March Hoops Returns to Sojka Pavilion as Bison Men Host Loyola in Patriot League Quarterfinal Matchup Thursday Night

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The 2024-25 Bucknell men's basketball season has been a wild ride. Starting with a come-from-behind win at Delaware on opening night all the way back on Nov. 4, the Bison have experienced thrilling wins and heartbreaking losses; they have gone up against college basketball blue bloods such as Kentucky, Gonzaga, Maryland, and Syracuse; they have mixed in an NCAA-record-tying eight overtime games; and more recently they have followed up a 4-4 start to Patriot League play with a 9-1 finish to grab a share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament.

Bucknell's postseason journey starts Thursday night at Sojka Pavilion when eighth-seeded Loyola comes in for a quarterfinal matchup. The winner will face either No. 4 Boston University or No. 5 Navy on Sunday in the semifinal round. All Patriot League Tournament games are played at the home of the higher seed, so as long as the Bison remain alive they will be playing at home, where they went 9-0 against league foes during the regular season.

Tickets are on sale for Thursday's game. Fans are reminded of the special group rate of $6 per ticket for groups of 10 or more. This is a discount of $10 per ticket off the regular general public price. Bucknell students will receive FREE ADMISSION to the game, courtesy of the Office of the President. Students will have a chance to participate in a halftime trivia contest, with a $1,000 prize for the winner, and students will also receive a free drink and candy, courtesy of Bison Kitchen.

Bucknell and Loyola will be meeting for the second time in eight days. Last Wednesday's game at Reitz Arena came right down to the last second, when Noah Williamson blocked a shot to preserve Bucknell's 70-67 win. The Bison also defeated the Greyhounds 79-67 on Jan. 29 at Sojka Pavilion. Both teams feature all-conference big men, which should make for another fun watch in the low post. Williamson earlier this week was named Patriot League Player of the Year and a First Team all-star (along with teammate Josh Bascoe). Loyola's Milos Ilic was a Second Team honoree, and he was also named the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

GAME DIGEST
What: #8 Loyola (12-18, 6-12 PL) at #1 Bucknell (17-14, 13-5 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Local Radio: Eagle 107
Internet Audio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
COMPLETE GAME NOTES | BUY TICKETS

With a Win over Loyola, Bucknell Would ...

... advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals and host either Boston University or Navy on Sunday.
... make its 26th semifinal appearance in the 35-year history of the Patriot League.
... win its seventh straight game and 10th in the last 11.
... win seven straight games for the first time since 2017-18.
... win its 10th straight home game, the longest streak since winning 12 straight at Sojka Pavilion in 2018-19.
... defeat the Greyhounds for the fifth straight time and third time this season.
... improve to 2-0 against the Greyhounds and 47-28 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.

Headlines

Bucknell made a mad dash to a regular-season co-championship and the Patriot League Tournament's No. 1 seed by winning six straight and nine of its last 10. The Bison open up postseason play with a quarterfinal game against No. 8 Loyola on Thursday night at Sojka Pavilion. The Greyhounds defeated No. 9 Lehigh 77-73 in a first-round game on Tuesday. Every Patriot League Tournament game is played at the home court of the higher seed, so the Bison will host games as long as they remain alive in the tournament.
Bucknell has now won at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title for the 14th time, and this will be its 10th tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Bucknell and American finished tied atop the league standings at 13-5. The Bison and Eagles split their regular-season meetings, and working down the standings, the tiebreaker was decided based on the teams' records against the four teams tied for third place at 10-8. Bucknell went 5-3 against that group, while American went 4-4.
Bucknell has now earned nine of the last 14 Patriot League regular-season titles.

