Author: Cooper Sutton

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Sports

Arent ’12 shines in IC4A Championships

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

Robert Arent ’12 reached the finals of the 400-meter run and received All-East honors as the men’s track team concluded its indoor season at the IC4A Championships at Boston University last weekend. The distance medley team joined Arent in receiving All-East distinction. Chris Sacks ’14 set a new personal record and ran the second-fastest time in program history in the 800.

Arent ran a time of 47.83 seconds in the preliminary round of the 400 to break his own personal record and advance to the finals. Arent’s time breaks his personal record that already ranked second in Bison history. The junior’s performance earned him the first All-East selection of his career.

“I am pleased with my performance at the IC4A Championship meet,” Arent said. “I was happy with just improving upon my personal best in the 400 but glad I also was able to claim All-East honors, which was a great bonus to come out of the weekend.”

The distance medley relay team ran a time of 10:01.42 and finished seventh in the finals. The time gave Dustin Horning ’13, Dennis Logan ’14, Clayton Smith ’11 and Christopher Boyd ’11 All-East accolades.

Sacks followed his Rookie of the Meet performance at the Patriot League Championships with a strong time in the 800-meter run Saturday. Sacks ran the 800 in 1:50.41, setting a new personal record and giving him the fastest 800 time since 1977.

Sacks concluded a successful season for the Bison and one of the most successful indoor seasons by a first-year in program history. Sacks’ multiple victories in the Patriot League Championships make him one of the most decorated first-years as well.

“I honestly didn’t have many personal goals going into indoor other than get a feel for the competition,” Sacks said. “As the season went on, and our team was performing well, I wanted to make a statement at the league meet. The main point was to show that you can step up and contribute to the team regardless what class year you are. Overall, I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to a rematch against Army and Navy in the spring.”

The Bison will kick off the spring season March 26 at the Susquehanna and Towson invitationals.

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Sports

Baseball defeats VMI, Villanova

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team went 2-2 this past week during a three-game stint at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and a single-game showdown at Villanova. The team took one of three against the Keydets and managed to pull out a thrilling come-from-behind win against the Wildcats late Tuesday afternoon.

The four games featured a multitude of impressive individual performances, but none was more important than that put forward by first baseman Doug Shribman ’11, who was crowed Patriot League Player of the Week. Shribman was a key component of the Orange and Blue’s success, batting an impressive .364 over the four games and hitting three home runs to take sole possession of the program’s all-time record.

“Doug was a monster at the plate not only because of his home runs, but also because almost all of our runs came from something he did in the inning,” Ryan Ebner ’12 said.

During their first contest, the Bison’s comeback attempt fell just short as the team lost 6-5, stranding two runners on base in the ninth. Last week’s hero, Colby Vanderbeck ’14, contributed three of the team’s eight hits and Alex Cillo ’12 allowed zero runs in his three innings of relief. The one run loss represented the Bison’s fourth straight game decided by two runs or less.

The Bison continued this streak during their first game on Saturday and were able to come away with a 4-2 victory thanks in large part to impressive individual performances by Ebner and Shribman. Shribman contributed three of the team’s four runs scored including a pair of solo home runs. His first home run and 31st of his career allowed him to surpass former teammate Andrew Brouse ’09 for possession of the program’s all-time home run record. Ebner pitched an almost flawless game going seven innings and allowing just one run off of three hits.

“The second game was our best game. We had no errors and we fielded the ball very well,” Ebner said. “I was able to throw all three of my pitches for strikes and that really had them guessing.”

The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader was a completely different story as the Bison blew a three-run lead in the sixth inning, falling 7-3. Jack Boehm ’12 pitched a solid game, allowing only two earned runs through 5.1 innings, but three costly errors chased him and allowed the Keydets to plate all seven of their runs in the sixth.

“Although we lost two of three games, the weekend was a step in the right direction. VMI is always a good team and we had a chance to win all three games,” Ebner said.

