Category: Men

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Basketball Headline Men Sports

Men’s basketball upsets No. 1 Arizona in NIT

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

 

Falling just short of a second consecutive NCAA tournament bid and Patriot League title in a devastating loss to Lehigh last week, the men’s basketball team emphatically responded by recording one of the biggest upsets in school history, knocking off top-seeded Arizona 65-54 during the first round of the NIT on Wednesday night. Leading by just four points with under a minute to play, Bryson Johnson ’13 hit a clutch fade-away three-pointer with 52 seconds left on the clock, erasing any real chance of a Wildcats comeback run and putting the junior at the 1000 career point mark.

All-Patriot League center Mike Muscala ’13 made his presence felt early and often for the Orange and Blue, leading all scorers with 20 points and amassing nine rebounds and four blocked shots throughout the contest. Looming at 6’11”, Muscala proved to be a major matchup challenge for a Wildcats defense that could not find a way to contain the big man.

On the defensive side, the Orange and Blue produced one of their best performances of the year. Tasked with guarding Arizona’s most talented offensive player Kyle Fogg, three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Cohen ’12 anchored the defense and limited Fogg to just five points in the contest, nine fewer than his season average.

Appearing in front a of packed crowd at the McKale Center in Tuscon, Ariz., the Orange and Blue got off to a fast start, leading by as much as 13 points and limiting the Wildcats to 16 points in the first 15 minutes of play. Yet, during the final minutes of the half, the Bison offense stalled considerably, allowing the Wildcats to cut into their lead and go into the half down just six.

Arizona carried their momentum into the second half and quickly claimed their first lead of the game behind the hot hands of Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry, who led the Wildcats with 17 and 12 points respectively. Appearing to be slowly losing pace, the Orange and Blue quickly regained the lead with five straight points by Cameron Ayers ’14, which kick-started a 13-4 Bison run over the next eight minutes of play. Ayers finished the contest with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite their strong offensive play, the Bison got into foul trouble early in the half, allowing the Wildcats to get to the line often and climb back to within three with 4:27 left to play. Then, after a controversial blocking call, Muscala fouled out of the game with 2:59 left on the clock, leaving the Bison to finish out the game without their leading scorer and biggest shot-blocking presence.

The Bison pressed on and completely shut down the Wildcats offense for the duration of the contest. Leading by four and in desperate need of a big basket, Johnson stepped up with a huge three-pointer with 52 seconds left to extend the lead to seven and take much of the pressure off the team. From that point on, the Bison added to their lead with foul shots.

With the victory, the Orange and Blue move to 1-0 all-time at the NIT and continue on to the second round, where they will meet fifth-seeded Nevada on Sunday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

 

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Lacrosse Men Sports

Men’s lax opens league play with win over Navy

Reed Dempsey
Contributing Writer

Propelled by a seven-point performance by Billy Eisenreich ’12, the men’s lacrosse team recorded its first win of the season this past Saturday, beating Navy 14-9 in Annapolis, Md.

After struggling greatly with non-League teams during the first three games of the season, head coach Frank Fedorjaka stressed the importance of keeping his men on the field and limiting the Midshipmen’s transitional opportunities. 

“We wanted to keep it a six versus six kind of game with minimal transition,” Fedorjaka said. “We were able to do so and it resulted in a terrific team win.”

The Orange and Blue opened the day’s scoring when Peter Burke ’14 found Chase Bailey ’13 for his fourth goal of the season. After the Midshipmen tied the game at one, the Bison responded with an unassisted goal by Tom Black ’14. The teams traded two goals apiece over the remainder of the first quarter, with tallies by Nick Gantsoudes ’12 and Billy Mattimore ’13 for the Bison.

Clearing, which had been a weak point for the Bison in their first three games, vastly improved against Navy. The Orange and Blue went 19-22 in clear attempts, taking pressure of the defense and giving the offense more possessions.

