Bucknell-Army Men's Hoops Rematch Set for Sunday at Sojka Pavilion on CBS Sports Network

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Two weeks ago Bucknell and Army engaged in one of the wildest games in Division I basketball this season. The Black Knights won 116-110 in double overtime in a shootout that featured 80 made field goals, 30 made 3-pointers, and a Bucknell-record 226 combined points. Now the two teams are set for the rematch at Sojka Pavilion this Sunday at noon on CBS Sports Network.

Not only is this a pivotal game between two teams tied for second place in the Patriot League standings, but there is plenty of other activity surrounding the contest. This is the final regular-season home game, so it will be Senior Day, Bucky's Birthday Party for all Junior Bison Club members, and the annual Mascot Game. There will also be a VIP presence, as Bucknell alums Marc Lore '93 and Jordy Leiser '06 along with business partner and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez will be at the game. The three entrepreneurs will be speaking at a Bucknell Forum event on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Hislop Auditorium in Holmes Hall. They are co-founders of Jump Platforms, the ticketing and fan experience mobile app that was launched at Bucknell this season.

Seniors Pip Ajayi, Josh Bascoe, Elvin Edmonds IV, and Ian Motta will be honored before the game. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the Senior Day ceremony will begin at 11:40 a.m. All four have been integral parts of the team. Motta was off to his best season yet, averaging more than 10 points per game, when he suffered a season-ending injury at Maryland on Nov. 27. Bascoe is having an all-league caliber season, scoring 15.1 points per game while leading the league in assists at 4.4 per contest. Edmonds has been a steady backcourt starter who will play in his 115th career game on Sunday, and Ajayi has been an important reserve in the low post for the last two seasons after transferring from Mercyhurst.

The Bison have been off since Monday, when they shook off a slow start and defeated Lehigh 67-50 at Sojka Pavilion. Noah Williamson recorded his 11th 20-point game of the season with 25, including 18 in the second half. The Bison had a four-point lead at halftime, and then Williamson came out and scored the first eight points of the second half to quickly stretch the lead to 12. The 7'0" center is averaging 20.5 points per game in Patriot League play, the highest mark in the league.

Army bounced back from a loss to rival Navy with a 76-69 win over first-place American on Wednesday. That result tightened up the top of the Patriot League standings. The Eagles remain in the lead at 11-4, but Bucknell and Army are just one game back at 10-5. Colgate is in fourth place at 9-6 and is one clear of Boston Univesity (8-7). The top four seeds will host Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal games. At the bottom of the standings, Lehigh, Holy Cross, Loyola, and Lafayette are all 5-10 and tied for the 7-10 positions.

GAME DIGEST
What: Army (16-11, 10-5 PL) at Bucknell (14-14, 10-5 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Sunday, Feb. 23, 12 p.m.
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Local Radio: Eagle 107
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES | BUY TICKETS

With a Win over Army, Bucknell Would ...

... win its fourth straight game and seventh in the last eight.
... improve to 11-5 in the Patriot League and break a second-place tie with the Black Knights.
... move into a tie for first place if American loses to Boston University on Saturday.
... win its ninth straight home game and finish 9-0 in PL play at Sojka Pavilion this season.
... earn a split of the season series with the Black Knights while defeating Army for the fifth time in the last six meetings.

