Wednesday, December 31
Worcester, Mass.
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
Holy Cross
Men's Basketball Starts Patriot League Play With New Year's Eve Matinee at Holy Cross
12/29/2025 9:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
GAME DIGEST
What: Bucknell (3-10, 0-0 PL) at Holy Cross (5-8, 0-0 PL)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
Where: Hart Center Arena, Worcester, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WKOK 1070 AM and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- After enduring a rash of injuries and a very difficult non-league schedule, Bucknell visits Holy Cross on New Year's Eve to kick off the 36th season of Patriot League play. All 10 teams are in action on Wednesday in the first of 18 rounds of league competition. After playing 12 games in the first 36 days of the season, the Bison will have had just one contest in a span of 20 days when they tip off at Holy Cross.
Bucknell's three non-conference wins came against Delaware, Mount St. Mary's, and Rider, while the 10 losses came against teams with a combined record of 79-46 (through Dec. 28). Nine of those 10 teams have winning records, with the lone exception being Princeton, a traditional Ivy League contender who is off to a tough start. The Bison faced three Power 5 teams, two of which are ranked in the top 25 (St. John's, Iowa), along with defending MAC champion Akron. The Bison have lost 34 man games to injury and have been down four or five players for the last few weeks.Ruot Bijiek, a 6'9" forward, recently returned after missing five games due to a shoulder injury. He re-entered the starting lineup in the 3 spot against Iowa, and along with 6'10" Grgur Brcic and 6'11" Amon Dörries, it was the first time in team history the Bison started three players 6'9" or taller.
Freshman Amon Dörries continues to lead the Bison in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Dörries recorded 20 points in his first collegiate game against Delaware and topped that with 22 against Bowling Green. He is shooting 49.2% from the field and 80.0% from the foul line. Bucknell's last game was Dec. 20 at No. 25 Iowa, and Alvaro Folgueiras scored 17 points to lead the Hawkeyes to a 94-39 win at Casey's Center in Des Moines. Bijiek, playing only a few miles from his hometown of Waukee, scored nine points to lead the Bison. Playing without five injured players, the Bison got out to a terrific start, leading 10-2 after Grgur Brcic's alley-oop finish off Jayden Williams' lob. Bijiek, performing in front of dozens of friends and family members, thrilled the local crowd by hitting threes on his first two attempts of the night. Iowa quickly regrouped, however, and took control with a 17-0 run. The Hawkeyes came in ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, and they made life difficult for the Bison after the initial hot start. Bucknell was held to 36.6% shooting, including a 5-for-23 mark from the 3-point arc. The Bison also committed a season-high 25 turnovers, which led to 40 Iowa points. Iowa entered the night ranked in the top-15 nationally in field-goal percentage (.521) and 3-point accuracy (.399), and the Hawkeyes shot 60.3% overall in this one. They went 8-for-21 from the arc and 10-for-12 from the foul line. Iowa improved to 10-2 on the season, with its only two losses coming on the road to top-10 teams in Michigan State and Iowa State.
The Bison will reconnect with some friendly faces on Wednesday. Holy Cross head coach Dave Paulsen guided the Bison for seven seasons from 2008-15, winning two Patriot League titles (2011, 2013) on the way to a 134-94 record and three Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. Paulsen's .588 winning percentage is second-best in program history among coaches with 40 or more games, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Charlie Woollum (.590). Paulsen's associate head coach at Holy Cross is Bryson Johnson '13, who is the most prolific 3-point shooter in Bucknell history. Johnson played a key role on the 2011 and 2013 championship teams, and his 323 career 3-pointers are 29 more than any other player in team history. Johnson ranks 14th on Bucknell's all-time scoring list with 1,384 points, and he was one of three 1,000-point scorers in his class, along with Mike Muscala (1st, 2036) and Joe Willman (30th, 1162).
The Crusaders went 5-8 overall and 3-2 home during non-league play. They recently had a four-game winning streak (Worcester State, Northeastern, Fordham, Regis), but they have dropped their last two to Ivy League foes Dartmouth (89-64) and Harvard (81-53). Holy Cross scores 66.2 ppg and allows 73.3 ppg. The latter figure is second-best in the Patriot League. Sophomore guard Tyler Boston, who missed most of last season with an injury, scored 25 points on opening night at Providence and still leads the team in scoring at 13.2 ppg. Juniors Joe Nugent (11.5) and Gabe Warren (10.3) also score in double figures. That trio has shot the three well this season (55-153, .359), but the rest of the squad is 39-for-158 (.247).
