29 November, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Bucknell (2-4) |
22 |
38 |
60 |
| St. Francis (2-3) |
32 |
24 |
56 |
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After trailing by as much as 15, Bucknell rallied to defeat St. Francis in the final minute, 60-56. The Bison never led until 39 seconds remained, but never trailed after that.
The Red Flash opened up an 11-0 lead a few minutes into the game, hitting their first 5 shots. Bucknell scored 7 straight to stay close, but St. Francis opened their lead to 23-8 midway through the first half. Bucknell hung tough, though, scoring 9 straight between the two halves to close within 3 with 16:25 left.
A Donald Brown three-point play tied it 34-34 with 15:02 left, but St. Francis reclaimed the lead, and actually led by 8 with 2:55 to go. With 1:39 to go, the Red Flash took a 56-52 lead, but St. Francis never again scored, turning the ball over twice and missing a three-pointer in the final minute.
Brown had a game-high 14 points for Bucknell, and Jason Vegotsky pitched in 11 points off the bench. Bassirou Dieng scored 14 and grabbed 8 rebounds for St. Francis, and Devin Sweetney and Chris Berry added 11 and 10 respectively.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
St. Francis had the ball and a 54-49 lead with 2:16 left, but Berry turned the ball over. John Griffin hit a three-pointer, and after St. Francis hit 2 free throws, Vegotsky added a trey. The Red Flash ran the clock down to 55 seconds, but Cale Nelson turned the ball over and Chris McNaughton scored a lay-up to give Bucknell a 57-56 lead.
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| Key sign it was over |
St. Francis had the ball down 1, but with 26 seconds Griffin stole the ball from Sweetney. Abe Badmus was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws. The Red Flash again had the ball and a chance to tie or win, but Sweetney missed a three-pointer for the win with 4 seconds left. Badmus hit 2 more free throws to ice it.
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| Key performance |
Donald Brown played a complete game for the Bison. Brown put up a line of 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
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| Key statistic |
In the first half, St. Francis shot 52.4 percent from the field and Bucknell shot 29.2 percent. In the second period, the roles were reversed, as the Red Flash shot 22.7 percent and Bucknell 52.0 percent.
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| Notes |
| – |
Bucknell struggled to a 16-of-27 performance from the line. In contrast, St. Francis hit 20 of 23 free throws.
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| – |
The Bison recorded 10 steals, with Brown, Badmus, Griffin and Darren Mastropaolo each grabbing 2.
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| – |
Both teams were 4-of-11 from the arc. Vegotsky and Dieng were the only players with multiple three-pointers. Griffin was 1-of-3 for three.
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| – |
Bucknell’s bench outscored St. Francis’s 16-4.
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The Bison are heading to a big weekend, hosting Northern Iowa Saturday before traveling to Washington D.C. Sunday to play George Mason in the BB&T Classic.
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