Headlines

Bucknell's final regular-season home game brings plenty of late-season drama, as the Bison and Black Knights enter the weekend tied for second place in the Patriot League standings with 10-5 records. Just 15 days earlier these two teams played an "instant classic" game at West Point, with Army prevailing 116-110 in double overtime in the highest-scoring game in terms of combined points ever played for either program.
Bucknell and Army both sit just one game behind league-leading American with three games remaining. The Eagles host fifth-place Boston University on Saturday. If American loses, the Bucknell-Army winner moves into a tie for the lead. Both teams split with AU this season.
Bucknell has gotten hot at the right time, winning six of its last seven games to solidify a top-four position in the Patriot League standings. Bucknell has a two-game cushion on fifth-place Boston University, which is important as the top four teams are guaranteed to host Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal games. The Bison can clinch a top-four seed with a win and a Terriers loss at American.
The Bison have bounced back nicely from that wild 116-110 double-overtime loss at Army with three straight wins over Boston University, Lafayette, and Lehigh. Last Wednesday, the Bison jumped out to a 21-6 lead on the Terriers, withstood a run in the middle portion of the game, and then pulled away again midway through the second half. Last Saturday in Easton, Bucknell built a 17-point lead and withstood a late Lafayette run by hitting 6 of 7 free throws in the final 40 seconds. And then on Monday at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison recovered from a miserable start, falling behind 19-6 after 11 minutes only to outscore Lehigh 61-31 the rest of the way.
The first Army game was one the wildest in team history. The 116-110 double-overtime loss was the highest-scoring game in school history, eclipsing the 225 points from a 119-106 win over Colgate in 1968. There was high drama throughout the afternoon. Bucknell trailed 87-74 with 3:17 remaining in regulation before stunning the Black Knights with a 13-0 run to force overtime. Noah Williamson scored the tying basket with 16 seconds left, and then he did it again with 26 seconds to go in the first OT period. The Bison led 105-102 in the second OT session, but Army took control with an 8-0 run. The 116 points were the most ever scored by the Black Knights, and it was the most points allowed by Bucknell since a 117-93 loss to Lafayette in 1955.
The other bit of history from the Army game involved Bucknell playing its NCAA record-tying eighth overtime game of the season. The Bison lead the nation with eight OT games and 11 OT periods in 2024-25. Western Kentucky (1977-78), Portland (1983-84), Valparaiso (1992-93), Michigan State (2014-15), Toledo (2016-17), and Texas (2017-18) also played eight in a season.

Most Overtime Games, 2024-25 Season
Bucknell 8
South Alabama 5
Tennessee-Martin 5
(18 with) 4

Bucknell has picked up the pace offensively over the last 11 games. Since going 2-for-19 from 3-point range and being held to 58 points in a loss at American on Jan. 11, the Bison have put up these offensive numbers in the 11 games since then:

Scoring Average 80.4
FG% .516
3FG% .420
ASST/TO 163/122

Noah Williamson was a preseason All-Patriot League selection and is averaging a team-high 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. Williamson scored a career-high 32 points in the win over Southern Indiana, and he scored 22 of his 26 after halftime to lead the comeback charge against Richmond. Williamson leads the Patriot League with nine double-doubles, he has 11 20-point games, and he is averaging 20.5 ppg in conference play.
Josh Bascoe is averaging a career-high 15.1 ppg, and he has taken over the league lead in assists at 4.4 apg. Bascoe, who scored a career-high 25 points at Army, ranks sixth in the Patriot League in scoring and is in the top 15 in the PL in seven different categories. He leads the league and ranks 14th nationally in minutes played at 36.5 per game. He has played more than 40 minutes in a game seven times this season.
This is year No. 2 under head coach John Griffin III, a 2008 Bucknell graduate who was a standout guard for the Bison. Bucknell went 14-19 overall and 10-8 in the Patriot League last season. The Bison were playing their best basketball at the end of the year and finished in a four-way tie for second place, although tiebreakers relegated them to the No. 5 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. An 80-57 rout of American in the PL quarterfinals was the team's fourth straight victory, and then the Bison took top-seeded Colgate to the final seconds in a 68-65 loss in the semifinals.
Bucknell and Army have a couple of connections. Josh Fulton's father Vernon is a West Point graduate, and assistant coach Jesse Flannery was on Jimmy Allen's staff for one season in 2022-23.
Army had a tough start to Patriot League play, falling on the road to Colgate and Boston University, but the Black Knights responded with five straight wins to move into the upper third of the standings. Army has already tied its program record with 10 conference wins in a season after knocking off first-place American 76-69 on Wednesday.
The Black Knights feature one of the Patriot League's top backcourts. Jalen Rucker (17.8), Josh Scovens (16.0), and Ryan Curry (12.9) all rank among the top scorers in the league. Curry, who scored 30 points in the first meeting against Bucknell, added 25 more in Wednesday's home win over American.
Four of the league's top six scorers will be playing in this game. Rucker and Scovens rank second and fifth, while Williamson and Bascoe rank fourth and sixth. Army is the top scoring team in the PL at 75.1 ppg, with Bucknell second at 72.9 ppg. On the other hand, Bucknell (73.5) and Army (73.7) allow the most points in the league, so another high-scoring game could be in the cards.