The Bucknell-Holy Cross rivalry has been one of the league's best through the years. These two teams have met 17 times in the 35 Patriot League Tournaments, with Bucknell winning nine of the 17. That includes four times in the championship game. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the 2005 and 2006 title tilts, while the Crusaders topped the Bison in the final in 1993 and 2007. The Bison and Crusaders had never met until the formation of the Patriot League in 1990-91, but this will be the 86th meeting in 36 years. The two teams did not play during the 2020-21 season under the COVID-modified Patriot League schedule that placed them in different divisions. Bucknell leads the all-time series 51-34 after sweeping the season set a year ago. Both were high-scoring affairs, with the Bison winning 86-82 at Sojka Pavilion and 94-81 in Worcester.
In last year's game in Lewisburg, the Bison hit a season-high 16 3-pointers. All eight Bison players who took the court scored at least six points, and seven made a shot from beyond the arc. Bucknell also received a season-high 26 points from its bench and committed only five turnovers. Josh Bascoe, who led Bucknell with 17 points, Ruot Bijiek (14), Jayden Williams (11), and Brandon McCreesh (9) all made three triples. Caleb Kenney scored a game-high 23 points as all five Holy Cross starters scored in double figures. In the rematch in Worcester on the final day of the regular season, Bucknell clinched a share of the Patriot League regular-season title and the No. 1 seed with the 94-81 win. All five Bison starters scored in double figures, led by 22 from Williamson in only 19 minutes and 21 with six assists from Bascoe. Achile Spadone added 14 points, Bijiek had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Elvin Edmonds IV logged 13 points and eight assists. Max Green (22), Joe Nugent (22), and Kenney (21) accounted for 65 of Holy Cross' 81 points. The Bison manufactured good looks at the basket all day, scoring 54 points in the paint while shooting 61.7% from the floor.
Bucknell is 27-13 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg and 20-7 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell is 19-18 vs. Holy Cross at the Hart Center, with one of the wins coming in the 2005 Patriot League championship game.
Bucknell is 339-177 (.657) all-time in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. Last year marked the 28th time in 35 years that the Bison finished with a PL record of .500 or better.
Next up, the Bison open the 2026 calendar year with a home game against Lehigh on Saturday. It will be a 5 p.m. tip at Sojka Pavilion. This game kicks off a stretch where the Bison will play four of their next six games at home.
What: Bucknell (3-10, 0-0 PL) at Holy Cross (5-8, 0-0 PL)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
Where: Hart Center Arena, Worcester, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WKOK 1070 AM and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- After enduring a rash of injuries and a very difficult non-league schedule, Bucknell visits Holy Cross on New Year's Eve to kick off the 36th season of Patriot League play. All 10 teams are in action on Wednesday in the first of 18 rounds of league competition. After playing 12 games in the first 36 days of the season, the Bison will have had just one contest in a span of 20 days when they tip off at Holy Cross.
Bucknell's three non-conference wins came against Delaware, Mount St. Mary's, and Rider, while the 10 losses came against teams with a combined record of 79-46 (through Dec. 28). Nine of those 10 teams have winning records, with the lone exception being Princeton, a traditional Ivy League contender who is off to a tough start. The Bison faced three Power 5 teams, two of which are ranked in the top 25 (St. John's, Iowa), along with defending MAC champion Akron. The Bison have lost 34 man games to injury and have been down four or five players for the last few weeks.Ruot Bijiek, a 6'9" forward, recently returned after missing five games due to a shoulder injury. He re-entered the starting lineup in the 3 spot against Iowa, and along with 6'10" Grgur Brcic and 6'11" Amon Dörries, it was the first time in team history the Bison started three players 6'9" or taller.
Freshman Amon Dörries continues to lead the Bison in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Dörries recorded 20 points in his first collegiate game against Delaware and topped that with 22 against Bowling Green. He is shooting 49.2% from the field and 80.0% from the foul line. Bucknell's last game was Dec. 20 at No. 25 Iowa, and Alvaro Folgueiras scored 17 points to lead the Hawkeyes to a 94-39 win at Casey's Center in Des Moines. Bijiek, playing only a few miles from his hometown of Waukee, scored nine points to lead the Bison. Playing without five injured players, the Bison got out to a terrific start, leading 10-2 after Grgur Brcic's alley-oop finish off Jayden Williams' lob. Bijiek, performing in front of dozens of friends and family members, thrilled the local crowd by hitting threes on his first two attempts of the night. Iowa quickly regrouped, however, and took control with a 17-0 run. The Hawkeyes came in ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, and they made life difficult for the Bison after the initial hot start. Bucknell was held to 36.6% shooting, including a 5-for-23 mark from the 3-point arc. The Bison also committed a season-high 25 turnovers, which led to 40 Iowa points. Iowa entered the night ranked in the top-15 nationally in field-goal percentage (.521) and 3-point accuracy (.399), and the Hawkeyes shot 60.3% overall in this one. They went 8-for-21 from the arc and 10-for-12 from the foul line. Iowa improved to 10-2 on the season, with its only two losses coming on the road to top-10 teams in Michigan State and Iowa State.