At the end of the first quarter, the Orange and Blue jumped out to a one goal lead, but it took the Midshipmen just 14 seconds into the second quarter to retie the game. Then, over the next 15 minutes of play, the Orange and Blue held the Mids scoreless while Eisenreich, Bailey, Burke and David Dickson ’15 all found the back of the net, giving the Bison an 8-4 lead heading into the half.

After a long scoring drought, the Midshipmen came out flying in the third quarter, scoring three goals in 45 seconds to bring the game back within one. Throughout the game, Navy dominated the face-off, giving them the ability to repossess the ball after each goal and build up momentum.

“It puts a lot of pressure on our team because it is hard to stop their momentum if they are playing ‘make-it take-it’ lacrosse,” Eisenreich said. “Our team defense was good, which made it difficult for Navy to get into a flow.”

Four minutes into the second half, the Bison took advantage of a man-up opportunity when Eisenreich found Burke for his second of the day. The Orange and Blue then followed with three more goals over the next five minutes of play by Joe Kearney ’15, Bailey and Todd Heritage ’14, extending their lead to 12-7.

Over the next 14 minutes of play, the score remained stagnant. A non-releasable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Dickson opened the door for two Navy goals, but two minutes later, Eisenreich found a cutting Gantsoudes to go up 13-9. Over the final five minutes, the Bison defense stifled the Midshipmen, who tried desperately to maintain possession and get back on the board. Seven Navy penalties kept the Bison in control and gave Eisenreich the opportunity to extend his points total to seven on the day, the highest of his career against the Midshipmen.

The 14-9 win was the first step in turning the season around for the Bison. With nine different players scoring in the game, the Bison showed that they have a variety of players who can make an impact.

“Anytime you have every offensive player that stepped on the field score for you, you have to be excited. I don’t think I’ve ever had that but I hope it continues,” Fedorjaka said.

The Bison will look to win again when they face Hobart at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium this Saturday at 1 p.m. 

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Basketball Headline Men Sports

Heartbreak: Men’s basketball falls to Lehigh in Patriot League Championship

Bryan Cohen ’12 and the Bison fell just short of completeing a last-second comeback, falling to C.J. McCollum and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the Patriot League Championship.

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Despite a 30-point, 14-rebound effort by Mike Muscala ’13, the men’s basketball team could not hold off a surging Lehigh squad in the Patriot League Championship Wednesday night, falling in heartbreaking fashion 82-77.

Entering the game riding a four-game winning streak, the Orange and Blue were met by a Mountain Hawks team who had issued the Bison their first Patriot League loss of the year back on Feb. 16 after C.J. McCollum hit a game-winning three-pointer with one second remaining on the clock.

McCollum proved to be the hero once again for Lehigh in the Championship contest, recording a team-leading 29 points, including two game-clinching free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison struggled early on in the contest, recording just 15 points through the first 10 minutes of play and allowing the Mountain Hawks to enter the half with a seven-point lead.

After four minutes of back-and-forth play to open the second half, the Bison strung together a series of consecutive scoring possessions over the next three minutes of play. During the stretch, forward Joe Willman ’13 hit a clutch fade away jumper to bring the score to within one, and then Brian Fitzpatrick ’13 hit one of two free throws, tying the score at 50. Willman recorded 10 points and six rebounds during the game and was named to the All-Tournament squad after recording 18 points in each of the first two tournament games.

Behind the stellar offensive play of McCollum and Gabe Knutson, the Mountain Hawks gradually extended their lead for much of the remainder of the game. With just under a minute left on the clock, the Bison trailed 78-71 and looked all but done. Yet over the 30 seconds, Bryson Johnson ’13 netted a pair of three-pointers to bring the Bison within one.

After fouling and repossessing the ball with 26 seconds left, the Orange and Blue could not capitalize on a tough lay-up try by Cameron Ayers ’14 and lost possession. From then on, Lehigh hit four free throws to extend its lead to five and claim the program’s second Patriot League title in three years.

