Saturday, December 6
Lewisburg, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
UMBC
Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder
Bison, Retrievers Renew Men's Hoops Series after 24-Year Hiatus
12/5/2025 12:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GAME DIGEST
What:Â UMBC (5-3) at Bucknell (2-8)
When:Â Saturday, Dec. 6, 12 p.m.Â
Where:Â Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch:Â ESPN+
Listen: Eagle 107 and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
TICKETS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
Happenings:
The Bison are looking to shake an eight-game losing streak that came on the heels of a 2-0 start. After opening the season with victories over Delaware and reigning MAAC champion Mount St. Mary's, Bucknell has faced a gauntlet of tough opponents while dealing with a rash of injuries. UMBC will be Bucknell's eighth straight foe with a winning record (those eight teams are a combined 45-22 through Thursday's games).Â
The latest test came on Wednesday at Akron, the two-time defending Mid-America Conference champion. It was an even game for the first 16 minutes, but the Zips closed the first half on a 15-2 run and then shot better than 60% in the second half on the way to a 97-77 verdict. Bucknell played that game without five injured players. In addition to Brady Muller, who is out for the season after undergoing offseason surgery, the Bison were without starters Ruot Bijiek and Brandon McCreesh and key reserves Pat Curtin and Josh Fulton.
Bucknell's defense has certainly been put to the test in recent weeks. Bucknell's last five opponents average 88.9 points per game and have a combined 30-11 record.
Last 5 Opponents' Scoring Average (NCAA Rank)
St. John's    92.3 (12)
Bowling Green   85.1 (70)
Buffalo     78.8 (163)
Cornell     91.2 (17)
Akron      96.2 (5)
Freshman Amon Dörries continues to lead the Bison in scoring at 14.0 ppg. Dörries recorded his second 20-point game of the season with 22 against Bowling Green in Fort Myers last week, and he is shooting 50.0% from the field and 76.2% from the foul line. Three Bison who have taken advantage of increased playing time over the last week are senior Quin Berger, junior Grgur Brcic, and sophomore Aleksander Pachucki. Berger made his first career start against Cornell and tallied a career-high nine points, then he doubled that mark with 18 on 6-for-8 3-point shooting at Akron on Wednesday. Brcic has started the last four games, and in that span he has totaled 29 points, 23 rebounds, and four blocked shots while shooting 13-for-16 from the field. The Toledo transfer had a season-high 11 points against Akron. Pachucki, in his first season at Bucknell after transferring from Fordham, hit five treys on the way to a career-high 17 points against Cornell, and then he followed it up with 15 at Akron. Â
UMBC brings a 5-3 record into Saturday's game. The Retrievers are 4-0 at home and 1-3 on the road, but the three road losses are to quality opponents in Dayton, George Washington, and Georgetown. Most recently, UMBC fell 90-81 to the Hoyas in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. The Retrievers had five double-digit scorers in that game, led by 19 from Jah'Likai King. King, a transfer from New Haven, leads the team in scoring (13.6) and rebounding (5.5) on the season. King scored 934 points in just two seasons at New Haven and has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his third collegiate season. DJ Armstrong Jr. also scores in double figures at 11.8 ppg.Â
Bucknell leads the all-time series 6-2, but this will be the first meeting since the 2001-02 season, and thus the first meeting in Sojka Pavilion, which opened the following season. The first eight meetings took place between 1991-2001. The Bison have won the last two clashes, while UMBC won the two before that. All four of those games were decided by four points or fewer. Â
The Bison won the most recent game 70-67 in Davis Gym, behind 16 points from Matt Quinn, 15 from Boakai Lalugba, 11 from Brian Werner, and nine points and 10 rebounds from Ben Slater. Peter Mulligan, who would go on to be named NEC Rookie of the Year, scored 31 of UMBC's 67 points. Quinn put the Bison ahead for good with a put-back with 3:08 remaining in the game. Quinn scored again with 17 seconds left to stretch a one-point lead to three, and then UMBC missed a pair of potential tying 3-pointers in the last five seconds. The series started in January 1991, when the Bison and Retrievers played a non-conference home-and-home set just 12 days apart. Bucknell won 79-64 in Baltimore behind 21 points from Bill Courtney and 78-56 in Lewisburg behind 20 points from Patrick King.Â
After the UMBC game, Bucknell will close out the first semester on Tuesday night at Rider. The Broncs are 1-6 on the season, but four of the losses are to Power 5 foes Virginia, Rutgers, Texas, and Houston. Rider dropped its MAAC opener at Merrimack 68-66 on Thursday, and the Broncs will have another league game at Quinnipiac on Sunday before returning home to face Bucknell. That will be the final game before an 11-day layoff for final exams.Â
The 2025-26 Bucknell men's basketball season is presented by Aspire Wealth Group.
