25 November, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Bucknell (1-4) |
31 |
41 |
72 |
| Yale (1-3) |
29 |
28 |
57 |
| John J. Lee Amphitheater – New Haven, CT |
Boxscore |
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After three long weeks, the Bucknell Bison can finally put one on the board. Donald Brown scored 16 to lead the Bison to 72-57 win at Yale.
The game was back-and-forth in the early going, with 6 lead changes and 3 ties in the first half. Yale opened a 5-point lead at 13:16 on a Caleb Holmes lay-up, but could not widen their lead any further. Bucknell used an 8-0 run late in the half to take command, and though the Bulldogs would cut it to 31-29 at the half, Bucknell never lose their lead.
A 10-0 Bison run early in the second half put Bucknell up 13, and Yale would only briefly come within single digits the rest of the game. Bucknell hit 15 of 16 free throw attempts in the second half to keep their distance from Yale.
Four players scored in double figures for the Bison, who came into the game without a player averaging 10 or more points. John Griffin scored 14 and Chris McNaughton added 13. Rarely-used backup point guard Justin Castleberry played big minutes for the Bison, scoring 11 points in 18 minutes. Eric Flato led the Bulldogs with 15 points, but shot just 3-of-11 from beyond the arc. Casey Hughes chipped in 13 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals for Yale.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With 17:14 left, Yale cut their deficit to 37-34. McNaughton hit a lay-up, and after Yale missed a pair of shots, Castleberry converted a pair of free throws. Yale missed their next 4 shots, while Bucknell tacked on 6 more unanswered points on a lay-up and 4-of-5 free throw shooting. By the end of the run, Bucknell led by 13, and would never look back.
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| Key sign it was over |
With 2:10 left, Flato hit a trey to pull Yale within 9. The Bulldogs elected not to foul. Bucknell ran the clock down to 1:35 before Griffin nailed a three, was fouled, and hit the free throw to put the game away.
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| Key performance |
McNaughton had his first dominant game of the year, putting up 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
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| Key statistic |
Bucknell was 21-of-24 from the line, and 15-of-16 in the second half. Yale got to the stripe just 8 times, and hit 3 of those attempts.
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| Notes |
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Both teams had more assists than turnovers. The Bison recorded 18 assists and 17 turnovers, and the Bulldogs posted 17 assists and 13 turnovers.
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Bucknell outrebounded Yale 31-24. McNaughton’s 7 boards were a game-high; Hughes and Sam Kaplan led the Bulldogs with 5 apiece.
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Bucknell shot 56.1 percent from the floor, led by McNaughton’s 6-for-8 and Brown’s 7-for-8 shooting.
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Yale point guard Caleb Holmes scored 9 points and added 4 assists (with no turnovers) before fouling out with 1:07 left in the game.
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Bucknell was the first of three Patriot League teams that will visit Yale this season. Holy Cross stops by Wednesday night, and American comes to town Dec. 9.
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