PATRIOT LEAGUE REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS
2010-11   Bucknell
2011-12   Bucknell
2012-13   Bucknell
2013-14   Boston University
2014-15   Bucknell
2015-16   Bucknell
2016-17   Bucknell
2017-18   Bucknell
2018-19   Bucknell/Colgate
2019-20   Colgate
2020-21   Not Awarded
2021-22   Colgate
2022-23   Colgate
2023-24   Colgate
2024-25   Bucknell/American

Earlier this week, junior center Noah Williamson earned Patriot League Player of the Year honors, head coach John Griffin III was named Patriot League Coach of the Year, and senior guard Josh Bascoe joined Williamson on the All-PL First Team. Williamson was also named to the PL All-Defensive Team.
Williamson and Bascoe are in the midst of outstanding seasons, and their inclusion on the All-Patriot League First Team means that Bucknell has now claimed a First Team honoree in 27 of the league's 35 years of existence. Williamson is Bucknell's ninth Patriot League Player of the Year, with Zach Thomas the most recent in 2018.
Griffin is Bucknell's 10th Patriot League Coach of the Year selection. The 2008 Bucknell graduate is in his second year as head coach, and in those two seasons the Bison finished tied for second and tied for first in the league standings.
Williamson was also a preseason All-Patriot League selection and is averaging a team-high 17.3 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 12 20-point games, and he is averaging 20.2 ppg in conference play.
Loyola is under the direction of first-year head coach Josh Loeffler, who was previously a head coach at Baltimore schools Johns Hopkins (2017-23) and Stevens (2006-08), where he won 80 percent of his games. His first season as head coach at Johns Hopkins was the senior year for current Bucknell assistant coach Jesse Flannery, who was an outstanding guard for the Blue Jays.
Loyola has three double-digit scorers in Milos Ilic (14.4), Jacob Theodosiu (12.9), and Jordan Stiemke (12.0). Ilic, who was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection and the PL Scholar-Athlete of the Year, also leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game, and his twin brother Veljko tallies 8.0 ppg and 4.9 rpg off the bench.
The Greyhounds shot 51.0% from the field and had five double-digit scorers in Tuesday's 77-73 win over Lehigh. Milos Ilic led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. Theodosiou (15), Braeden Speed (13), Tyson Commander (13), and Jordan Stiemke (11) also hit double figures.
Bucknell will have to protect the basketball on Thursday, as Loyola leads the Patriot League in steals with 7.2 per game, and Theodosiou is the individual steals leader with 1.8 per game. The Bison have had an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 13 of the last 14 games, and with the lone exception coming last Wednesday at Loyola (11A, 12 TO).

How to Get the Game

The Bucknell-Loyola game will be streamed on ESPN+. "Voice of the Bison" Doug Birdsong and former Bucknell assistant coach Terry Conrad will call the action from Sojka Pavilion.
Sam Kuperman and Luke Smith 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.

Bucknell Patriot League Tournament History
Bucknell has an all-time record of 46-28 (.622) in 34 Patriot League Tournaments. The Bison have reached the championship game a league-record 13 times, including wins in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018, and reached at least the semifinals in 25 of the first 34 years.

Bison PL Tourney Log
Year   Seed   Results
1991   4    def. Army 67-49; lost Fordham 82-76
1992   2    def. Army 74-55; def. Holy Cross 86-77; lost Fordham 70-65
1993   1    def. Lehigh 69-65; def. Colgate 75-73; lost Holy Cross 98-73
1994   5    lost Holy Cross 96-91
1995   2    lost Army 94-78
1996   4 def. Lafayette 56-55; lost Colgate 67-61
1997   2 def. Lehigh 84-54; def. Colgate 71-58; lost Navy 76-75
1998   3    def. Holy Cross 60-56; lost Navy 80-61
1999   3    def. Holy Cross 76-52; def. Lehigh 58-50; lost Lafayette 67-63
2000   3     lost Lehigh 73-62
2001   6 def. Colgate 75-68; lost Navy 88-64
2002   3 def. Army 70-59; lost Holy Cross 64-57
2003   5 def. Lehigh 52-47; lost Holy Cross 75-50
2004   4 def. Holy Cross 66-60; lost Lehigh 60-45
2005   2 def. Lafayette 70-34; def. American 53-35; def. Holy Cross 61-57
2006   1 def. Army 59-47; def. American 64-50; def. Holy Cross 74-59
2007   2    def. Navy 62-43; def. Army 68-47; lost Holy Cross 74-66
2008   7 def. Navy 87-86 (3OT); lost Colgate 54-40
2009   7 lost Holy Cross 75-56
2010   2 lost Holy Cross 67-64
2011   1 def. Army 78-51; def. Lehigh 66-64; def. Lafayette 72-57
2012   1 def. Navy 87-63; def. Lafayette 79-52; lost Lehigh 82-77
2013   1 def. Navy 58-42; def. Army 78-70; def. Lafayette 64-56
2014   4    lost 72-71 Army
2015   1    def. Holy Cross 90-83 (OT); lost Lafayette 80-74
2016   1 lost Holy Cross 77-72 (2OT)
2017   1     def. Army 78-62; def. Navy 70-65; def. Lehigh 81-65
2018   1 def. Loyola 83-78; def. Boston U. 90-59; def. Colgate 83-54
2019   2 def. Holy Cross 77-65; def. Lehigh 97-75; lost Colgate 94-80
2020   7 def. Holy Cross 65-62; def. American 64-59; lost Boston U. 64-61
2021   6 def. Lafayette 92-84; lost Colgate 105-75
2022   9    def. Lafayette 82-81 (OT); lost at Colgate 96-68
2023   10    lost at American 64-59
2024   5 def. American 80-57; lost at Colgate 68-65
2025   1 vs. Loyola

