18 November, 2007
by Jonathan Tannenwald
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Bucknell (2-1) |
35 |
29 |
64 |
| Villanova (2-0) |
27 |
43 |
70 |
| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With 1:53 left in the game, Villanova’s Reggie Redding beat the shot clock with a layup off the glass to give the Wildcats a 62-57 lead. After Bucknell called a timeout with 1:46 remaining, Patrick Behan missed a three-point shot from the left corner that was rebounded by Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds. Wildcats coach Jay Wright called a timeout, and the ensuing play resulted in a pass inside to Dante Cunningham, who slammed the ball home to give Villanova a 64-57 lead with 1:02 on the clock.
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| Key sign it was over |
After Daryl Shazier’s driving layup cut Villanova’s lead to 65-62 with 34 seconds to play, Pat Flannery called his last timeout. The Bison prevented the Wildcats from inbounding the ball, forcing Villanova to call a timeout. Bucknell almost did it again, but Shane Clark successfully received the inbounds pass and was fouled by Stephen Tyree. Clark made the first free throw and missed the second, but Dwayne Anderson grabbed the rebound and was fouled by John Griffin. Anderson converted both free throws to make it 68-62 Villanova.
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| Key performance |
Clark recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, including five offensive boards. He also dished out three assists and grabbed two steals.
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| Key statistic |
Villanova overwhelmed Bucknell on the glass its own end, pulling down 20 offensive rebounds to the Bison’s 17 defensive rebounds. All those offensive rebounds translated into 25 second-chance points and 28 points in the paint for Villanova, compared to eight and 10 respectively for Bucknell.
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| Notes |
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Bucknell’s halftime lead was built almost entirely on perimeter shooting. The Bison made nine of 17 three-point attempts in the first half, but only three of 12 two-point attempts.
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John Griffin, a former teammate of Villanova’s Reggie Redding at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, was the Bison’s leading scorer with 22 points. He shot 6-for-10 from three-point range and 4-for-5 from the free throw line, but missed his only two-point attempt. Griffin also recorded four assists and three rebounds.
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While both teams were tied at the half with 18 rebounds, Villanova made a particular effort to pound the boards in the second half and it paid off. The Wildcats out-rebounded Bucknell 25-8 in the second half, including a 12-6 advantage at their own end of the floor and a 13-2 edge under the Bison basket.
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Villanova averaged 1.12 points per possession in the game to Bucknell’s 1.00. The breakdown by halves was rather dramatic: 1.06 to 0.82 for Bucknell in the first half, and 1.46 to 0.93 for Villanova in the second half.
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A sizeable and loud contingent of Bucknell fans were present in the usual sellout Pavilion crowd of 6,500.
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