The Bison finished their weekly contests with a dramatic eighth inning comeback against Villanova on Tuesday. Trailing 2-0 for the whole game, David Duffett ’12 hit a clutch two-run single in the eighth to tie the game, and a Wildcat wild pitch allowed the Orange and Blue to come away with the 3-2 victory.

With Tuesday’s victory, the Bison have now won four out of their last six games. The team will soon leave for its Florida spring training trip where it will play seven games in seven days, starting with next Sunday’s showdown against Air Force.

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Sports

Lady Bison lose in PL semifinals

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

It was a tape-to-tape victory for the women’s basketball team as the Bison defeated Army 54-40 in a dominating Patriot League quarterfinal performance. Unfortunately, the Bison could not hold off a Navy team on a winning streak in their semifinal match-up, falling 55-41 to end their season.

The Bison started off hot in the Army game, opening up the game with a 6-0 lead. With a punishing defense, the Bison did not allow Army a field goal until five minutes into the first half.

However, heading into the half the Bison committed a handful of turnovers that the Black Knights capitalized on as their shots began to find twine. At the half the Orange and Blue clawed to a slight advantage, 22-15.

Coming out of halftime, senior leadership helped the Bison pull away. Joyce Novacek ’11 hit four quick points, and the Bison did not look back from there. The lead for the Bison continued to increase until its peak at 41-24.

Army began to play with a sense of urgency and was able to bring down the lead for the Orange and Blue into single digits. Cosima Higham ’11 was clutch down the stretch for the Bison as she hit four free throws in the final five minutes to keep a commanding ten-point lead for the Bison.

This helped Higham register her second double-double in a row with 10 points and 11 rebounds. First-year phenom Shelby Romine ’14 led all scorers for the Bison as she drained 19 points in the Orange and Blue victory.

Against Navy, the Bison showed the heart and desire that they had been building up to all year with strong play throughout. The Orange and Blue battled throughout the first half, keeping Navy’s prolific scoring in check. With less than four minutes to play in the first half, Navy built a 21-9 lead.

The Bison trailed 23-13 at halftime but came out of the locker room firing and narrowed the Navy lead to seven.

Navy would not be denied and opened its lead to 14 with just over five minutes to play. Navy continued this strong showing and maintained its lead until the end of the game as the Bison were unable to penetrate the stalwart Navy defense.

It was a hard fought season for the Bison team that played well against an impressive Navy team. The Bison finish the season 11-17 overall and 8-8 in the Patriot League.

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Featured Sports

Men’s Basketball Championship Preview

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

“One more.”

That was the men’s basketball team’s mantra walking off the court after its grueling, down-to-the-wire victory over Lehigh in the Patriot League semifinal game last Sunday.

Sure, the Bison had used every effort to beat a worthy opponent, an achievement in a season marked by many double-digit victories. But the job they had set out to accomplish on day one, the goal that had been driving them all season, was yet to come. That job was winning the conference tournament and playing in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think a lot of our success has come from our confidence throughout the season,” point guard Darryl Shazier ’11 said. “We have worked very hard since the end of last season to get where we are today, and I think that the confidence in knowing how hard we have worked will get us far and carry us on Friday.”

To finish off the season the way they want, the top-seeded Bison must get through a pesky Lafayette Leopards squad, who came into the tournament ranked sixth in the Patriot League but won some tough games to get to the final. The Leopards upset two top-ranked teams in the opening two rounds of the tournament, the third-seeded Holy Cross in the first round and then second-ranked American in double-overtime in the semis.

History, though, is not on the Leopards’ side. Despite being the first team seeded lower than third to make the Patriot League final, Lafayette also faces the fact that number-one seeds are 49-5 overall in the conference finals.

That said, the Orange and Blue know that history will not be the deciding factor for either side and that it’s about the execution of the ten players on the floor and the schemes that the two head coaches draw up.

“Lafayette has a big low-post presence in Jared Mintz, who is surrounded by great shooters and penetrating guards on the perimeter,” said Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala ’13. “If we take care of the basketball, make hustle plays, and are focused on defense, the offense will take care of itself, and we will be in pretty good shape.”

