Saturday, March 2
Lewisburg, Pa.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Lafayette
Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder
Men's Basketball Hosts Lafayette on Senior Night with Postseason Seeds at Stake
3/1/2024 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The final round of Patriot League play is upon us, and Bucknell and Lafayette get together on Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion in the very last game on the schedule. This will be Senior Night, as managers Jake de Luca and Nick Sperduto and players Josh Adoh, Alek Delev, and Jack Forrest will all be recognized before the game. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the festivities get going around 6:40 p.m.
The Patriot League standings are quite a jumble with only one game remaining. Only one game separates second place from sixth, and there is even the possibility of a five-way tie for second place when the dust settles on Saturday. Based on potential tiebreakers, Bucknell can only be seeded fourth, fifth, or sixth. The No. 4 seed carries the benefit of a home game for the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals, which take place next Thursday at campus sites. The top six seeds also receive byes into the quarterfinals, while the bottom four have to play first-round games on Tuesday.
While seeding is important, Bucknell and Lafayette simply want to be playing well going into March. After dropping four straight games, the Bison have now won two in a row, holding Army and Loyola to a combined 87 points in the two victories. Lafayette started 7-0 and 9-2 in Patriot League play but has dropped three straight and four of its last five. The Leopards can still be seeded as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 6.
In addition to Senior Night, it is also Fan Appreciation Night at Sojka Pavilion. Prizes will be awarded throughout the evening to celebrate Bucknell's loyal fans.
GAME DIGEST
What: Lafayette (11-19, 10-7 PL) at Bucknell (12-18, 9-8 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. | BUY TICKETS
When: Saturday, Mar. 2, 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Local Radio: The Valley 100.9 FM
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
With a Win over Lafayette, Bucknell Would ...
Headlines
OPP Points OPP FG% OPP 3FG% OPP TO
Army 41 28.6% (16-56) 20.0% (4-20) 15
Loyola 46 34.0% (18-53) 26.7% (4-15) 15
Total 87 (43.5) 31.2% (34-109) 22.9% (8-35) 30 (15.0)
1. Bryson Johnson 2010-11 99
2. Andrew Funk 2021-22 87
3. Bryson Johnson 2011-12 84
4. Kimbal Mackenzie 2018-19 83
5. Chris Hass 2014-15 82
6. Jack Forrest 2023-24 80
7. Kevin Bettencourt 2005-06 79
John Griffin 2007-08 79
9. Kevin Bettencourt 2004-05 78
10.Bryson Johnson 2012-13 73
Last Time Out
The Patriot League standings are quite a jumble with only one game remaining. Only one game separates second place from sixth, and there is even the possibility of a five-way tie for second place when the dust settles on Saturday. Based on potential tiebreakers, Bucknell can only be seeded fourth, fifth, or sixth. The No. 4 seed carries the benefit of a home game for the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals, which take place next Thursday at campus sites. The top six seeds also receive byes into the quarterfinals, while the bottom four have to play first-round games on Tuesday.
While seeding is important, Bucknell and Lafayette simply want to be playing well going into March. After dropping four straight games, the Bison have now won two in a row, holding Army and Loyola to a combined 87 points in the two victories. Lafayette started 7-0 and 9-2 in Patriot League play but has dropped three straight and four of its last five. The Leopards can still be seeded as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 6.
In addition to Senior Night, it is also Fan Appreciation Night at Sojka Pavilion. Prizes will be awarded throughout the evening to celebrate Bucknell's loyal fans.
GAME DIGEST
What: Lafayette (11-19, 10-7 PL) at Bucknell (12-18, 9-8 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. | BUY TICKETS
When: Saturday, Mar. 2, 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Local Radio: The Valley 100.9 FM
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
With a Win over Lafayette, Bucknell Would ...
- u... close out the regular season with a three-game-winning streak and finish 10-8 in the Patriot League.
- u... split the season series with the Leopards for the third year in a row.
- u... improve to 154-47 all-time against Patriot League opponents at Sojka Pavilion.
Headlines
- The final day of the 2023-24 regular season has arrived, and there are still more questions than answers when it comes to Patriot League Tournament seeding. Colgate has clinched the No. 1 seed, but then only one game separates second place from sixth with one game remaining. Here are some key notes that pertain to Bucknell's postseason scenarios:
- Bucknell has clinched at top-six seed and bye into the quarterfinal round.
- Even though the Bison could technically finish in a tie for second place, their highest seed can be No. 4, based on tiebreakers. Bucknell can only be seeded 4th, 5th, or 6th.
- Of the 32 possible combinations of outcomes of Saturday's five Patriot League games, six would result in Bucknell being the No. 4 seed. All six require a Bucknell win and a Holy Cross win at Boston University, along with additional help.
- Bucknell's possible quarterfinal opponents are American, Boston University, Lehigh, or Lafayette.