Â
What:Â UMBC (5-3) at Bucknell (2-8)
When:Â Saturday, Dec. 6, 12 p.m.Â
Where:Â Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch:Â ESPN+
Listen: Eagle 107 and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
TICKETS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
Happenings:
- TOYS FOR TOTS: Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Bucknell-UMBC game to help support Bucknell Basketball's partnership with the Toys for Tots program. There will be a bin in the main lobby of Sojka Pavilion for fans to place their toys. Bucknell Basketball thanks you in advance for your consideration of this very worthy cause.
- BASKETBALL LUNCHEON: The next Bucknell Basketball Luncheon will be held on Monday, Dec. 8 at noon at the Bull Run Tap House on Market Street in Lewisburg. Head coaches John Griffin III and Trevor Woodruff will be on hand along with players from the men's and women's teams.Â
The Bison are looking to shake an eight-game losing streak that came on the heels of a 2-0 start. After opening the season with victories over Delaware and reigning MAAC champion Mount St. Mary's, Bucknell has faced a gauntlet of tough opponents while dealing with a rash of injuries. UMBC will be Bucknell's eighth straight foe with a winning record (those eight teams are a combined 45-22 through Thursday's games).Â
The latest test came on Wednesday at Akron, the two-time defending Mid-America Conference champion. It was an even game for the first 16 minutes, but the Zips closed the first half on a 15-2 run and then shot better than 60% in the second half on the way to a 97-77 verdict. Bucknell played that game without five injured players. In addition to Brady Muller, who is out for the season after undergoing offseason surgery, the Bison were without starters Ruot Bijiek and Brandon McCreesh and key reserves Pat Curtin and Josh Fulton.
Bucknell's defense has certainly been put to the test in recent weeks. Bucknell's last five opponents average 88.9 points per game and have a combined 30-11 record.
Last 5 Opponents' Scoring Average (NCAA Rank)
St. John's    92.3 (12)
Bowling Green   85.1 (70)
Buffalo     78.8 (163)
Cornell     91.2 (17)
Akron      96.2 (5)
Freshman Amon Dörries continues to lead the Bison in scoring at 14.0 ppg. Dörries recorded his second 20-point game of the season with 22 against Bowling Green in Fort Myers last week, and he is shooting 50.0% from the field and 76.2% from the foul line. Three Bison who have taken advantage of increased playing time over the last week are senior Quin Berger, junior Grgur Brcic, and sophomore Aleksander Pachucki. Berger made his first career start against Cornell and tallied a career-high nine points, then he doubled that mark with 18 on 6-for-8 3-point shooting at Akron on Wednesday. Brcic has started the last four games, and in that span he has totaled 29 points, 23 rebounds, and four blocked shots while shooting 13-for-16 from the field. The Toledo transfer had a season-high 11 points against Akron. Pachucki, in his first season at Bucknell after transferring from Fordham, hit five treys on the way to a career-high 17 points against Cornell, and then he followed it up with 15 at Akron. Â
UMBC brings a 5-3 record into Saturday's game. The Retrievers are 4-0 at home and 1-3 on the road, but the three road losses are to quality opponents in Dayton, George Washington, and Georgetown. Most recently, UMBC fell 90-81 to the Hoyas in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. The Retrievers had five double-digit scorers in that game, led by 19 from Jah'Likai King. King, a transfer from New Haven, leads the team in scoring (13.6) and rebounding (5.5) on the season. King scored 934 points in just two seasons at New Haven and has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his third collegiate season. DJ Armstrong Jr. also scores in double figures at 11.8 ppg.Â
Bucknell leads the all-time series 6-2, but this will be the first meeting since the 2001-02 season, and thus the first meeting in Sojka Pavilion, which opened the following season. The first eight meetings took place between 1991-2001. The Bison have won the last two clashes, while UMBC won the two before that. All four of those games were decided by four points or fewer. Â
The Bison won the most recent game 70-67 in Davis Gym, behind 16 points from Matt Quinn, 15 from Boakai Lalugba, 11 from Brian Werner, and nine points and 10 rebounds from Ben Slater. Peter Mulligan, who would go on to be named NEC Rookie of the Year, scored 31 of UMBC's 67 points. Quinn put the Bison ahead for good with a put-back with 3:08 remaining in the game. Quinn scored again with 17 seconds left to stretch a one-point lead to three, and then UMBC missed a pair of potential tying 3-pointers in the last five seconds. The series started in January 1991, when the Bison and Retrievers played a non-conference home-and-home set just 12 days apart. Bucknell won 79-64 in Baltimore behind 21 points from Bill Courtney and 78-56 in Lewisburg behind 20 points from Patrick King.Â
After the UMBC game, Bucknell will close out the first semester on Tuesday night at Rider. The Broncs are 1-6 on the season, but four of the losses are to Power 5 foes Virginia, Rutgers, Texas, and Houston. Rider dropped its MAAC opener at Merrimack 68-66 on Thursday, and the Broncs will have another league game at Quinnipiac on Sunday before returning home to face Bucknell. That will be the final game before an 11-day layoff for final exams.Â
The 2025-26 Bucknell men's basketball season is presented by Aspire Wealth Group.
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Players Mentioned
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