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En Granada

By Wes Pyron

Contributing Writer

Simply put, I cannot last one full day without some sight, song, saying, or daydream that somehow warps itself into a memory of my time in Granada. The enthralling beauty of a Lewisburg sunset is comparable only to that of the sunset over the Alhambra; hearing “Stereo Love” while absentmindedly attempting to do homework in Seventh Street Café fuels a desire to dance like we did in El Camborio (half club, half cave, mind you). Even the Rooke Chapel bells tolling the University’s alma mater are distinctly familiar to a church I passed each afternoon walking home from class in Granada. Heck, even trips to Wal-Mart are sentimental; I can’t get past the produce section without reminiscing (Granada means pomegranate in Spanish).

My semester abroad was collectively the greatest experience of my life. To clarify, I use the term “collectively” because each day in Spain was a gem in itself. Granted, at the time, simple daily activities like walking to the post office, sprinting to a café between classes, and afternoons at Hannigan’s Pub (for the free wi-fi, obviously) seemed to be leisurely activities to speed the day along. Although the waffles in Belgium, fish-n-chips in London, gyros in Athens and pizza/pasta binges in Italy were unforgettable, it is those simple Spanish memories that I cherish the most.

Granada is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been to. The historical relevance is captivating, as is the city’s sense of pride in its history.  Each new bit of information, each question answered and each visit to a historic building helped accumulate such a vast pool of knowledge that I often found myself wishing I had the rest of my life to wake up and experience Granada each day. (Sidenote: the Alhambra should be on your list of things to see.) This fortress is known as a “palace city” composed of a defensive perimeter, multiple palaces and El Generalife, which consists of additional palaces, gardens and orchards. The city of Granada is so culturally dynamic due partially to its diverse history of rulers. Since its establishment by the ancient Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors, various Arabic dynasties, the Catholic Monarchs and Spain have all played a role in the city’s development.

Oddly, I miss the language barrier. I miss not being able to assume the ability to communicate. I miss repeating the same few key words over and over again, while simultaneously combining them with awkward finger pointing and hand motions. I miss ordering my food incorrectly and not having the bravery (or vocabulary) to correct it.

But more than anything, I miss the pace and mindset of each day. Despite severe lack of sleep for most of my time there, looking back I realize I was refreshed and spiritually content nearly every single day. The relaxed pace of the day meant that despite any upcoming exam, gypsy who felt the need to steal my iPhone, or stranger who wanted to steal my wallet in a club, today I would trade anything to be sitting along the stone wall of the Mirador de San Nicolas, waiting for that sunset over the Alhambra.

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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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Featured News

Empty Bowls raises hunger awareness and supports Community Harvest

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

A simple meal consisting only of soup and bread was served to students in Walls Lounge on Tuesday as part of the Empty Bowls program. The program combats hunger issues in the local community by raising both awareness and money.

This is the sixth year that the University has sponsored the Empty Bowls program, which was initiated in 1990 by Michigan art teacher John Hartom with his high school students. Since then, the Empty Bowls program has become very successful.

Jessica Paquin, Office Coordinator at the Office of Civic Engagement, said that her favorite part of the Empty Bowls event is “seeing the craftsmanship of the bowls because I think they are beautiful.  Also, showcasing the talent of our local vendors and our soup is awesome. It’s all about giving back.”

The $10 donation for a ticket to the lunch purchased a hand-made bowl that the participants could keep.  Proceeds from this annual event benefit the Community Harvest Meal, which is a weekly collaboration of the University, Parkhurst Dining Services, St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church and Weis Markets.

“We are raising money for Community Harvest, where we need it so much,” Angel Hernadez ’13 said. “Empty Bowls is an easy way for the Bucknell community to come and support us.”

The University Community Service Program, Office of Civic Engagement and the Craft Center help sponsor the Empty Bowls project. Parkhurst Dining Services as well as several area restaurants such as Hotel Edison and Townside Garden Café donated soup for the program.  Soup flavors included Garden Vegetable, Chipotle Sweet Potato and Beef Noodle.

The bowls that the participants pick out to keep are handcrafted and glazed by students and local potters. The coordinator of the Craft Center, Gretchen Heuges, organized a “Bowl-a-thon” last November. Students, faculty, staff and area artists joined together to make about 100 ceramic bowls for the project.

“I loved looking at all of the different bowls. There were many different sizes, shapes and colors from which to choose,” Nicole Diamantides ’14 said. “I ended up picking a white and brown bowl that I will use to put my jewelry in on my bureau.”

There were also larger, more elaborate bowls on display that were part of a silent auction in effort to raise more money for Community Harvest.

“Many folks do not realize that there are people in our area that do not have food to eat on a daily basis,” said Lynn Pierson, assistant director of community service.

