UMBC's Late Rally Clips Bison Men, 73-66

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell center Grgur Brcic had a career day with 14 points and 16 rebounds, but UMBC made some timely shots down the stretch to turn back the Bison 73-66 on Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. Jah'Likai King scored 20 points to lead the Retrievers, who improved to 6-3 on the season. Bucknell was once again without the services of five injured players, and the Bison dropped their ninth straight game to fall to 2-9 on the season.

Amon Dörries led Bucknell with 16 points, all in the second half, and Achile Spadone (13) and Quin Berger (11) also scored in double figures for the Bison.

Both teams shot under 40 percent in a first half dominated by the defenses, but both sides warmed up in the second half. UMBC shot 64.3 percent in the second stanza and flipped a one-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead on Cougar Downing's layup just under six minutes in.

Bucknell went 1-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half before Quin Berger hit three bombs in a row to get the Bison right back in it. Jayden Williams' layup at the 9:30 mark put them back in front 48-47, and four minutes later buckets by Dörries and Brcic gave Bucknell a pair of two-point leads.

The Retrievers answered both of those buckets to tie the game, with DJ Armstrong's driving layup with 4:24 left igniting an 8-0 run that gave the visitors the lead for good. Josh Odunowo's transition layup made it 65-59, but Bucknell responded with a 3-pointer from Spadone and layup from Dörries to pull within 65-64 with 57 seconds remaining. Armstrong followed with one of the biggest shots of the game, a 3-pointer from the top of the key to restore UMBC's two-possession cushion.

Dörries had a short jumper in the lane rim out that would have cut the margin to two, and UMBC stretched it out at the foul line in the closing seconds.

Bucknell shot 39.3 percent from the field and finished 6-for-24 from the arc and 12-for-17 from the foul line. Berger and Spadone combined for all six of Bucknell's 3-pointers, hitting three apiece. Berger added a career-high four steals.

Brcic recorded his first career double-double – he had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone – and his 16 rebounds were the most by a Bison since Noah Williamson recorded 16 against Loyola last season.

BIG TIME BRCIC!

He slams home his fourth dunk of the game and now has a first-half double-double (11-10)! The paint belongs to Brcic!

Watch: https://t.co/czfn5kilpz @ESPN | @PatriotLeague #rayBucknell | #Team131 | #PLTop3 pic.twitter.com/cffZa2GAXA
— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) December 6, 2025

The Bison outrebounded the Retrievers 34-32, with 14 of those caroms coming on the offensive glass. UMBC finished at 51.9 percent overall, including 7-for-18 shooting from long range and 12-for-15 from the foul line.

This was the first meeting between the two teams since 2001, and Bucknell now leads the all-time series 6-3. The Bison are back in action on Tuesday at Rider before taking 11 days off for final exams.

The 2025-26 Bucknell men's basketball season is presented by Aspire Wealth Group.

Next Event

Team Stats

Amon Dörries

Grgur Brcic

Achile Spadone

Quin Berger

Players Mentioned

Quin Berger

Grgur Brcic

Achile Spadone

Jayden Williams

Noah Williamson