- Bucknell-Lafayette is the last game of the day, so by tip-off the seeding picture could be a bit more clear.
- While the seeding scenarios are a jumble, Bucknell has a chance to take a three-game winning streak into the postseason with a win over Lafayette. After dropping four straight, the Bison turned to their defense in back-to-back wins over Army (54-41) and Loyola (68-46). The 41 points allowed in the Army game was Bucknell's best since a 75-41 win over Holy Cross in 2011-12, and now the Bison have held two straight opponents under 50 points for the first time since 2012-13, when they did it three straight times.
OPP Points OPP FG% OPP 3FG% OPP TO
Army 41 28.6% (16-56) 20.0% (4-20) 15
Loyola 46 34.0% (18-53) 26.7% (4-15) 15
Total 87 (43.5) 31.2% (34-109) 22.9% (8-35) 30 (15.0)
- Bucknell is in the midst of its 129th season of basketball, dating back to its first game on Feb. 14, 1896, a 16-14 victory over Lock Haven. Wednesday's win at Loyola was the 1,500th in team history.
- Bucknell has clinched a .500 or better Patriot League record for the 27th time in the league's 34-year history.
- Bucknell went 5-13 in Patriot League play last season and has a chance to post a five-win improvement with a victory on Saturday. The Bison were picked ninth in the Patriot League preseason poll.
- Jack Forrest has led the Patriot League in scoring for much of the season, although he has dipped to third behind Loyola's Deon Perry and Navy's Austin Benigni. Forrest averages 16.2 ppg, and he is vying to become Bucknell's first Patriot League scoring champion since Zach Thomas in 2017-18. Forrest played through an illness in last Sunday's win over Army and was limited to four points in 25 minutes. It was only the second time all season and the first time in Patriot League play where he did not reach double figures, but he bounced back with one of his best games of the season in Wednesday's win at Loyola. Forrest scored 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including a rim-shaking dunk in the first half.
- Forrest has carried a heavy minutes load this season. He ranks 24th nationally in minutes per game (36.0), and twice in recent weeks he played all 40 minutes. Prior to Forrest, the last Bison to play all 40 minutes in a regulation-time game was Bryan Cohen against Delaware in 2009. Forrest is closing in on the Bucknell record for minutes played in a season. Patrick King's 1,133 minutes in 1991-92 is the current mark, and Forrest is just 53 shy of that total.
- If recent history is any indication, the fans could be in for a lengthy evening on Saturday. Five of the last six Bucknell-Lafayette games have gone to overtime. The Bison and Leopards played four straight OT games, including all three meetings in 2022 and the first meeting in 2023. The streak was broken when Bucknell won in regulation late last season, but then this season's first get-together in Easton was a 75-72 Lafayette win in overtime.
- Lafayette made headlines with a 7-0 start in Patriot League play after going 1-12 in the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Leopards were still 9-2 after routing Holy Cross 75-59 on Feb. 7, but a double-overtime loss to arch-rival Lehigh three days later sent them into a 1-5 stretch. Lafayette can still be seeded as high as second or as low as sixth, depending on Saturday's results.
- Lafayette dropped a 62-58 decision at Navy on Wednesday. The Leopards came from 12 down in the second half to tie the game with two minutes to play, but Austin Benigni's jumper with 46 seconds left put Navy back in front to stay.
- The Leopards have a very balanced offensive attack, with seven players averaging at least 4.8 points per game but none averaging in double figures. Devin Hines leads the way at 9.9 ppg, with Justin Vander Baan (9.3), Kyle Jenkins (9.0), and Eric Sondberg (8.9) not far behind.
- Lafayette has featured one of the Patriot League's better defenses this season. The Leopards are fourth in the league in points allowed (67.3) and second field-goal percentage defense (.415).
- Bucknell will see an old friend on Saturday, as former Bison standout Cameron Ayers '14 is in his second year as a member of the Lafayette coaching staff. Ayers was the 2014 Patriot League Player of the Year and was a key member of Bucknell's 2011 and 2013 PL championship squads. He is Bucknell's No. 10 all-time scorer with 1,526 career points.
- Lafayette junior TJ Berger and Bucknell sophomore Quin Berger are brothers, although an on-court sibling matchup will have to wait as TJ is out with an injury. Their older brother, Cole, also attended Lafayette and was an All-Patriot League golfer.
- The Bucknell-Lafayette game will be streamed on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bison" Doug Birdsong and former Bison assistant coach Terry Conrad on the call from Sojka Pavilion.
- Joe Vasile will have the local radio call on The Valley 100.9 FM in the Susquehanna Valley.
- The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
- Live statistics can be accessed via BucknellBison.com.
- Follow @Bucknell_MBB for in-game updates on Twitter.