The Empty Bowls program serves as not only a fundraiser but also an event to raise awareness of the important issue of hunger issues both locally and nationally.

“I’ve heard about the program in the past and I wanted to check it out,” Becky Miller ’11 said. “I am aware of hunger issues abroad, but I also think that supporting causes locally and in America is important.”

During the event, a slideshow showcased many facts about local, regional and national hunger issues. An estimates one in eight Americans does not have access to enough food. Empty Bowls events occur in many schools across the nation and have raised millions of dollars to combat hunger.

“This program is cool for me because I just volunteered at Community Harvest on Monday night,” Emily Norton ’11 said. “I’m also impressed by how many people showed up for the event and how many students made the bowls.”

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Arts & Life Featured

The man behind the e-mails: Rob Guissanie

By Tracy Lum

Senior Editor

When it comes to technology on campus, no name is more recognizable than that of Rob Guissanie. In times of critical systems outages, phishing scams or other technological issues, his name fills your inboxes, warning of impending changes or even danger.

As the Senior Technology Support Specialist of Library & Information Technology (L&IT), Guissanie focuses on boiling complex technological issues into simple advisory messages for the campus at large. Though Guissanie does not have a hand in all the projects he tells the campus about, the e-mails come only from him to establish credibility and trust. While informative, Guissanie’s e-mails also convey a subtle humor that will elicit a chuckle from any reader.

For instance,  this Valentine’s Day, Guissanie sent a message to the general campus about an imminent critical systems outage. “The Library and IT Enterprise System Team will be ‘showing a lot of love’ to some critical University systems later this week that will impact your relationship with them for a short time,” he wrote.

“I wondered how often people were reading the e-mails,” Guissanie said in his office in the labyrinthine Computer Center. “I wanted to liven it up a little to see if anyone was truly reading it.”

At first, some of his coworkers thought that his methods were unprofessional, but most have adjusted to his style since then.

“Rob’s e-mails have a consistent humor and a consistent tone,” said Mary Ann Burkland, Assistant Director of Technology Support at L&IT. With the consistency, “the campus then can know that it is not spam or a phishing attempt,” she said.

Guissanie says his humorous messages make it more interesting for everybody, including himself, but that the most important thing is to communicate critical information to the campus. For the most part, his strategy has worked.

Sara Grubb ’11 always reads Guissanie’s e-mails and even lets them accumulate in her inbox because she likes them too much to delete them right away. “I love his e-mails because I think they’re hilarious,” she said. “Because I know he’s funny, I always read his e-mails instead of just skipping over them like I do other official but largely unimportant-looking e-mails,” she said.

Guissanie has now been at the University for nearly 10 years. After graduating from Penn State in 1990 with a general business degree with a focus on computers and information systems, he served in the navy. He then worked in technology at Penn State for almost eight years before an opportunity opened up at the University.

For Guissanie, technology is both a blessing and a curse. “While it allows us to do so many things we could never do before, it raises the bar higher than it’s ever been before,” he said. In some ways it’s like an arms race, he said; people expect more and more of technology.

“People are reaching for that technological solution that’s going to be the solution to everything but never is,” Guissanie said. “A lot of it just comes down to process and applying what technology you need for the process … It’s the tool, not the solution,” he said.

A volunteer assistant coach for the women’s track and cross country teams, Guissanie believes the best part of the University is its community feel. “You can really get involved in anything you want to,” he said.

Even in the somewhat isolated Computer Center, he experiences this sense of community, largely because of his coworkers.

“When I communicate things, it’s not me; it’s really the people that work around me that create the great things happening on campus,” Guissanie said. “They’re just very talented and probably the most intelligent people I’ve ever worked with,” he said.

Guissanie says he has no reason to leave anytime soon, so we can expect more witty e-mails from him as soon as the next critical systems outage or technological issue hits.

 

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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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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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Basketball clinches regular season title

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Already with 19 wins and double-digit conference victories on the year to their credit, all the Bison had left to do to complete a thrilling regular season was beat the Colgate Raiders Sunday afternoon on the road and secure the Patriot League regular season title and home court throughout the conference tournament.

Leading the way to that crucial victory was the Bison bench, who added 31 points and 26 rebounds to overcome a tough Raider squad, 77-69.

“It feels great to win the regular season because it was one of our goals that we set in the beginning of the year,” Cameron Ayers ’14 said . “Home court advantage is a big key going into the postseason, but we have to go out and play our game because any team in this league can beat us on any given night.”

The “go out and play” mentality was exactly what the Orange and Blue took out onto the court against the Raiders. Trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, the Bison did not panic, quickly fighting back in the second half to take the lead and come away with the victory.