Last Time Out

All five Bison starters scored in double figures, led by 22 from Noah Williamson in only 19 minutes and 21 with six assists from Josh Bascoe, as the Bison won 94-81 at Holy Cross on Saturday to clinch a share of the Patriot League regular-season title. American won at Colgate earlier in the day to get to 13-5, and Bucknell had to win on the road in Worcester to match the Eagles.
Achile Spadone added 14 points, Ruot Bijiek had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Elvin Edmonds IV logged 13 points and eight assists.
Max Green (22), Joe Nugent (22), and Caleb Kenney (21) accounted for 65 of Holy Cross' 81 points. The Crusaders, the Patriot League's top 3-point shooting team, went 10-for-23 in this one and outscored the Bison 25-11 from the foul line. But the Bison manufactured good looks at the basket all day, scoring 54 points in the paint while shooting 61.7% from the floor.
Bucknell's lead was just six at 50-44 in the opening minutes of the second half, but a lightning-quick 15-0 run in a span of only three minutes changed the game. The key sequence came around the 17-minute mark, when Bascoe hit a 3-pointer in transition off a great find by Edmonds. Away from the ball, Williamson was shoved to the ground, and on the ensuing inbounds, Bijiek hit another bomb for a six-point possession. Williamson splashed a trey of his own on the next possession, and suddenly it was a 65-44 game.

Bucknell vs. Loyola Series Notes

The Bison and Greyhounds have met 31 times previously, but only once in the postseason. Bucknell leads 24-7 in the series, including an 18-5 mark since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013-14.
The only postseason meeting came in the 2018 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Bucknell held on to win that one 83-78 behind 27 points from Zach Thomas, 18 from Kimbal Mackenzie, 16 from Stephen Brown, and 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five blocked shots from Nana Foulland. That was Bucknell's closest game in that tournament, as the Bison went on to defeat Boston University and Colgate by a combined 60 points in the semis and championship game.
Bucknell is 11-4 all-time at Loyola's Reitz Arena and 13-3 at home (2-0 in Davis Gym, 11-3 at Sojka Pavilion).
The first series meeting came on Jan. 7, 1987 in Lewisburg. The Bison prevailed that day 72-70. A year later Bucknell won 80-60 on Loyola's home floor.
Bucknell and Loyola played twice within the 1992-93 season. The Bison won 75-59 in Baltimore, and in late February at Davis Gym the Bison rolled to a 116-85 victory. In the latter game, the Bison produced what was then their second-highest point total in program history, led by an incredible 9-for-10 3-point shooting performance by Hall-of-Famer Mike Bright.
Bucknell has won the last four meetings, sweeping the last two season series.
In this year's first meeting on Jan. 29 at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell won 79-67, behind 13 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists from Noah Williamson and a team-high 14 points from Achile Spadone. Five Bison scored in double figures and they turned it over only eight times in the game. Jacob Theodosiou paced Loyola with 22 points.
Last Wednesday in Baltimore, Loyola jumped out to an early 21-6 before the Bison rallied to win 70-67. Elvin Edmonds IV scored on a driving layup to break a 64-64 tie with 2:37 to go, and in the final 30 seconds Williamson came up with a steal and blocked shot to protect the lead. All five Bison starters scored in double figures, led by Williamson with 15 and Josh Bascoe with 14. Milos Ilic scored 21 and Theodosiou 17 for the Greyhounds.

