Category: Sports

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis wins two matches

Emily Evancho

Writer

The women’s tennis team battled through a shivering start to their season in Fairfax, Va. on March 22 with a 4-2 win over George Mason. Unfortunately, on the following day in Annapolis, Md. the Bison were unable to pull a repeat performance in their first Patriot League match, falling 7-0 to Navy. On March 27, the ladies hit the court again against Mount St. Mary’s, emerging with a 4-3 victory.

Abbreviated by the cold against George Mason, the Orange and Blue had a tricky task in singles play. Stephanie Pino ’16 was the first Bison to strike victory with a 6-3, 6-4 final score. Lydia Colvin ’15 followed Pino’s lead with her own 6-2, 7-6 win. Maria Cioffi ’16 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 struggled in their matches, splitting sets and ending both their matches with super tie breakers. Cioffi and Vidrascu eventually came out on top with Cioffi securing the match’s decision in favor of the Orange and Blue with her 10-6 victory in her tiebreaker.

The next day’s match against Navy did not end in another victory for the Bison. Vidrascu and Cioffi once again played a key role in the match as the Bison’s only win of the day, an 8-7 triumph in the No. 1 doubles match. Navy took the lead in all singles matches and didn’t allow another Bison win. In singles play, the strongest performance was given by Colvin, who lost 7-5, 6-2 after almost taking the first set.

“We normally have really tight matches against Navy. Everyone played well in their matches but it didn’t come out in our favor. If we had to play them again though, I think we’d have a good chance,” Cioffi said.

The women’s tennis team swung back with a victory against Mount St. Mary’s. After falling behind 2-1, singles wins by Cioffi, Colvin and Pino gave the Bison a small 3-2 lead. As the temperatures on the cold day plummeted, the doubles matches got underway, with the match on the line. Victories by Pino/Colvin (8-1) and Jen Bush ’15/Sam Madnick ’16 (8-3) gave the doubles point and the match to the Bison.

The women’s tennis team will return to the court again on April 2, to play against St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia.

Categories
Baseball Men Sports

Baseball suffers several one-run setbacks, goes 1-4

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The baseball team dropped three consecutive one-run games to the Delaware Blue Hens last weekend, with the first two games on the road and the final game at home. The Orange and the Blue lost 13-12 in game one, 4-3 in game two and 5-4 in game three. The Bison also split two home games against Binghamton.

The first Delaware game proved to be a heartbreaker for the Bison. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 was lit up for 10 runs in 5.2 innings, and the Orange and the Blue went into the top of the eighth inning facing a 13-2 deficit. In a stunning comeback attempt, the Bison scored two runs in the eighth and then unloaded for eight runs in the ninth, but fell excruciatingly short with the bases loaded and could not complete the rally.

In the second game, the Bison entered the eighth inning with a 2-2 tie, but Delaware scored two in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. The Orange and the Blue got one back in the ninth, but once again were stopped short by one run.

Game three seemed like the Bison would finally reverse their bad fortune. Trailing 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Bison rallied for two runs thanks to RBI hits by Corey Furman ’14 and Carter Bumgardner ’13 to knot the score 4-4. After trading zeros in the 10th, the Bison once again fell behind on a wild pitch, and this time could not tie it up as they suffered their final loss to Delaware.

Furman hit in all three games and was able to extend his current team-leading six-game hitting streak. Bumgardner also performed well, going 7-13 in the three games with the Blue Hens. Bumgardner scored a pair of runs in game one, and had a clutch RBI in game three to complete a two-run rally and send the final game in this series to extra innings.

Things began to get a little better as the Orange and Blue won the first game versus Binghamton 3-1. Behind strong pitching from Andrew Andreychik ’16 and RBIs from Robb Scott ’13, Rob Krentzman ’15 and Brett Ashley ’14, the Bison were able to break their seven-game losing streak.

In game two, the Bison again came back from a deficit as they erased a three-run Binghamton lead in the sixth inning, only to cough up the lead in the seventh and drop another one-run game.

The Orange and Blue will head into Patriot League play this weekend on the road against Holy Cross.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis records multiple wins thanks to Bybel, Zimmer

Lauren Boone

Staff Writer

The men’s tennis team faced three tough competitors this past week, with two road matchups last weekend against George Mason and Navy and a home match against Mount St. Mary’s on March 27. After the matches, the Orange and Blue improved their overall season record to 8-5 with a 4-3 victory over George Mason, a 5-2 loss to Navy and a 5-2 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

The Bison clinched the win over George Mason on March 22 thanks to the doubles team of Octavio Canibe ’15 and Aidan Lynch ’14. They pulled out a 9-7 win, claiming the doubles point that won the overall match.

The meeting began with singles matches, with Evan Zimmer ’13, Josh Katten ’13 and Nick Bybel ’16 all claiming victories for the Bison. At first, the Bison led the singles matches with three points to the Patriots’ sole point, but George Mason managed to gather a couple of points to tie up the score leading into the doubles play.

The Patriots kept the momentum leading into doubles. On the No. 2 court, they defeated Kelly Morque ’13 and Zimmer 8-3. But the Bison were able to claim the last two doubles matches to win the overall match. At No. 1 doubles, Bybel and Katten won with a score of 8-6. Finally, the Orange and Blue claimed the winning point at No. 3 doubles (9-7).

“George Mason was a pretty crazy match. We played in 40 degree weather and we’re in a battle with the wind as much as we were our opponents. Although it came down to the doubles point, this was an exciting win for our team. Getting a win under the unusual circumstances in a true battle is great and helps motivate our team. It was exciting being the last match on with everything coming down to Octavio [Canibe] and I winning or losing. I’m glad we came out on top,” Lynch said.

