Men's Basketball Faces Pittsburgh in Monday-Night Affair

GAME DIGEST
What: Bucknell (2-2) at Pittsburgh (3-1)
Where: Peterson Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
When: Monday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m.
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Listen: Eagle 107 and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: PittsburghPanthers.com
TICKETS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- After starting the season 2-0, the Bucknell men's basketball squad is looking to end a two-game slide after losses to Princeton and Hofstra last week. That will be a tall task, as Bucknell has two Power 5 teams in Pittsburgh and St. John's on tap this week. The Bucknell-Pitt game will stream ACC Network Extra with Jeff Hathhorn and Nick Rivers on the call. "Voice of the Bison" Doug Birdsong will have the local radio call on Eagle 107 and BucknellBison.com.

This will be Bucknell's first visit to the Peterson Events Center since its 69-66 win there on Jan. 2, 2005. The Panthers entered that game 10-0 and ranked seventh in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll and 10th in the Associated Press poll, and that is still the highest-ranked team Bucknell has ever beaten. The defending Big East champions had won 25 straight regular-season non-conference games overall and 48 in a row at home. The Panthers entered the contest 43-2 all-time at Petersen Events Center. The Bison went on to win the Patriot League title and then upset third-seeded Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Current head coach John Griffin III was a freshman guard on that team, and he hit three 3-pointers and scored nine points in the win over Pitt.

Bucknell is looking to improve to 2-1 on the road this season, and the Bison are seeking their first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference team since the 1960-61 season, when they beat Virginia 99-81. Bucknell's last win over any Power 5 conference opponent was a 75-72 verdict at Vanderbilt in 2016-17.

The Bison fell 83-77 to Hofstra on Friday night. Bucknell led 45-34 just over a minute into the second half, but the Pride outscored the Bison 49-32 the rest of the way. They went 6-for-12 from 3-point range in the second half, and a big key to the game was Hofstra's 26-12 edge in points off turnovers. Bucknell outrebounded Hofstra 35-33 and led 20-8 in second-chance points. The Bison shot 42.4% from the field and 9-for-28 from the arc, but they had a good night at the foul line, hitting 18 of 21. The Pride finished at 45.6% from the field and went 10-for-24 from the arc (6-for-12 in the second half) and 21-for-32 from the foul line. Bucknell led 19-4 in bench points and received solid minutes from Aleksander Pachucki (five points, two assists, two rebounds), Josh Fulton (four points, two rebounds), and Jacob Meachem (four points, two assists). Meachem recorded his first collegiate points in a season-high nine minutes of action.

Despite the overall turnover issues against Hofstra, Bucknell's guards have done an excellent job taking care of the ball thus far. Primary ball-handlers Jayden Williams (4), Brandon McCreesh (1), Pat Curtin (1) and Quin Berger (1) have combined for only seven turnovers in 303 minutes through four games. Of the team's 47 turnovers on the season, 38 have come from the 3-4-5 positions.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is looking to rebound from Thursday's 71-49 loss to arch-rival West Virginia in Morgantown. Pitt was held to 37.7% shooting, including a 5-for-20 showing from the 3-point arc. Cameron Corhen had a double-double for the Panthers with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Pittsburgh started the season with consecutive wins over Youngstown State (74-59), Longwood (78-60), and Eastern Michigan (78-66) before falling at WVU. Corhen, who played two years at Florida State before transferring to Pitt last year, is the team's top scorer at 14.8 ppg, followed by Brandin Cummings (14.7) and Damarco Minor (11.8). Cummings is the younger brother of Nelly Cummings, who the Bison know well from his days at Colgate. Pitt freshman Omari Witherspoon played at St. John's College Prep in Washington, D.C., which is where Bucknell alum Pat Behan coached before stepping down to battle ALS. Witherspoon only played his junior and senior seasons for St. John's and was not coached by Behan, but he was named the MVP of the Behan Strong Invitational during his junior year.

Pittsburgh leads 18-9 in a series that dates all the way back to 1908, but this will be the first meeting between the two teams in nearly 26 years. The most recent clash resulted in Bucknell's landmark 69-66 win in 2004-05. Chris McNaughton scored 17 points, and Kevin Bettencourt hit two go-ahead free throws with 23.3 seconds left to lift the Bison to their highest-ranked win in school history. Current Bucknell head coach John Griffin III hit a 3-pointer to break a 53-all tie with 7:35 remaining. Pitt came back to take a one-point lead and appeared to have a breakaway layup in the final minute, but point guard Abe Badmus came out of nowhere to block Carl Krauser's layup. Bettencourt was fouled on the next possession and hit the go-ahead free throws.

Prior to that game, the last meeting was a 74-67 Pitt win at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on Nov. 17, 1997. Pittsburgh native J.R. Holden scored 27 points for the Bison, but the Panthers rallied from a small halftime deficit to win it. Bucknell won the very first meeting against Western University of Pennsylvania, as Pitt was known then, 16-12 on Feb. 5, 1908 at Tustin Gymnasium on the Bucknell campus. The Orange & Blue student newspaper was impressed, noting, "The ball went from one end of the floor to the other about as quick as the spectators' eyes could follow it. With dodging and dribbling and difficult shooting on both sides there was afforded the best exhibition of the popular indoor game seen here this year."

Next up, Bucknell visits No. 13 St. John's on Thursday at Carnesecca Arena. The game will be televised on TNT and TruTV. The two teams have met only twice previously, with St. John's winning in 1912 (28-18) and 2013 (67-63).

Men's Basketball Faces Pittsburgh in Monday-Night Affair

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Players Mentioned

Quin Berger

Pat Curtin

Josh Fulton

Brandon McCreesh

Jacob Meachem

Aleksander Pachucki

Jayden Williams