Defensively for the Bison, the Leopards boast a strong inside game, led by Mintz. But, in both head-to-head match-ups this year, Muscala and Joe Willman ’13 each limited Mintz to less than his scoring average.

In their first meeting of the season, back in mid-January in Sojka Pavilion, the Bison used a 14-2 second-half run to take a four-point halftime advantage and win by a 19-point margin. Muscala, G.W. Boon ’11, and Bryson Johnson ’13 each had 13 points to lead the Bison.

The second time around, on the road, the Orange and Blue played a back-and-forth game with Lafayette all night long. With just four minutes remaining, the Bison opened up an 11-point advantage. But a shocking 11-0 run by the Leopards tied the game and sent it to overtime.

In the extra session, Enoch Andoh ’12 had one of the most clutch stretches of his entire Bison career, scoring two important baskets to take the victory over Lafayette. Johnson also had a career night, recording 30 points and a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line.

“It helps that we know we can win, but it is always tough to beat a team three times in one season,” Johnson said. “Our last game against Lafayette went into overtime, so we know we have to focus and play well to beat a team like them.”

The 4,000 rowdy Sojka Psychos should expect to see a focused, determined and physical Bison squad on Friday afternoon. This team has been tested all year, with close losses to Villanova, Marquette and Boston College, but also tough wins over most of the Patriot League. If the Bison play up to their potential, a Patriot League championship could be coming to Lewisburg.

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Headline Sports

Bison defeat Lehigh to advance to championship

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

When G.W. Boon ’11 caught an inbounds pass near mid-court to let the final 0.3 seconds run off the clock in the men’s basketball team’s 66-64 victory over Lehigh Sunday night, Sojka Pavilion exploded with cheers from over 4,000 Sojka Psychos in attendance. The Pavilion had not heard that kind of cheer in a Patriot League Semifinal game in a few years.

With the tough victory over the Mountainhawks, the Orange and Blue earned a berth in the conference final, their first since the 2007 season. The Bison had to earn every bit of the win, though, as Lehigh pressured the Orange and Blue and kept fighting until the final seconds.

“We focus on having a winning mentality,” said point guard and team leader Darryl Shazier ’11. “Even with the game as close as it was, I believe that none of the players on our team had a doubt that we would pull out the win. Composure and toughness plays are what win games that come down to the wire.”

Early on, the Bison looked confident, building a double-digit lead in the first seven minutes. During that stretch, Shazier led the charge offensively, recording eight of the Bison’s first 12 points and two assists. Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala ’13 and Joe Willman ’13 each finished the half with eight points, giving the Bison a 36-30 advantage heading into the locker room.

Behind the Bison was a packed, orange-clad, and raucous crowd of Sojka Psychos, who cheered loudly and helped energize the Orange and Blue on both ends.

“Home court advantage is a tremendous component to have on your side,” Shazier said. “I don’t think anyone tops the Sojka Psychos and the energy they bring to the game. The other team not only has to play Bucknell’s basketball team, but also the other 4,000 fans, and I believe that poses problems for other teams coming into Sojka.”

On the defensive end, the Orange and Blue had to find an answer for Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, who led the Patriot League in points this season. His three-pointer with two seconds left cut the Bison lead from nine to six at the end of the half.

“Our game plan for stopping C.J. is put our best defender on him, which is Bryan [Cohen ’12], and then have everyone else be ready to help if needed,” Bryson Johnson ’13 said. “Bryan is the best defender in our league, and he does a great job on any scorer, even one as good as C.J.”

The effort by Cohen, two-time Defensive Player of the Year in conference, was enough to limit McCollum to under his season point average.

Despite the deficit at the break, Lehigh stepped up the defensive pressure, forcing the Bison offense into costly turnovers in the second half. After two consecutive threes from Lehigh’s Michael Ojo, the Mountain Hawks fought back to tie the score midway through the second half.

“They play a lot of different defenses and really turned up the pressure in the second half,” Muscala said. “We were missing a lot of shots that we usually make, but what kept us in the game during the second half was our defense. They hit a couple threes to make it a close game, but we didn’t panic and stuck with our defensive principles knowing that our offense would turn it around.”

