16 February, 2007
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Lafayette (8-18, 2-9 Patriot) |
21 |
37 |
58 |
| Bucknell (17-8,11-1 Patriot) |
41 |
35 |
76 |
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Bucknell dominated Lafayette 76-58, marking their 33rd straight home league victory. Chris McNaughton had 21 for the Bison.
Bucknell sprinted to an 11-3 lead and never looked back, pushing their lead to double figures less than 10 minutes into the game. McNaughton, who towers over Lafayette’s nominal center Everest Schmidt by 3 inches, went 7-of-10 from the floor. John Griffin added 16 points, including 4 threes, and Abe Badmus had 13 points. Darren Mastropaolo had 8 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Lafayette’s only player in double figures was Matt Betley, who scored 11.
The game was fairly sloppy, with 23 turnovers for the Leopards and 20 for the Bison. The rebounding battle was surprisingly even, with Bucknell winning 28-22.
Bucknell’s win officially clinches that they can finish no worse than second in the conference. Lafayette, at 2-9, is last in league play, and officially eliminated from the running for fourth place in the league.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
After Bucknell’s hot start, Lafayette closed within 13-8 with 13:14 to go in the first half. The Bison then reeled off a 9-0 run, including 5 points from Justin Castleberry, to take a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.
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| Key sign it was over |
In back-to-back possessions with 12 minutes left in the game, Chris McNaughton hit a pair of free throws, pushing the Bison lead to 23 points. Lafayette was unable to chip away at the lead in the first part of the second half, leaving it pointless to even attempt a late rally.
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| Key performance |
McNaughton had 21 points and 6 rebounds, dominating the much smaller Leopard frontline.
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| Key statistic |
In the first half, Lafayette shot 6-of-24 from the floor, while Bucknell went 15-of-28.
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| Notes |
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Freshman forward Andre Hines played a strong game for the Leopards, with 7 points, 6 rebounds, a block and a steal in 21 minutes.
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Pat Behan fouled out in 18 minutes for Bucknell, going scoreless with 4 rebounds.
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Lafayette’s bench outscored Bucknell’s 23-9.
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Bucknell hosts Towson as part of the ESPNU BracketBuster Saturday afternoon. Lafayette hosts rival Lehigh on Sunday.
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