3 December, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Northern Iowa (6-1) |
28 |
29 |
57 |
| Bucknell (2-5) |
24 |
24 |
48 |
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In a routine that’s becoming all too comfortable for Bucknell, the Bison hung tough against big-name competition, staying with Northern Iowa all night before falling 57-48. Bucknell was within 4 in the final minute before the Panthers hit 5 of 6 free throws to clinch victory.
The first half was a see-saw battle with 6 lead changes and 4 ties. Bucknell had a 5-point lead early but Northern Iowa closed strong with a 7-2 run to take a slim lead into halftime. Coming out of the break, the Panthers again grabbed momentum to build a 36-29 lead, but Bucknell went on an 11-3 run that culminated in Chris McNaughton hitting a lay-up to give the Bison a 1-point lead. It was short-lived, though, as Brooks McKowen responded with a three-pointer, and Bucknell never again led. McNaughton hit a shot with 3:23 left that pulled the Bison within 49-46, but Bucknell scored just 2 more points the rest of the way and didn’t hit another field goal.
Abe Badmus led Bucknell with 11 points, and McNaughton added 10 points and 9 boards. McKowen had a game-high 17 points, including 3 treys. Eric Colemand added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers and Grant Stout contributed 13 points.
Less than 24 hours after this game ended, Bucknell must make the hours-long trip to Washington D.C. to battle George Mason in the BB&T Classic. Even though the game is at a theoretically-neutral court, the Verizon Center is just miles from Mason’s campus and will essentially be a home game for the Patriots.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With 7:26 to go, Bucknell tied the game 42-all. Northern Iowa missed two three-point attempts but grabbed offensive rebounds before McKowen finally hit a trey. Badmus had a shot blocked, and back the other way, Badmus was called for a loose-ball foul and the Bucknell bench was whistled for a technical foul. McKowen hit both technical free throws, and Jared Josten hit both ends of a one-and-one, to give the Panthers a 4-point possession and a 49-42 lead.
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| Key sign it was over |
With 49 seconds left, Stout hit one free throw but missed the next, giving Bucknell the ball with a 5-point deficit. McNaughton somehow ended up taking a three-point shot for the Bison, which predictably missed. The Panthers rebounded, McKowens was fouled and he hit both free throws to ice the game with 33 ticks left.
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| Key performance |
McKowens scored 17 points, including 4 treys, and added 6 assists. He was in the middle of every big offensive run for the Panthers.
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| Key statistic |
Bucknell shot 4-for-17 from the arc. Starting backcourt Badmus and John Griffin were a combined 1-for-8 for three.
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| Notes |
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Bucknell was 6-for-10 from the line all night. Northern Iowa committed just 13 personal fouls all game.
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Both teams had more assists than turnovers. The Bison had 11 assists to 10 turnovers, the Panthers 12 to 8.
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With McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo in foul trouble for a lot of the game, Josh Linthicum saw 10 minutes of action. He finished with 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 block.
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Bucknell’s bench outscored Northern Iowa’s 13-3.
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The game was a return match from last year’s ESPN BracketBusters battle in Northern Iowa. The Panthers won that game 65-61 in double overtime.
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