Gamecenter: Bucknell 69, American 66
6 February, 2007| 1st | 2nd | Final |
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| Bucknell (15-8, 9-1 Patriot) | 36 | 33 | 69 |
| American (11-13, 3-7 Patriot) | 37 | 29 | 66 |
| Bender Arena – Washington, DC | Boxscore |
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| Postgame audio Bucknell: Pat Flannery | John Griffin American: Andre Ingram |
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American dropped yet another close home game against a top Patriot League team, falling to Bucknell 69-66. Andre Ingram scored 23 for the Eagles, but it was not enough to overcome Bucknell’s balanced scoring attack.
American began the game with 5 straight points. Bucknell responded with 9 straight points of their own, featuring three-pointers by Jason Vegotsky and John Griffin. Overall the Bison hit 6 threes in the first half, with Griffin, Vegotsky and Justin Castleberry getting 2 apiece. American responded with Andre Ingram, who had 16 first-half points. Bucknell took a 22-18 lead midway through the first half on a Vegotsky three. American responded with 8 straight points, capped by a four-point play from Ingram. During that span, Bucknell missed just one shot but committed three turnovers and an offensive foul. The second half was more back-and-forth jostling; in all, the game featured 19 lead changes and 11 ties. The story of the game was shooting. Bucknell went 60.5 percent from the floor, including 8-of-11 for three. The Eagles shot 54.5 percent, and 6-of-12 from the arc. Unlike recent games, American kept turnovers to a minimum, giving away the ball only 12 times in the game. The Bison had 16 turnovers. With this loss, American has now lost home games to Holy Cross, Lehigh and Bucknell by a combined 8 points. They drop into a tie for sixth in the league, and will travel to fifth-place Colgate Sunday for a game on ESPNU. Bucknell keeps pace with Holy Cross, and will host the Crusaders Friday night, also on ESPNU. |
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| Keys to the Game | |
| Key sequence | The teams traded the lead several times in the final 1:36, beginning with Arvydas Eitutavicius hitting 3 free throws to give American a 64-63 lead. Darren Mastropaolo was fouled and hit 2 free throws. On the other end, Derrick Mercer was fouled and did the same. With 31 seconds left, Paulius Joneliunas fouled Griffin, who hit a pair of free throws to give Bucknell a 67-66 lead. |
| Key sign it was over |
American held the ball until 6 seconds left, when Derrick Mercer drove for a lay-up that missed. Bucknell rebounded the ball, and Griffin was fouled. He hit both free throws to give the Bison a 3-point lead, and Ingram missed a contested three at the buzzer that would have sent it to overtime. |
| Key performance | Griffin led the Bison with 15 points, including 3 threes. Griffin scored the final 4 points of the game from the line, giving Bucknell its margin of victory. |
| Key statistic | Bucknell shot the three with amazing efficiency: 8-for-11 from the arc. |
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| Notes | |
| – | Ingram started his 111th game, breaking American’s record for most career starts. He also upped his career total to 1552 points, jumping over Wilbur Thomas for sixth all-time at American. Ingram is 80 points behind Frank Weiss for fifth place. |
| – | Bucknell outrebounded American 23-18. Both teams had strong offensive rebounding performances, with 10 for the Bison and 11 for the Eagles. |
| – | Linas Lekavicius had one of his best games of the year. He totaled 6 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists (a season-high), and 3 steals (also a season-high). |
| – | Four Bucknell players scored double figures, led by Griffin’s 15. McNaughton scored 14, and Badmus and Castleberry got 10 apiece. |