With the loss, the Orange and Blue are eliminated from NCAA contention. By virtue of their regular season championship, the Bison did clinch their first-ever birth in the National Invitation Tournament.

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Men Sports Wrestling

Wrestling finishes 13th

Andrew Lichtenauer

Senior Writer

Orange and Blue wrestlers Austin Miller ’15, John Regan ’12 and Corey Lear ’13 became place winners in their respective weight classes on the final day of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym on March 4. Miller earned the Bison’s lone automatic NCAA berth, finishing third at 125 pounds. Regan finished seventh at 157 pounds and Lear finished fifth at 165 pounds.

Regan posted a 2-2 record on March 3 and entered the next day of competition with just one opponent ahead of him. Regan ended up beating Troy Hernandez (Penn) 5-3 to take seventh place. Regan is now 20-12 this season, which marks his second career 20-win season.

Lear entered the day seeking a win in his first challenge to move on to the consolation finals (third-place match). Unfortunately, fifth-seeded Lear lost to third-seeded Marshall Peppelman (Cornell) 3-1. Lear then bounced back to defeat Mason Bailey (Navy) 6-2 in the fifth-place bout. Lear had a 3-2 record at the EIWA Championships, which adds to his career win total of a team-best 60.

Miller was the fifth seed in his bracket, earning his third-place finish with a 2-0 record on the second and final day of the EIWA Championships. He defeated Tyler Sackett (Navy) 12-6 to move on to the third-place match, and then beat third-seeded Billy Watterson (Brown) in a close match that ended 3-2. The top three finishers at 125 pounds earn an automatic NCAA berth, which means that Miller will be making his first career trip to the national tournament.

“Qualifying for nationals is definitely a big deal for me. I am very proud of that accomplishment,” Miller said. “However, it is only a stepping stone to being an All-American and, eventually, a national champion. No one will remember who was an NCAA qualifier in 2012 and I will not be satisfied with simply being a qualifier.”

Miller posted an impressive 3-1 record against four seeded opponents over the two-day championship. He defeated two individuals seeded higher than him and his only loss was to the eventual 125-pound champion Frank Perrelli. Miller is now 22-12 on the year and will enter the NCAA Championships having won 11 of his last 15 bouts.

“I wouldn’t exactly call my last part of the season momentum or anything even remotely related,” Miller said. “I have just begun to wrestle more consistently as the year has progressed. That is a result of practice and getting more accustomed to the college wrestling style. Besides, 11 out of 15 could, and should for that matter, be 15 out of 15.”

The complete NCAA field will be finalized March 7 when 40 additional at-large selections are added to the automatic qualifiers. The NCAA Championships will take place March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo.

As a team, the Bison sent nine wrestlers to the EIWA Championships and finished 13th in team standings behind 12th-place Franklin & Marshall. Cornell won its 6th consecutive team crown with Lehigh, American, Penn and Navy rounding out the top five. In all six years since the wrestling program was reinstated, the Bison have had at least three placewinners at the EIWA Championships.

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Baseball Men Sports

Baseball takes two of three at home

Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The baseball team came away from last weekend’s opening home stand with a 2-1 series victory against Niagara, recording an 11-10 victory on Saturday followed by a series-clinching 4-3 win on Sunday. The team was led by outfielder Bob Donato ’12, who received the Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week award for the second week in a row.

“It was good to win another weekend series, especially since we did it without our best play,” head coach Gene Depew said. “The cold weather and wind made for challenging playing conditions and we did not play our best defense in the first two games on Saturday.”

The Bison, who are 6-3 overall, earned the victory in game one on Saturday when they scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth to come back from an 8-0 deficit. They scored off two Niagara errors and a two-RBI hit by infielder Carter Bumgarder ’13. Pinch hitter Scott Glass ’13 tied the game in the fifth, and the Bison added two more runs in the sixth.

“Our team came back from 8-0 down in the first game,” Donato said. “That showed us a lot about ourselves. The hitters made adjustments and our pitchers were throwing better. Not many baseball teams can do that.”