Facts & Figures

Bucknell has tied the NCAA record with eight overtime games this 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   6
Tennessee-Martin 6
Drake   5
Fresno State 5
Missouri State   5
Oakland 5
Texas State 5

Bucknell's last nine wins have come by an average margin of 14.4 points, with seven of them by 10 or more.
Bucknell's 76.9 ppg in Patriot League play are its most since 2017-18, when the Bison averaged 79.9 ppg.
Josh Bascoe earned his first Patriot League Player of the Week honor on Feb. 24 after scoring a career-high 30 points against Army. He became the ninth Bison to score 30 points in a game at Sojka Pavilion, and he also added five assists and four steals. Bascoe is averaging 15.7 ppg, and he continues to lead the league in assists at 4.4 apg.
Bucknell has picked up the pace offensively over the last 14 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 14 games since then:

Scoring Average 80.9
FG% .526
3FG% .432
ASST/TO 212/158

The first Army game on Feb. 8 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.
Brandon McCreesh ranks third in the Patriot League in 3-point percentage (.432) thanks to a recent hot streak. McCreesh has hit at least one trey in 13 of the last 16 games and is 21-for-39 from the arc in that stretch.
Williamson has been on a tear from the 3-point arc, going 16-for-27 over his last 11 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.
Williamson is the first Bison to average at least 20 ppg in league play since Zach Thomas tallied exactly 20.0 ppg in 2017-18.
Also heating up from downtown is Elvin Edmonds IV, who went 4-for-5 at Army and is 17-for-28 in his last 10 games. In Patriot League play, Edmonds shot 60.7% from the field, 53.2% from the arc, and 80.0% from the foul line. That 3FG% led the league, and his FG% was third in the conference behind only a pair of centers in AJ Allenspach of Army and Jeff Woodward of Colgate.
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 50-for-74 (.676) since then.
Williamson's nine double-doubles are the most in the Patriot League and 41st-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    20.2
2. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   19.1
3. Noah Williamson, Bucknell    17.3
4. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas    16.9
5. Vladislav Goldin, Michigan    16.1

NCAA Leaders, Made 3-Pointers, Players 7'0" or Taller
1. Maxime Raynaud, Stanford 54
2. Tomislav Ivisic, Illinois   40
3. Danny Wolf, Michigan 29
Nate Bittie, Oregon 29
5. Noah Williamson, Bucknell 28

Patriot League Success

Bucknell is 340-177 (.658) all-time in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. This is the 28th time in 35 years that the Bison finished with a PL record of .500 or better.
Bucknell won three straight Patriot League regular-season titles from 2011-13, becoming the first team in league history to accomplish that feat. The Bison had won five in a row and eight of the previous nine before finishing T-6th in 2019-20.
Bucknell is making its 10th Patriot League Tournament appearances as the No. 1 seed to go along with seven as the No. 2 seed.
Bucknell won Patriot League Tournament titles in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018. The Bison have made it to the semifinals 25 times and to the championship game 13 times in the league's first 34 years.
The Bison are the only team to go unbeaten in league play in a season (14-0 in 2006).

March Hoops Returns to Sojka Pavilion as Bison Men Host Loyola in Patriot League Quarterfinal Matchup Thursday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Pip Ajayi

Josh Bascoe

Ruot Bijiek

Elvin Edmonds IV

Brandon McCreesh

Achile Spadone

Noah Williamson

March Hoops Returns to Sojka Pavilion as Bison Men Host Loyola in Patriot League Quarterfinal Matchup Thursday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Pip Ajayi

Josh Bascoe

Ruot Bijiek

Elvin Edmonds IV

Brandon McCreesh

Achile Spadone

Noah Williamson

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