Five Bison scored in double figures, including both Ayers and G.W. Boon ’11 off the bench. Once again, the Orange and Blue made their free throws, converting 15 of 17 from the line. The Bison still rank in the top five in the nation in free-throw percentage, at fourth behind Wisconsin, Harvard, and Colorado with a 78.8 percent mark.

The Orange and Blue followed up the league championship-clinching victory with another impressive win at home, cruising past the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 72-55 Wednesday night. In the first nine minutes of play, the Mountain Hawks jumped to a 26-18 advantage. But the Bison defense clamped down on C.J. McCollum, the leading scorer in the Patriot League, and the rest of the Lehigh offense, allowing just 29 points for the rest of the contest.

“Lehigh is a very dangerous team as they are so explosive offensively,” Enoch Andoh ’12 said . “We know that they put up their best shot but we tuned in defensively to slow them down in transition, keep them off the offensive class and collectively contain McCollum.”

On both ends of the floor, the Bison rode a balanced offense and defense to victory. A near triple-double (13 points, nine rebounds and six assists) by Bryan Cohen ’12 and the quick hands (five steals) of Darryl Shazier ’11 kept the Mountain Hawks from making any legitimate comeback in the second half.

“Lehigh posed an up-tempo style of play and we had to stop them in transition, number one,” Ayers said . “Secondly, they have the best scorer in the league [McCollum] who can dictate an entire game, so my team and I had to be locked in defensively every second he was in the game.”

As the regular season comes to a close, the Army Black Knights will come to Sojka Pavilion Saturday afternoon to face the top-seeded Bison. For the Orange and Blue, the game means a lot. The Bison will be honoring their three seniors, Shazier, Boon and Stephen Tyree, for their four years of service to the team. But it also means avenging a 20-point loss to the Black Knights one month ago, their only conference loss to date. A Bison victory would also mean that Army would automatically receive the eight-seed in the conference tournament and a match-up with the Orange and Blue again on Wednesday night in the Patriot League quarterfinals.

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Featured

Themed residence program expanded to include small houses downtown

By Allison Mongan

Writer

Next fall, four small houses on the downhill part of campus will become themed student residences.

Students applied this spring to live in Edwards House, Hulley House, Galloway House or 23 University Ave and make the house a themed residence depending on their specific interests. Applications were due at the start of this week and a panel will choose from the applicants and make the decision by next Monday so that the students who do not get it can be eligible for the lottery number housing process.

“Themes will change from year to year depending on what group will be living in the house,” said Grant Hoover, assistant director of residential education for diverse communities.

Each of the four small houses will be open to any students that are able to fill them. The house sizes range from 12 to 28 persons able to live there, and the applicants had to be able to fill the entire house in order to apply.

Each applicant group had to determine their specific theme and explain why they wanted to have a house dedicated to their specific topic.

“Living on hall with people of similar interests has been very cool and it is nice to have that strong common thread. This program is great because it gives this unique opportunity to more students on campus,” Isabelle Catalano ’12 said.

Next year all small houses will be required to have one campus-wide program and one community service program, in addition to at least two other programs over the course of the school year. Every house will also have a faculty or staff member who will serve as an adviser and who will attend programs and interact with the residents. The adviser component is to help strengthen ties between students and the faculty and to help them build more personal relationships with each other.

“For the houses without resident assistants there will be house leaders. These leaders are in charge of meetings and programs and any administrative things,” Hoover said.

The Small House Program also includes the “Making a House a Home Program.” Student groups that continually occupy one specific house can apply for updates that can be made to the house. The Galloway House has been occupied by C.A.L.V.I.N. and H.O.B.B.E.S. for 13 years and has been able to apply for certain updates.

“Making a House a Home” includes being able to paint the interior and exterior after occupying the house for a set amount of years. C.A.L.V.I.N. and H.O.B.B.E.S. is a substance-free house and is one possible theme, among others, for a house next year.

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Featured Sports

Baseball looks to win league again

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

To say the Bison’s run through the Patriot League Tournament last year, which that ended in a league championship and NCAA tournament berth, was unexpected would be an understatement. After an up-and-down 2010 regular season that saw the Orange and Blue finish with an underwhelming 25-35 record (7-9 in league play), the team rode the MVP performance of first baseman Doug Shribman ’11 to a Patriot League Championship.

Despite the losses of Andrew Brouse, Ben Yoder and B.J. LaRosa, the Bison return poised for another run at the league title. Much of the team’s success lies on Shribman, who was named to the Louisville Slugger All-American third team for the preseason. Last season, Shribman exploded for 21 home runs and 62 R.B.I.’s while hitting at a stellar .359 clip. During the tournament, he took his game to another level, belting seven home runs and driving in 16 runs in only six games.