Niagara scored two runs in the seventh to knot the score at 10-10, which forced extra innings. After two scoreless innings by pitcher Alex Cillio ’12, Donato won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a dramatic walk-off home run.

“I thought we did a good job of putting together a solid team effort,” said first baseman Russell Seidell ’12, who had three hits in game one. “We had guys stepping up in key situations and getting the job done. I really liked the way our team stayed positive and upbeat even when we were down, and that enabled us to battle back from an eight-run deficit in game one.”

“This weekend showed how we are a team that never quits,” pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 said. “To come back and win game one after being down really proved the resilience of our guys.”

After a 17-4 victory by Niagara on Saturday night, the Bison bounced back in game three behind Weigel, who pitched 8.1 innings while allowing only three runs on eight hits. Weigel has been the Bison’s most effective starter so far this year, leading regular pitchers in innings (22.2), wins (3) and ERA (2.38). Second baseman Travis Clark ’13 led the offense with two RBI, and extended his team-leading hitting streak to nine games.

“Timely hitting was very important in our first victory on Saturday and a great pitching performance by Dan Weigel led us to another victory [on Sunday],” Cillio said. “If we can win two out of three without playing our best baseball, we are going to be really tough to beat when we’re playing our best.”

Donato finished the series batting .462 and became the first Bison player to win back-to-back Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week awards since 2004. He currently leads the team in home runs (4), hits (19), runs (12) and total bases (38).

The next stop for the Bison is in Florida, where the team will participate in the Russ Matt Invitational.

“We’re looking forward to playing seven games in seven days over spring break on our Florida trip,” Depew said. 

 

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Men Sports Track & Field

Men’s track collects All-East honors

Colin Fields

Staff Writer

The men’s track and field team continued its superb season this past weekend at the IC4A/ECAC championships in Boston, Mass., finishing 12th out of 47 teams and amassing a school record of six All-East honors. Among those with All-East honors were seniors Robert Arent ’12 and Tom Barr ’12.

Barr posted a career best throw of 64 feet, 2.5 inches in the weight throw to win the event. Barr’s victory marked the first ever field event win in program history at the IC4A’s and the first IC4A win since 2007. Barr’s mark also moved him into third place all time in the weight throw. The senior has already broken the school record for the shot put earlier this season.

“We are pushing each other every day and our results are showing it. Records are meant to be broken, and I hope that I have pushed and trained my teammates enough to break my record when I am gone,” Barr said.

Arent finished fourth in the 400 meters and set a new school record with a time of 47.46 seconds. Arent’s earned All-East honors for the second year in a row. Christian Lupica ’15 broke the school record in the 200 meters, finishing in 21.58 seconds and clearing the old record by nearly two-tenths of a second. Lupica also received All-East honors for his 60-meter hurdle time of 8.11 in the semifinals, which ranks second in program history. The first-year went on to run an 8.20 in the finals to finish in seventh place.

“I’m really happy with how I’ve adjusted to running the hurdles in college and, thanks to Coach Hobson-Lynch, I’ve been really progressing with the new hurdle height and have already gotten my hurdle times back to what I was running in high school,” Lupica said. “Using the record books is a great ways to set personal goals for myself, and hopefully I can keep continuing to drop my time and help the team by scoring points in the process.”

Fellow first-year Alex Jagelsky ’15 also picked up All-East honors for his performance in the 1,000 meters. Jagelsky’s time of 2:28.11 gave him a sixth place finish. Andrew Powell ’12 continued his success in the heptathlon by scoring 5,012 points and placing eighth. Powell and Leonard Joseph ’13 rounded out the list of Bison All-East honorees.

The Bison return to action later this month at the Towson Invitational in Maryland on March 31.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Joe Willman has breakout season

Scott Padula

Staff Writer

When you think of the men’s basketball team, the first players that come to mind are Mike Muscala ’13, Bryan Cohen ’12 and Bryson Johnson ’13. These three have always held key spots in the lineup. But one of the most unnoticed, yet integral, members of the Bison team this season has been Joe Willman ’13. This season, Willman has seen his minutes, points per game, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals all increase. At the same time, Willman has decreased his personal fouls and turnovers per game this season.

