 16-for-21 from the field on the way to a 40-18 advantage.
"I was proud of our attitude and mentality as we approached this game," said head coach John Griffin III. "We weren't looking behind or ahead, we were just focused on Loyola. Our effort tonight was led by Joshua Adoh. When he sets the tone defensively like he did and is also a productive option on offense, we are a much more dynamic team."
Milos Ilic scored 14 points and Jordan Stiemke added 12 for Loyola, which played without high-scoring guard Deon Perry due to injury.
With Boston University winning at Lehigh in overtime on Wednesday, Bucknell is now in a three-way tie for fourth-place alongside those two teams at 9-8. Lafayette and American are just one game ahead, tied for second at 10-7.
Threes by Adoh and Forrest staked the Bison to a quick 7-0 lead. Loyola closed within 9-7, but Edmonds' jumper out of the first media timeout ignited a 9-0 run that ballooned to 20-4 as the Greyhounds managed only one field goal for a span of nearly nine minutes.
Adoh scored 10 points in the first half and Forrest had nine, including a highlight-reel one-handed jam over the 6'11" Ilic. Bascoe's 3-pointer at the 3:54 mark made it a 40-18 game, and Bucknell led 45-26 at the half.
Ilic's corner three capped an 8-0 to get Loyola within 13 at 47-34 early in the second stanza, but Edmonds hit a triple and Forrest scored on two tough drives to the bucket to push the margin back to 19.
Loyola made one more push to pull within 14 on Ilic's breakaway dunk at the 10:24 mark, but the Greyhounds made only three field goals in the final 10 minutes. Bascoe, Forrest, and Motta all canned threes as the Bison closed it out with a game-ending 14-6 run.
"Playing with a big lead is not as easy as it seems, and It's a sign of a maturing team that we were able to stay poised and go possession by possession," said Griffin. "Part of learning how to win is being confident that you can defend, and even though we didn't shoot it as well as we did in the first half, we stayed poised and consistent."
Bucknell finished the game at 54.0 percent from the field and hit 11 of 27 (.407) from downtown. Loyola shot 34.0 percent, including a 4-for-15 (.267) clip from the arc.
One game after holding Army to 41 points, the Bison limited the Greyhounds to 46. This is the first time Bucknell has kept two straight opponents under 50 points since 2012-13, when it did it three straight times against American (47), Navy (46), and Navy (42) again in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.
The Bison wrap up the regular season at home on Saturday night against Lafayette. The 7 p.m. tip will be preceded by Senior Night festivities as the program honors Adoh, Forrest, and Alek Delev.
Josh Adoh scored all 10 of his points in that big first half, and Josh Bascoe added 10 more off the bench. Elvin Edmonds IV tallied nine points, five assists, and three of Bucknell's season-high-tying three steals. Bucknell got just about any shot it wanted in the game's first 16 minutes, when it started 16-for-21 from the field on the way to a 40-18 advantage.
"I was proud of our attitude and mentality as we approached this game," said head coach John Griffin III. "We weren't looking behind or ahead, we were just focused on Loyola. Our effort tonight was led by Joshua Adoh. When he sets the tone defensively like he did and is also a productive option on offense, we are a much more dynamic team."
Milos Ilic scored 14 points and Jordan Stiemke added 12 for Loyola, which played without high-scoring guard Deon Perry due to injury.
With Boston University winning at Lehigh in overtime on Wednesday, Bucknell is now in a three-way tie for fourth-place alongside those two teams at 9-8. Lafayette and American are just one game ahead, tied for second at 10-7.
Threes by Adoh and Forrest staked the Bison to a quick 7-0 lead. Loyola closed within 9-7, but Edmonds' jumper out of the first media timeout ignited a 9-0 run that ballooned to 20-4 as the Greyhounds managed only one field goal for a span of nearly nine minutes.
Adoh scored 10 points in the first half and Forrest had nine, including a highlight-reel one-handed jam over the 6'11" Ilic. Bascoe's 3-pointer at the 3:54 mark made it a 40-18 game, and Bucknell led 45-26 at the half.
OH MY OH MIGHTY! Jack Forrest with the dunk of the year! #rayBucknell | #PLTop3
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) February 29, 2024
Watch: https://t.co/enDUTZBBmU@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/m2T19PF55E
Ilic's corner three capped an 8-0 to get Loyola within 13 at 47-34 early in the second stanza, but Edmonds hit a triple and Forrest scored on two tough drives to the bucket to push the margin back to 19.
Loyola made one more push to pull within 14 on Ilic's breakaway dunk at the 10:24 mark, but the Greyhounds made only three field goals in the final 10 minutes. Bascoe, Forrest, and Motta all canned threes as the Bison closed it out with a game-ending 14-6 run.
"Playing with a big lead is not as easy as it seems, and It's a sign of a maturing team that we were able to stay poised and go possession by possession," said Griffin. "Part of learning how to win is being confident that you can defend, and even though we didn't shoot it as well as we did in the first half, we stayed poised and consistent."
Bucknell finished the game at 54.0 percent from the field and hit 11 of 27 (.407) from downtown. Loyola shot 34.0 percent, including a 4-for-15 (.267) clip from the arc.
One game after holding Army to 41 points, the Bison limited the Greyhounds to 46. This is the first time Bucknell has kept two straight opponents under 50 points since 2012-13, when it did it three straight times against American (47), Navy (46), and Navy (42) again in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.
The Bison wrap up the regular season at home on Saturday night against Lafayette. The 7 p.m. tip will be preceded by Senior Night festivities as the program honors Adoh, Forrest, and Alek Delev.
1,500th All-Time Win tonight at Loyola 🔥
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) February 29, 2024
None of this would be possible without the players, coaches, administrators, and fans. To celebrate, let's hear what your favorite win from our program has been over the years in the comments! ✍️#TheBisonWay pic.twitter.com/GUH8flQcTC
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