Men's Basketball Wins Regular-Season Finale, Ties for Second in Patriot League

Photo by: Lianne Garrahan

Men's Basketball Wins Regular-Season Finale, Ties for Second in Patriot League

3/2/2024 8:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- A season after finishing in 10th place in the Patriot League standings and picked to finish ninth in this year's preseason poll, the Bucknell men's basketball team wrapped up the regular season in a tie for second place following a 60-50 victory over Lafayette on Saturday evening at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison and Leopards joined Boston University and American with 10-8 regular season records. Based on tiebreakers, Bucknell finishes as the No. 5 seed for the Patriot League Tournament and will travel to Washington, D.C., to play fourth-seeded American on Thursday, March 7 in the quarterfinal round.

Elvin Edmonds IV scored 12 points to go along with six assists and a pair of steals, while Ruot Bijiek matched him with 12 points and added six rebounds. Josh Bascoe scored nine, including the dagger shot with one minute to play. Noah Williamson added eight points, eight rebounds, and four blocks, three of which came in the game's final three minutes as Bucknell suffocated the Leopards, outscoring them 23-6 over the game's final 8:35.

Kyle Jenkins and Eric Sondberg scored 12 points apiece for Lafayette, which is the No. 3 seed and will face arch-rival Lehigh, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.

"This is all about the players," said head coach John Griffin III afterward. "I'm so proud of the effort they put forth, right from the very first day and through the grind of a long season. We have more that we want to accomplish, but tonight we should take a moment to celebrate what it means for these guys to win a rivalry game on Senior Night in front of an electric crowd at Sojka Pavilion."

The Bison got out to cold shooting starts in both halves, 3-for-19 in the first and 3-for-16 in the second, but they found their stride at the right time. Ian Motta's buzzer-beating three gave Bucknell a 26-24 lead at the half, but Lafayette hit three treys in a 12-0 run that gave the visitors a seven-point lead early in the second stanza.

It was still a seven-point game after Luka Savicevic's jumper with 8:49 to go, but the Bison limited the Leopards to only three more buckets the rest of the way.

Bijiek tipped in his own miss to get the final push started. Jack Forrest drove to the rim to cut the deficit to two, and then after the Bison forced a Lafayette shot-clock violation, Bascoe slipped a beautiful feed to Bijiek for a layup that knotted the game at 46.

It was all even at 48 at the five-minute mark, and again it was Bijiek hitting a big shot in crunch time. His fadeaway jumper in the key with 4:01 to go gave the Bison the lead, and they would never relinquish it.

Edmonds converted a short baseline jumper, and then after Devin Hines scored on a pretty reverse layup, Williamson splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it a 55-50 game with 1:44 left. The Bison knocked away an entry pass and Bijiek forced a held ball with the arrow point in Bucknell's favor, and then Bascoe dribbled through the Lafayette zone and finished through contact for a seven-point lead. Sondberg missed a 3-pointer, Edmonds made both ends of a 1-and-1, and the Bison were in control up 59-50 with 40 seconds to go.

What a finish by Josh Bascoe! The Bison are up 7 with 0:55 left. #rayBucknell

Watch: https://t.co/2BpfVWK2f8 @PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/pNtkz9FDAL
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) March 3, 2024

Bucknell, which avenged an overtime loss in Easton earlier in the year, won despite shooting only 38.6 percent and hitting 5 of 27 from 3-point range. But the Bison continued their strong defensive run, holding the Leopards to 35.1 percent overall and 7-for-29 from the arc.

Over the last three games, all wins, Bucknell's opponents have averaged 45.7 points per game while shooting 32.5 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from 3-point distance.

Prior to the game, the program recognized senior managers Jake de Luca and Nick Sperduto, along with players Josh Adoh, Forrest, and Alek Delev. A walk-on from Bulgaria, Delev was honored with his home nation's national anthem along with a video tribute from his parents and brother, who could not be in attendance. He also earned his first collegiate start.

Forrest, who had eight points and seven rebounds in the game, jumped center against the 7-foot Justin Vander Baan, as Griffin started five guards on Senior Night.

Bucknell will be looking to avenge two regular-season losses to American, 71-63 at Sojka Pavilion and 75-66 in overtime at Bender Arena. This will be the second straight year the Bison and Eagles have met in the postseason. A year ago, American eliminated the Bison 64-59 in the first round in D.C.

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