Shribman feels that his dedication to preparation will be crucial for a repeat performance this season.

“You just have to continue to work hard and be ready for any pitch that could come at any time,” Shribman said. “It doesn’t really matter what pitch is coming because you still have to swing at good pitches to hit and take advantage of those opportunities. If you are working hard and maintaining your swing, then it doesn’t really matter how the pitcher throws to you.”

Also returning for the Bison are outfielders Drew Constable ’11 and Bob Donato ’12. The pitching staff also returns with a solid core, led by right-hander Jack Boehm ’12 and Dylan Seeley ’11.

Seeley believes the pitching staff is well-suited to help lead the team back to the NCAA tournament.

“As a pitching staff our goal is always to give our team a chance to win every game, and I believe we are very capable of that this year,” Seeley said. “Last year’s postseason run can give us a lot of confidence going into the year. A bunch of guys got good experience and pressure situations and were successful. Hopefully, that success will give us confidence to start off the season.”

The Orange and Blue will be tested early in the season. Today they travel to face James Madison in a four-game series, and next weekend they will compete against a tough Richmond Spiders team. League play begins April 2, when the Bison will host Lafayette for a four-game, two-day series. Regular season action concludes for the club with a four-game series against Army, and the Patriot League Tournament is set to kick off on May 14.

With a lot of expectations and accolades surrounding the 2011 Bison baseball team, anything short of an NCAA tournament berth will be considered a major disappointment.

“We just have to continue to work hard through the rough times, which inevitably come with any baseball season, and not let a rough game or two bring us down even farther,” Shribman said. “Last year we started playing poorly and it affected us for far too long mentally, so this year we have to do a better job of relaxing and just playing the game like we know we can.”

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Men’s basketball continues to roll

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Despite conceding an 11-point lead with four minutes to go, the men’s basketball team took advantage of a dominating performance by Bryson Johnson ’13 and fought back hard in overtime, outlasting a tough Lafayette Leopards squad, 74-69, on the road in Easton, Pa. on Wednesday night. The victory gives the Orange and Blue their 10th conference win of the season and leaves them one win or one American loss away from clinching the Patriot League regular season title.

Johnson had a career night, scoring 30 points, including five three-pointers and a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line. Off the bench, Enoch Andoh ’12 added two key baskets down the stretch in overtime to pull away from Lafayette.

“It’s always a great feeling to be able to give your team a nice spark off the bench,” Andoh said. “Everyone, starters and reserves, kept their composure tonight. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to help us win with a couple of clutch buckets.”

Early on, Lafayette seemed unfazed by a Bison team that had a two-game lead in the Patriot League and had blown out most of its conference opponents. The Leopards scored the first five points of the game and held the advantage until the eight-minute mark in the half. The Bison and Leopards traded baskets for the rest of the first period, until a three-pointer by Johnson gave the Orange and Blue a five-point lead at halftime.

“Lafayette is a very well-coached team that when they execute their offense they are a very hard team to guard,” Bryan Cohen ’12 said. “The keys to winning this game [were] to really disrupt their offensive flow and motion offense by having great ball pressure and preventing the ball from entering the post. We had great practices this week at guarding their offensive sets and we [felt] very confident going into [the game].”

The Orange and Blue opened the second half with the first seven points, extending the advantage to 12. But every time the Bison jumped out to a big lead, the Leopards had an answer. Down by 11 late in the second half, Lafayette charged back with an 11-0 run to tie the game with just over a minute to go. Two missed free throws by Mike Muscala ’13 and an off-the-mark three-pointer at the buzzer by Johnson pushed a game that had seemed out of reach into overtime.

In overtime, Lafayette picked up right where it left off with a three-pointer in the first 10 seconds of the extra period. But three free throws from Johnson and the two baskets in the paint by Andoh sparked the Bison to a hard-earned victory over a tough conference foe.

“Going into Easton, we all knew that we had a big game ahead of us,” Andoh said. “But we were able to focus defensively, contain their key players and squeak out another road win.”

With the win, the Orange and Blue move within one game of securing home court throughout the Patriot League tournament. Despite the second-ranked American Eagles also winning Wednesday night, the Bison only need to win one of their final three games or the Eagles to lose just one to earn the regular season conference crown.

Looking to secure the regular season league championship, the Orange and Blue head to Colgate on Saturday for their final road game of the year. The Bison are looking for the same success that helped them beat the Raiders by 27 the first time they faced each other this season.

“It definitely feels good to be close to wrapping up the number one spot going into the conference tournament,” Cohen said. “However, it is only a stepping stone for our bigger goal of winning the Patriot League and going to the NCAA tournament. We are playing well as a team and we feel very confident going into the final stretch of the season.”