“Willman has been a key player since day one at Bucknell. He is a prototypical ‘4’ man who can score both inside and out,” head coach Dave Paulsen said. “He has become quite a weapon with his ability to knock down mid-range jumpers from anywhere on the court. Joe can score in every way, with dribble penetration inside and the 3-point line. In addition, he works well with classmate Mike Muscala when teamed together in the frontcourt.”

On the offensive end, Willman is a big, versatile player who knows how to use his body like a savvy veteran creating off the dribble from the wing. He moves well without the ball and utilizes screens to free himself. After the catch, Willman utilizes his great shot fake and quick first step to successfully drive to the hoop and assist others. Willman has increased his assists this season to 1.6 assists per game. What makes Willman a particularly valuable asset, though, is his size, length and range. Willman is 6’7” and has range out to 25-plus feet, allowing him to stretch the defense better than most. He can score in a variety of ways, hitting mid-range jumpers or going to the hoop with a quick dribble-drive. Willman’s points have increased to 10.8 per game while he has improved his efficiency, making 53.2 percent of his shots.

Willman is also a tough-minded defender. He plays with great energy on the defensive end and can cover guards or forwards. Willman’s length allows him to alter shots, make steals, and pull down rebounds. This season, Willman has seen his rebounds increase to 4.9 per game, while he has also recorded 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks.

“Willman is a ‘throwback’ type player who loves to compete. He is a very smart player who picked up the Bucknell system quickly. As a senior next season, I expect him to be a leader and tremendous asset to the team,” Paulsen said.

 

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Basketball Men Sports

Lehigh-Bucknell rivalry fueled by big games and matchups

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The game remains fresh in the minds of the Bison faithful: tied at 53, the Bison’s undefeated league record on the line, and Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum in possession with 14 seconds left on the clock. He dribbles, seconds lasting an eternity, with the stout defense of Cameron Ayers ’14 in his way. As the clock moves closer to zero, McCollum, as all great players do, makes a slight crossover move to gain separation and drains the game-winning three. Silence fell over the Sojka Psychos as the Mountain Hawks handed the Bison their first league loss of the season, 56-53, avenging their 68-61 loss to the Bison earlier. 

“Obviously it was a tough loss the last time we played Lehigh. Of course we would like to win this rematch, but every time we go out we are doing our best to win,” Bryson Johnson ’13 said.

Though nothing may motivate a team more than revenge, the Orange and Blue could not erase the memories of the bitter loss at the Patriot League Championship on Wednesday night, falling to the Mountain Hawks in heartbreaking fashion 82-77.

In recent years, the rivalry between the schools has grown greatly with the tremendous success of both programs. Over the past three seasons, Lehigh has earned two Patriot League titles (2012 and 2010), while the Bison earned the other last season. On top of this, the two programs currently showcase the league’s two best players in Mike Muscala ’13 and the Mountain Hawks’ C.J. McCollum, who have combined for three Patriot League Player of the Year awards in as many years.

“They won the League my freshman year, and we won it this past year, so it’s definitely something that’s turned into a rivalry,” Muscala said. “I don’t really think it was a rivalry before I came here, but it’s been fun and we always look forward to playing them.”

Aside from their individual studs, both teams also have tremendous supporting casts. For the Bison, Joe Willman ’13 has emerged this year as a dynamic front-court scorer to complement Muscala and developed one of the most reliable mid-range jumpers in the league. Bryan Cohen ’12, the three-time Patriot League defensive player of the year, is the defensive stopper who also has a reliable offensive game and a knack for providing timely baskets. Johnson provides instant offense on the bench and has been one of the most dynamic three-point threats for any team.