With the score tied at 50, the Bison went on a 7-0 run to seize the momentum in their favor, capped off by a three-pointer by Johnson.

But the Mountain Hawks would not go away and pushed the Orange and Blue as far as they could go. Clinging to a four point advantage with a half-minute remaining, the Bison nearly cost themselves the game. Shazier missed two key free throws, and Lehigh responded with a basket to cut the lead to two.

On the ensuing inbounds pass, Cameron Ayers ’14 turned the ball over on an errant pass. However, Lehigh could not convert on their next possession and two Muscala free throws gave the Bison a hard-earned two-point win.

“While we’ve done a good job recently of hanging on in close games, we’ve also been on the losing end of games like Marquette and Boston College when we were close the whole game and couldn’t pull it out in the end,” Muscala said.  “I think those games, as well as the ones like Holy Cross and Lafayette that we were able to win have taught us how important each possession is and at the same time the importance of staying composed in pressure situations despite mistakes that may have been made. Good teams will do whatever it takes to win.”

With the victory, the Orange and Blue advance to the Patriot League Championship game against Lafayette Friday afternoon in Sojka Pavilion. On the line will be a conference championship and a coveted berth in the NCAA Tournament, which starts next week. But, for the Bison, this game means more than just winning a title for the school.

“The support has been awesome the whole season, and it means a lot to the whole team,” Muscala said. “I really hope we can get it done on Friday and make all the fans proud.”

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Featured Sports

Women’s basketball takes fourth seed

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s basketball team rallied in the second half to beat Army 44-40 on the road on Saturday. The win gave the Bison the No. 4 seed for the Patriot League Tournament, earning the Orange and Blue a home game for the tournament’s first round.

In one of the most important games for the Bison all season, it seemed early in the second half that all would be for naught. Down 11 with 14:15 to play in the game, though, the Orange and Blue leapt into action. Over the next six minutes the Bison held the Black Knights scoreless while narrowing their lead to just one.

The Bison continued their scoring assault until they found themselves with a 38-31 lead. Army crawled back later in the game, but the Bison made sure to keep the score securely in their favor.

“I think the fact that we were still in a pretty close game and had come back from deficits larger than this one really helped us to dig our way out of a hole,” Rachel Voss ’13 said.

Shelby Romine ’14 helped anchor the Bison offense as she drained 15 points, leading all scorers. Cosima Higham ’11 was also dynamic, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds for an impressive double-double.

The Bison will next be in action in the Patriot League Tournament and will play their first game on March 5 at home.

“To bring home the Patriot League Tournament Championship, we are going to have to continue to stay focused, keep getting better each day, and take it game by game,” Voss said.

 

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Sports

Semifinal matchup pairs offensive powers

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Boasting arguably the two most talented and productive players in the Patriot League in 2011, the match-up between the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Bison men’s basketball team Sunday night for a spot in the league championship game has all the makings for an exciting contest. These two rivals will meet for the third time this season but certainly with more on the line than either of the regular season games.

After beating Army Wednesday night by a 27-point margin to extend their current win streak to eight, the Orange and Blue look as confident as ever heading into the match-up. Led by a balanced front- and back-court as well as a great mix of youth and experience, the Bison have muscled their way through the Patriot League to a 13-1 conference record.

In their first meeting this year back in late January, the Bison and Mountain Hawks squared off at Lehigh in a game the Orange and Blue left victorious, 81-68. Five Bison recorded double-digit points, including leading scorer Bryson Johnson ’13.

The two teams met again just one week ago, with the Orange and Blue once again edging Lehigh, this time by a score of 72-55. Bryan Cohen ’12 was all over the stat sheet with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks, giving the Bison a regular season sweep of the Mountain Hawks.

In both games and throughout the entire season, recently-named Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala ’13 has made his presence felt in the paint on both ends of the court. Averaging over 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots per game, Muscala poses a difficult match-up for Lehigh forward Gabe Knutson.