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Army game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan and Mo Cassara will call the action from Sojka Pavilion.
"Voice of the Bison" Doug Birdsong will have the local radio call on Eagle 107.
The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
Live statistics can be accessed via BucknellBison.com.
Follow @Bucknell_MBB for in-game updates on Twitter.

Last Time Out

Noah Williamson scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, leading the Bison to a 67-50 victory over Lehigh on Monday night at Sojka Pavilion.
The Mountain Hawks started the game with a 9-0 lead and went up 19-6 after the first nine minutes of game action. The Bison missed their first nine field goal attempts before Elvin Edmonds IV finally scored on a running bank shot at the 11:24 mark, but they stormed back and closed the half on a 23-6 run to take a 29-25 lead to the locker room
Williamson took over after halftime, scoring the first eight points of the half. Included in the run was a coast-to-coast driving lay-up prompting a Lehigh timeout at the 17:17 mark of the half. The Orange and Blue extended their lead to as large as 20 at 65-45, as Williamson closed his night with back-to-back spectacular dunks off of feeds from Jayden Williams. The Bison big man also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Josh Bascoe joined Williamson in double figures with 14 points and handed out a game-high four assists. Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 10 of Lehigh's first 14 points and finished with 19.
Ruot Bijiek's 3-pointer made it a 15-2 run and tied the game at 21. Alfredo Addesa momentarily gave Lehigh the lead back with a 3-pointer, but Williamson answered with a trey, and his baseline drive for a layup with 40 seconds left put the Bison in front for the first time at 26-25. That would be the game's one and only lead change, as Bascoe closed the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer, and then Williamson exploded for four straight buckets to start the second half. Ajayi's free throws at the 14:04 mark gave Bucknell a 43-27 lead, capping a dominant 37-8 run over a 15-minute stretch.
Walk-on forward Kellen Welch scored his first career points on a put-back in the final seconds to finish off Bucknell's sixth win in its last seven games.

Bucknell vs. Army Series Notes

The Bison hold a 63-25 lead in a series that dates back to 1929.
The Bison are 36-6 all-time at home against Army.
Army won the first 10 series showdowns, nine of them coming prior to 1966.
As Patriot League rivals, Bucknell has won 62 of 77 meetings.
In Patriot League Tournament action, Bucknell is 8-2 against Army. Eight of those 10 postseason meetings have come in the quarterfinals.
Bucknell swept the last two season series and had won four straight head-to-head matchups until Army's wild 116-110 double overtime win on Feb. 8.
Bucknell won 66-56 in last season's game at West Point. Ian Motta scored a season-high 17 points off the bench to lead the Bison. Jack Forrest added 14 points, Ruot Bijiek had 11, and Elvin Edmonds IV notched 10 assists. Abe Johnson and Ryan Curry tallied 14 points each for Army. The Bison built a 16-point lead in the first half and withstood an Army run in each half, ultimately leading the game for 36:40.
In the rematch at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell rode an 11-0 run in each half and its best defensive performance in 12 years to a 54-41 victory. Josh Bascoe scored 11 points and Motta had 10 to lead a big day for the bench unit.
Noah Williamson recorded 10 points and seven rebounds, and it was his 3-pointer-steal-layup combo that sparked Bucknell's decisive run in the latter stages of the second half. Bucknell's defense carried the day, as the Bison limited the Black Knights to 28.6% shooting, including a 4-for-20 mark from the 3-point arc. Two of those treys came from deep reserves in the final two minutes, including a 40-footer at the buzzer from Griff Lamb. Army had only 33 points with two minutes to go, as Bucknell nearly posted a sub-40 defensive effort for the first time since a 66-38 win over Binghamton in 2010-11. The 41 points allowed was Bucknell's best since a 75-41 win over Holy Cross in 2011-12, and the Bison kept an opponent under 50 points for the first time since a 65-43 win over Monmouth in 2018-19.