- Bucknell has shot 50% or better from the field six times this season, and four of them have come on the road, including Wednesday's win at Loyola . The Bison have shot 43.3% on the road compared to 42.6% at home this season.
- Overtime has not been friendly to the Bison this season. Of Bucknell's eight Patriot League losses, three have come in overtime. In those three OT periods, the Bison are a combined 5-for-22 (.227) from the field and have been outscored 35-15.
- Bucknell had been the Patriot League's best free-throw shooting team all season and ranked as high as 25th nationally at 76.6% going into the Lafayette game on Jan. 20. But the Bison have struggled at the stripe of late, hitting 101 of 164 (.616) over the last 11 games. Missed free throws in the final seconds of regulation proved costly in the overtime losses at Lafayette and American.
- Bucknell went 15-for-15 from the foul line against Radford on Dec. 16 and 13-for-13 from the stripe at Boston University. The Bison are one of only six Division I teams to have two perfect free-throw shooting games with at least 10 attempts, joining Indiana State, Kentucky, Stetson, Villanova, and Wisconsin.
- Jack Forrest and Josh Bascoe against Lehigh became the first Bison tandem to both score at least 23 points in a game since Nate Sestina (25) and Kimbal Mackenzie (23) did it against the Mountain Hawks in a 97-75 win in the 2019 Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
- Bascoe in the win over Penn State had 11 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals. The only other Bison besides Bascoe in the last 20 years to have a game with at least 10 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals was Steven Kaspar, who went 12-10-7-3 against Navy on Jan. 15, 2014.
- Elvin Edmonds' line of 12 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds at Boston University was also the first such game since Kaspar's 2014 performance at Navy.
- Forrest recently joined the top-10 on Bucknell's single-season 3-point field goal charts.
1. Bryson Johnson 2010-11 99
2. Andrew Funk 2021-22 87
3. Bryson Johnson 2011-12 84
4. Kimbal Mackenzie 2018-19 83
5. Chris Hass 2014-15 82
6. Jack Forrest 2023-24 80
7. Kevin Bettencourt 2005-06 79
John Griffin 2007-08 79
9. Kevin Bettencourt 2004-05 78
10.Bryson Johnson 2012-13 73
Last Time Out
- 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.
- 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.
- Bucknell finished the game at 54.0% from the field and hit 11 of 27 (.407) from downtown. Loyola shot 34.0%, including a 4-for-15 (.267) clip from the arc.
- Bucknell and Lafayette have met 178 times previously, making the Leopards Bucknell's second most-played opponent (the Bison have played Lehigh 186 times). Since the series began in 1915, Lafayette leads 95-83.
- Since the start of Patriot League play in 1990-91, however, Bucknell has won 54 of 77 meetings.
- Lafayette won 33 of the first 37 meetings and led the series 60-14 at one point.
- Bucknell had been 15-0 all-time against Lafayette in Sojka Pavilion until the Leopards posted their first win there in 2013-14. The Bison are now 22-4 against Lafayette in Sojka Pavilion and 30-7 against the Leopards in Lewisburg going back to the Patriot League's first season.
- The Bison and Leopards have met in a conference championship game four times, with Bucknell winning three of those. The Bison defeated Lafayette 71-65 in the 1989 East Coast Conference final in Towson, Md., and they also won Patriot League championship games in Sojka Pavilion in 2011 (72-57) and 2013 (64-56). Lafayette claimed the 1999 Patriot League title with a 67-63 win over the Bison in Easton.
- Bucknell and Lafayette recently had a remarkable stretch of four straight meetings that were decided in overtime. Each team won two of those OT clashes, including a Bison win in the 2022 Patriot League Tournament. The overtime streak ended late last season, when Bucknell won in regulation, 75-65 at Sojka Pavilion.
- The OT trend picked back up again earlier this season, when Lafayette prevailed 75-72 in extra time in Easton on Jan. 20. The Leopards rallied three different times in the second half and overtime, spoiling a big game from Noah Williamson, who finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, and a milestone day from senior Jack Forrest, who recorded his 1,000th career point and finished with 15. The Bison jumped out to a 16-3 advantage and led by as many as 16 early in the second half. Lafayette used a 22-4 run to take its first lead of the day, but the Bison struck back to go ahead by five with 20 seconds left. Two missed free throws followed by an Eric Sondberg 3-pointer sent it to overtime, where the Bison appeared to be in good shape after Forrest's fadeaway in the lane gave them a 72-66 lead. But Lafayette scored the game's final nine points, with the last five coming at the foul line. Bucknell had two good looks at 3-pointers in the closing seconds, but neither fell, and the Bison came up short despite holding the lead for 41:00 compared to Lafayette's 0:47.
- Bucknell will next play in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 7. If the Bison are able to land the No. 4 seed, that game will be played at Sojka Pavilion. If they end up as the No. 5 or 6 seed, they will be on the road.
Players Mentioned
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