The Bison will reconnect with some friendly faces on Wednesday. Holy Cross head coach Dave Paulsen guided the Bison for seven seasons from 2008-15, winning two Patriot League titles (2011, 2013) on the way to a 134-94 record and three Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. Paulsen's .588 winning percentage is second-best in program history among coaches with 40 or more games, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Charlie Woollum (.590). Paulsen's associate head coach at Holy Cross is Bryson Johnson '13, who is the most prolific 3-point shooter in Bucknell history. Johnson played a key role on the 2011 and 2013 championship teams, and his 323 career 3-pointers are 29 more than any other player in team history. Johnson ranks 14th on Bucknell's all-time scoring list with 1,384 points, and he was one of three 1,000-point scorers in his class, along with Mike Muscala (1st, 2036) and Joe Willman (30th, 1162).
The Crusaders went 5-8 overall and 3-2 home during non-league play. They recently had a four-game winning streak (Worcester State, Northeastern, Fordham, Regis), but they have dropped their last two to Ivy League foes Dartmouth (89-64) and Harvard (81-53). Holy Cross scores 66.2 ppg and allows 73.3 ppg. The latter figure is second-best in the Patriot League. Sophomore guard Tyler Boston, who missed most of last season with an injury, scored 25 points on opening night at Providence and still leads the team in scoring at 13.2 ppg. Juniors Joe Nugent (11.5) and Gabe Warren (10.3) also score in double figures. That trio has shot the three well this season (55-153, .359), but the rest of the squad is 39-for-158 (.247).
The Bucknell-Holy Cross rivalry has been one of the league's best through the years. These two teams have met 17 times in the 35 Patriot League Tournaments, with Bucknell winning nine of the 17. That includes four times in the championship game. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the 2005 and 2006 title tilts, while the Crusaders topped the Bison in the final in 1993 and 2007. The Bison and Crusaders had never met until the formation of the Patriot League in 1990-91, but this will be the 86th meeting in 36 years. The two teams did not play during the 2020-21 season under the COVID-modified Patriot League schedule that placed them in different divisions. Bucknell leads the all-time series 51-34 after sweeping the season set a year ago. Both were high-scoring affairs, with the Bison winning 86-82 at Sojka Pavilion and 94-81 in Worcester.
In last year's game in Lewisburg, the Bison hit a season-high 16 3-pointers. All eight Bison players who took the court scored at least six points, and seven made a shot from beyond the arc. Bucknell also received a season-high 26 points from its bench and committed only five turnovers. Josh Bascoe, who led Bucknell with 17 points, Ruot Bijiek (14), Jayden Williams (11), and Brandon McCreesh (9) all made three triples. Caleb Kenney scored a game-high 23 points as all five Holy Cross starters scored in double figures. In the rematch in Worcester on the final day of the regular season, Bucknell clinched a share of the Patriot League regular-season title and the No. 1 seed with the 94-81 win. All five Bison starters scored in double figures, led by 22 from Williamson in only 19 minutes and 21 with six assists from Bascoe. Achile Spadone added 14 points, Bijiek had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Elvin Edmonds IV logged 13 points and eight assists. Max Green (22), Joe Nugent (22), and Kenney (21) accounted for 65 of Holy Cross' 81 points. The Bison manufactured good looks at the basket all day, scoring 54 points in the paint while shooting 61.7% from the floor.
Bucknell is 27-13 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg and 20-7 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell is 19-18 vs. Holy Cross at the Hart Center, with one of the wins coming in the 2005 Patriot League championship game.
Bucknell is 339-177 (.657) all-time in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. Last year marked the 28th time in 35 years that the Bison finished with a PL record of .500 or better.
Next up, the Bison open the 2026 calendar year with a home game against Lehigh on Saturday. It will be a 5 p.m. tip at Sojka Pavilion. This game kicks off a stretch where the Bison will play four of their next six games at home.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballMen's And Women's Basketball New Year's Resolutions
Friday, December 26
Men's And Women's Basketball Holiday Traditions
Monday, December 22
Bucknell Women's Basketball Post Game: December 20 vs Gwynedd Mercy
Saturday, December 20
In The Herd: Bison Quad Preview
Thursday, December 18