Facts & Figures

Brandon McCreesh now ranks second in the Patriot League in 3-point percentage (.448) thanks to a recent hot streak. McCreesh has hit at least one trey in 11 of the last 13 games and is 19-for-32 from the arc in that stretch.
Noah Williamson has been on a tear from the 3-point arc, going 15-for-25 over the last nine games. He was 6-for-6 at Colgate, 2-for-2 at Boston University, and he made his only attempt against Loyola to tie the school record for consecutive made threes, originally set by Mike Bright on the night when he went 9-for-10 against Loyola in Davis Gym in 1993. The streak ended at nine when he missed his first attempt against American.
Also heating up from downtown is Elvin Edmonds IV, who went 4-for-5 at Army and is 13-for-21 in his last seven games.
The Bison lead the Patriot League in free-throw attempts (20.7) and made free throws (13.8) per game, even though they rank ninth in free-throw percentage (.666). Williamson's 203 free-throw attempts are seventh-most in the nation.
Pip Ajayi has been a big factor off the bench for the Bison. The reserve frontcourt player tallied 13 points — his most in a Bucknell uniform — five rebounds, and three steals in 18 minutes at Lehigh. After starting the season 3-for-8 from the field, Ajayi is 43-for-64 (.672) since then, including 41-for-60 (.683) over his last 21 games.
The Bison had struggled in the turnover department this season, but they committed a season-low five miscues in the win over Holy Cross and have had a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio in 11 straight games.
Williamson's nine double-doubles are the most in the Patriot League and 31st-most in the nation.
Williamson ranks in some pretty good company when it comes to national scoring leaders among 7-footers.

NCAA Leaders, Points per Game, Players 7'0" or Taller
1. Maxime Raynaud, Stanford 19.9
2. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   18.7
3. Noah Williamson, Bucknell 17.2
4. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas 16.3
5. Bent Leuchten, UC Irvine 15.8
6. Vladislav Goldin, Michigan    15.7

NCAA Leaders, Made 3-Pointers, Players 7'0" or Taller
1. Maxime Raynaud, Stanford   46
2. Tomislav Ivisic, Illinois 36
3. Noah Williamson, Bucknell 27
Nate Bittie, Oregon    27
5. Danny Wolf, Michigan 26

Who's Got Next?

Bucknell will play its final two regular-season games on the road. The Bison travel to Loyola on Wednesday and Holy Cross on Saturday. Bucknell defeated both teams earlier in the season.

Bucknell-Army Men's Hoops Rematch Set for Sunday at Sojka Pavilion on CBS Sports Network

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Pip Ajayi

Josh Bascoe

Ruot Bijiek

Elvin Edmonds IV

Jack Forrest

Josh Fulton

Brandon McCreesh

Ian Motta

Kellen Welch

Jayden Williams

Noah Williamson

Bucknell-Army Men's Hoops Rematch Set for Sunday at Sojka Pavilion on CBS Sports Network

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Pip Ajayi

Josh Bascoe

Ruot Bijiek

Elvin Edmonds IV

Jack Forrest

Josh Fulton

Brandon McCreesh

Ian Motta

Kellen Welch

Jayden Williams

Noah Williamson

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