All year, the only defense that has slowed Muscala has been the double- and triple-team. However, Muscala has still managed to work through the extra defenders to make shots. Unless Lehigh can effectively double-team Muscala when he receives the ball in the post, Muscala’s athleticism and ability to pass to open shooters when covered will be the difference in a tight contest.

On the other side of the ball will be Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, who won Player of the Year last season and came in second in this year’s voting. McCollum has averaged over 20 points per game, the highest in the Patriot League, but is more of a one-man show for the Mountain Hawks. In both games against the Bison this year, McCollum has tallied over 20 points but has not gotten much production out of the rest of his team.

With a defensive stopper like Cohen, who defended his 2010 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year award with another one for 2011, McCollum should find each of his shots Wednesday night contested and difficult. The all-around stellar defensive play by a Bison team who allows the second-fewest points per game in the conference should put pressure on other Lehigh players to step up, something they have not done all season.

As always in the Patriot League and especially in the conference tournament, the match-up Sunday night should be a tough and scrappy battle for the berth in the tournament final. The Bison must come ready to play–otherwise, as the saying goes, any given team can win on any given night.

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Featured Sports

Men’s basketball advances to semifinals of Patriot League Tournament

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Streaking into the Patriot League Tournament as the conference’s best and hottest team, the top-ranked Bison men’s basketball team dominated the eighth-seeded Army Black Knights, 78-51, in front of a loud and raucous Sojka Pavilion crowd on Wednesday night. The victory was the first postseason win for the men’s basketball program since its dramatic triple-overtime win over Navy in the first round of the conference tournament in 2008.

Youth was on display for the Bison against the Black Knights, as the three leading scorers for the Orange and Blue were two sophomores and one first-year. Cameron Ayers ’14 recorded 19 points off the bench and Bryson Johnson ’13 added 17, including hitting four from beyond the three-pointer arc.

But it was Mike Muscala ’13 who set the tone on both ends of the floor, registering 11 points but also grabbing seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.

Early on, the game seemed like it would be a defensive struggle. Turnovers and missed shots marred the first few possessions for both sides in the opening four minutes of the contest.

Despite the early struggles, the Bison settled down offensively and exploded with a 32-8 run in the final 16 minutes of the first half, taking a 22-point advantage into locker room. The half was capped by a fadeaway three-pointer from the corner by Johnson, killing whatever momentum Army had been clinging to.

The second half was a similar story for the Orange and Blue. An early Army run cut the lead to 11 with 14 minutes left, but a strategic time-out by head coach Dave Paulsen refocused the Orange and Blue. After the stop in play, the Bison outscored the Black Knights 22-5 over the next seven minutes. There was nothing Army could do to keep the Orange and Blue from yet another stellar conference victory.

Before the game, several Bison were honored for their outstanding 2010-11 campaigns. Muscala was announced as the Patriot League Player of the Year to the Sojka crowd, beating out last year’s winner, C.J. McCollum of Lehigh. Muscala averaged 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in the regular season and was always the go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor for the Orange and Blue. Among his highlight reel in 2011 were two game-winning buzzer beaters, one at Richmond and one at home versus Holy Cross.

Reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Cohen ’12 made it a two-peat by winning the award again, and Paulsen was rewarded for leading the Bison to a near-perfect conference record with the league’s Coach of the Year.

The victory over Army ensured a spot in the Patriot League semifinals for the Bison. After Lehigh beat Navy Wednesday night in the quarterfinals, the Mountain Hawks will travel to Lewisburg and take on the Bison Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. With a berth in the conference finals on the line, Sojka Pavilion is sure to be loud and a tough atmosphere for any away team.

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Sports

Women’s water polo seventh in ECAC

By Scott Padula

Contributing Writer

The women’s water polo team has a record of 5-5 after losing two and winning one in the ECAC Championships in Lewisburg last weekend. The Bison lost their first two games to Iona and Brown but were able to end the weekend on a high note, defeating a seasoned Marist team 10-7.

