4 December, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Bucknell (3-5) |
33 |
27 |
60 |
| George Mason (3-3) |
20 |
37 |
57 |
| Verizon Center – Washington, DC |
Boxscore |
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That loud wind you heard yesterday afternoon from the direction of Central PA was a collective sigh of relief. After falling just short over and over, Bucknell finally eked out a close win over a big-name competitor, defeating George Mason 60-57. The Bison led for most of the game but the Patriots came close in the final minutes before falling.
Bucknell was led by Donald Brown, who started at power forward for the first time this year, as Bison coach Pat Flannery benched Darren Mastropaolo and started Jason Vegotsky as a third guard. Brown scored 16 points on 6-for-6 field goal shooting and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds. John Griffin chipped in 11 points and Vegotsky had 7. Folarin Campbell of Mason led all scorers with 20, but Will Thomas scored just 8 on 4-of-12 shooting and John Vaughan had 6 on 3-of-11 shooting as the Patriot offense struggled all game.
Mason held a few early leads but Bucknell used a 9-0 run to take command. The Bison opened up a 16-point lead late in the first half, but a Mason 10-2 run that spanned the two halves brought it back to single digits. With 10:35 remaining in the game, after the Patriots had cut their deficit to 6, Griffin hit a three-pointer that seemed to be a rally-killer, but Dre Smith responded with a three of his own, which was a hint that this game was going to come down to the wire. The Bison reopened their lead to 10 on an Abe Badmus three-ball with 4:17 left, but Mason responded quickly with a pair of baskets, leading up to the final minutes, where Bucknell’s foul shooting held the Patriots at bay.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Not even 5 minutes into the game, Mason held an 8-6 lead and the ball. Vaughan missed a three-pointer which was rebounded by Brown, and the Bison would make baskets their next four trips down court, on a Brown tip-in, Justin Castleberry lay-up, Brown fast break lay-up, and Castleberry trey. Meanwhile, the Patriots were scoreless for five full minutes. The draught left them down 15-8 and gave the Bison control of the game.
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| Key sign it was over |
With 1:34 left, Mason cut their deficit to 6 on a Smith three-pointer, and then Smith stripped Brown of the ball. Thomas missed a jumper, and Bucknell rebounded. The Patriots again stole the ball but Campbell missed a transition basket. After two blown opportunities, Mason was down 6 with 44 seconds and needed to begin fouling. The Bison hit 6 of 8 foul shots from that point on, keeping the game out of reach.
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| Key performance |
Brown played a spectacular game and filled up the entire box score. He posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and stayed on the court for 37 minutes.
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| Key statistic |
Thomas, Campbell and Vaughan shot a combined 14-of-40 from the floor, the rest of the Patriots 9-of-15. It’s tough to win when your first three options all struggle.
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| Notes |
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The Bison were 8-for-16 from the arc. Mason was 7-for-21, including an 0-for-7 from Vaughan.
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The Patriots took just 4 free throws all game, all in the second half.
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Bucknell won the battle of the boards 29-24, but the Bison mustered only 4 rebounds on their offensive glass.
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The Bison had 18 turnovers, with Mason being credited for 8 steals. Campbell led the way with 3 of those steals.
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Bucknelll is now off for exams for the next two weeks. The next Bison game is a trip to Cornell Dec. 16.
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