Then, as in any rivalry, a tremendous individual rivalry exists to make it all the more interesting. In this case, a running bout has evolved between McCollum and Cohen. McCollum has had to fight and earn every point against arguably the greatest on-ball defender in League history. While McCollum did hit the game-winner in the last game, Cohen has held McCollum in check throughout their head-to-head matchups, holding him to only 13.5 points per game, well below his season average of 21.7. 

However, in this year’s Championship contest, McCollum got the best of the Bison, recording 29 points to lead the Mountain Hawks to their second NCAA tournament berth in three years. Unlikely to earn better than a 15-seed, it will certainly be interesting to see how McCollum and the Mountain Hawks fare against one of the elite teams in the country. 

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Men Sports Track & Field

Athlete of the Week: Tom Barr

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Player Profile:

Tom Barr

Senior

Thrower

Hometown: Ambler, Pa.

Major: Economics & Italian Studies

 

2011-2012 Statistics:

Meets: 9

First-place finishes: 10 (six in shot put and four in weight throw)

Season-best (shot put): 55′ 6.25”

Season-best (weight throw): 64′ 2.5”

After defending his Patriot League title in the shot put two weeks earlier, Tom Barr ’12 became the first Bison field event winner ever at the IC4A Championships this past weekend, recording a career-high 64′ 2.5” in the weight throw. Barr, who was part of a select group of Bison track and field members eligible for IC4As, bested his previous mark by five inches and jumped up to third all-time on the program record list during the opening day in Boston. Barr’s big win proved pivotal for the Orange and Blue squad who placed 12th in a field of 47 teams, their best finish since 2007. At the close of the two-day meet, Barr was one of six Bison athletes awarded All-East accolades.

Since joining the Orange and Blue as a first-year, Barr has shown continuous improvement throughout his career. The senior thrower has improved his shot put and weight throw distances by almost six feet over his four years and emerged as the squad’s most consistent thrower this season. During the nine meets that Barr performed in this Indoor season, he recorded at least one first place finish in his two events and will undoubtedly earn All-Patriot League honors for the second consecutive year.

With the indoor season coming to a close this past weekend, Barr and the rest of the Bison squad set their sights on defending as Patriot League Champions in the spring. The Orange and Blue are scheduled to begin their season on March 31 at the Towson Invitationals in Towson, Md. 

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Featured Men Sports Swimming & Diving

Bison Athlete of the Week: Mike Nicholson ’14

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

 

Profile:

Mike Nicholson

Sophomore

IM/Breast/Fly

Hometown: Chappaqua, N.Y.

Major: Economics and Sociology

 

Season bests:

200 breast: 2:01.71

200 fly: 1:48.57

200 IM: 1:50.11

400 IM: 3:53.37

 

One week after falling just short of a second consecutive Patriot League title in the 400 IM, Mike Nicholson ’14 captured two gold medals and a silver at the ECAC Championships this past weekend in Annapolis, Md., making him the first Orange and Blue swimmer to earn multiple titles in the same year since 1993.

Starting off his weekend with as the runner-up in the 200 IM, Nicholson came away with individual titles on each of the following days in the 400 IM and 200 breaststroke. Nicholson posted a season-best time of 3:53.37 in the 400 IM finals to edge out the second-place finisher by 0.74 seconds and claim the Bison’s first gold of the meet. Following this performance, Nicholson came back on Sunday to post a career-best time of 2:01.71 in the 200 breaststroke, putting him just 0.03 seconds shy of the men’s swimming program’s all-time mark.

Largely due to the Nicholson’s successes, the men’s swimming team was able to capture its second runner-up finish in as many weeks. Over the course of the three-day meet, the Bison accumulated a total of 503 points, allowing them to beat Patriot League rival Army once again.

With two full seasons under his belt, Nicholson has already been able to accomplish what few swimmers are able to do over the course of their careers. Currently, Nicholson holds school records in the 200 IM, 200 fly and 400 IM and ranks in the program top 10 in the 1,000 freestyle and 200 breaststroke. Next season, Nicholson will look to add to his collection and recapture his Patriot League title in the 400 IM.