In the first game, the fell to a well-prepared Iona team, 16-9. The Gaels dictated the tempo from the onset, scoring six of the game’s first seven goals and jumping out to a 7-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. Iona continued to rattle off goals, scoring four more in the second to take an 11-3 lead in the first half.

The Orange and Blue mounted a small comeback in the third behind the play of Haley Prickett ’11, Kandis Canonica ’11 and Amanda Skonezney ’12, but they could not overcome the deficit.

The Bison fell to 4-4 on the season. Despite the losing effort, Prickett netted three goals while Canonica registered two of her own and added an assist. Skonezney also matched their point total, finding the back of the net once and tallying two assists.

“I think this weekend showed us that we need to learn to play 100 percent together, 100 percent of the time, with 100 percent effort and intensity,” Prickett said. “We have the potential to be a great team, but first everyone on the team needs to make the decision to put it all on the line, play without fear, and have fun.”

The Orange and Blue squared off with Brown in their first game in the consolation bracket. For the second time in as many games, the Bison fell behind early. This time, the Bison were down 7-2 heading into intermission. Although they outscored Brown by a goal in the second half, the Bison were unable to gain momentum and steal a victory.

The final score was 10-6. Prickett scored a team-high two goals, while Skonezney had a pair of assists and Hallie Kennan ’12 posted a goal and an assist. They were the only three Bison to register more than one point in the game. A primary area of concern for the Bison was their six-on-five offense. The Orange and Blue were only able to find the back of the net three out of eight opportunities with the man-up advantage. In contrast, the Brown six-on-five attack went five for nine.

The Bison faced Marist in the seventh-place game Sunday morning. The teams remained close in the first two quarters, but the Orange and Blue offense exploded in the third, netting four straight goals. The Red Foxes rallied in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to one, but the Bison responded by scoring two goals of their own to clinch a 10-7 victory.

Heather Smith ’14, Julianne Valdes ’14 and Kennan led the way, scoring a combined seven goals. Nine different Bison registered a point in the well-distributed affair. Rena Heim ’14 also had a solid performance in goal with nine saves in 16 minutes of action. Six of those saves came in the third, a quarter where the Red Foxes could not post a single goal.

The Orange and Blue’s next test will be in their annual spring break trip to California where they will compete in the Claremont Convergence.

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Sports

Women’s lacrosse team falls to 1-3

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

Despite a strong effort by the defense, the women’s lacrosse team fell to the Robert Morris Colonials 9-5 in Sunday’s home game. The Orange and Blue also lost to Penn State on Wednesday, 22-2.

Against Robert Morris, team captain Julia Braun ’11 scored two goals, while Katelyn Miller ’14, Andrea Feldman ’14 and Ali Carey ’14 scored a goal apiece. Carey also finished with an assist.

The Bison led the game twice in the first half but entered halftime tied 3-3. In the second half, Colonial goalie Kaitlin Pentz made seven saves and allowed only two goals as Robert Morris stormed ahead with six goals.

“During the second half we weren’t able to maintain possession as much as we had hoped,” Adrienne Wendling ’13 said. “Overall I felt as though defensively we did a great job playing together as a unit and having each other’s slides and trails.”

Goalie Alyssa DeLorenz ’11 made 10 saves, eight of them in the first half. Wendling led the team with five caused turnovers, while Sophie Kleinert ’14 had three draw controls. The defense also caused 24 turnovers.

Overall, the teams were very evenly matched, posting similar final numbers. Both teams had seven draw controls, and Robert Morris had 21 ground balls compared to 20 for the Orange and Blue. The Colonials and the Bison also had 24 and 22 turnovers, respectively.

The away game against Penn State was much more lopsided, as the Bison fell behind 9-0 before scoring their first goal with a minute left in the first half. The Bison also scored first in the second half, but the offense was otherwise silent, taking only five shots the entire game.

Miller and Lindsey Ferro ’14 had a goal apiece, while Feldman and Kleinert had assists. DeLorenz also had 18 saves.

The team will play away at Drexel next Sunday, at 1 pm.