Unfortunately, the Bison were not able to the take the momentum from the George Mason win into their first Patriot League match of the season against Navy. Bybel recorded a singles victory and partnered with Katten for an 8-6 doubles victory. Kyle Rosen ’14 recorded the only other singles win with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Bybel’s singles win against Navy tied him for most singles victories this season on the team, but it was not enough as the Bison remained winless in 37 tries against Navy.

Against Mount St. Mary’s, Zimmer proved to be the hero by securing the match-winning point with victories in both singles and doubles, with Lynch as his partner. Bybel and Katten also won their doubles match, while Bybel, Canibe and Morque recorded singles wins.

The next game for the men’s tennis team will be on the road against Saint Joseph’s on April 2.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball’s season ended by Butler

 

Raffi Berberian | The Bucknellian Joe Willman '13 (center left) scored a career high of 20 points against Butler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but unfortunately it was not enough to clinch another Bison victory.
Raffi Berberian | The Bucknellian
Joe Willman ’13 (center left) scored a career high of 20 points against Butler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but unfortunately it was not enough to clinch another Bison victory.

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

A magical season for the 2013 Bison men’s basketball team came to an end on March 21 when the Bison, seeded 11th in the East region of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, fell to sixth-seeded Butler 68-56 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Orange and Blue finished the season with an outstanding 28-6 record, the most wins by a team in Patriot League history.

Making the sixth tournament appearance in program history, the Orange and Blue got off to a sluggish start offensively, scoring just 14 points in the opening frame. The hero for the Bison in the first half was Joe Willman ’13, who scored eight of the 14 points en route to a career-high 20 points on 10-16 shooting. Willman explains how he was able to get open looks throughout the game.

“Butler hedges ball screens really aggressively and keeps two guys on the ball so I was able to get to open space for open shots,” Willman said. “The guards did a really good job at making passes out of the ball screens. Also, Mike generates a lot of attention so his man was reluctant to leave him, leaving me open.”

Mike Muscala ’13 was stifled throughout the half by Andrew Smith and the Butler defense, limited to nine points for the game on 4-17 shooting. Muscala was still able to grab 10 rebounds. Despite struggling shooting-wise in the first half, the defense, which has been stout all season, held Butler to just 21 points, keeping the deficit at seven heading into the half. Cameron Ayers ’14 discusses what head coach Dave Paulsen’s message was to the team at the half.

“He told us that shots would fall in the second half and that we just need to step up and hit shots,” Ayers said. “We were playing well defensively and only held them to 21 points, so just to keep the defensive intensity up as well.”

Butler extended its lead to 29-18 with 16:35 left in the second half, but the resilient Bison would not go away and staged a comeback. Ignited by a three-point play by Muscala, the Orange and Blue went on a 19-2 run to take a 37-31 lead. The run featured a key jumper by Willman and a transition three by Ayers, who finished with nine points on 3-10 shooting for the game. Butler responded with a run of their own, but Ryan Frazier ’16 came back with a huge three-point play to take back the lead at 40-39.

Butler would take control for the rest of the game as they outscored the Orange and Blue by 12 en route to the third round of the tournament, where they would lose 64-62 to three-seeded Marquette. Ayers discusses what made Butler such a tough matchup for the team.

“They are a very physical team and they don’t make too many mistakes and won’t beat themselves,” Ayers said. “They are very disciplined on defense and make you run your offense to perfection.”

After being inserted into the starting lineup just last month, point guard Steven Kaspar ’15 continued his strong play with six points, six assists and six rebounds in a career-high 32 minutes of action. He also helped lead the defense in holding Butler to just 36 percent shooting, which came into the game shooting 45 percent for the season. The Bulldogs’ defense was also strong, limiting the Bison to just 37 percent from the field.

Despite the loss, the Orange and Blue completed arguably the most successful season in program history. The senior class of Bryson Johnson, Muscala, Willman and Colin Klebon won 92 games in their career, the most in the history of the program. Muscala finished his career as the Bison’s all-time leading scorer (2,036) and second in rebounds (1,093). Johnson, who finished with nine points in the Butler game, leaves as the Patriot League’s record holder for three point baskets in a career (323).

“We are proud of a lot of things over the past four years. We are proud to have won as many games as we did along with setting the records we did with a great group of guys, playing for unbelievable coaches,” Willman said. 

While the Bison are losing much of their veteran core from this year, the future looks bright for the program in the years moving forward. Players such as Ayers, Kaspar, Frazier, Dom Hoffman ’16, Ryan Hill ’14 and Chris Hass ’16 will have the Orange and Blue competitive for next year.

“I’m looking forward to another good season next year with a great group of guys. It is going to be extremely difficult to replace the seniors, obviously because they were a huge part of our success on and off the court, but we are going to have to do it collectively,” Ayers said. “This summer and next fall we all are going to have to improve individually but once we all get back together I think we will surprise a lot of people and have a successful year.”

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lacrosse drops two games

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team scored 17 goals this past weekend, but the Bison were unsuccessful in both of their contests, falling to Duquesne 18-9 at home on March 26 after suffering a 14-8 road loss to Lehigh on March 23.

Against Duquesne, the Bison were down 9-2 at halftime with Madison Hurwitz ’13 scoring the only two goals for the Orange and Blue. After the Dukes opened the scoring in the second half, the Bison went on a 4-1 run with goals from Sam Rickels ’16, Ryan Wenk ’13, Katelyn Miller ’14 and Sophie Kleinert ’14. It would not be enough to stop the offensive attack of Duquesne, as it scored six unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Hurwitz had a season-high four goals, while Miller added two goals and an assist for the Bison. The Dukes outshot the Orange and Blue 27-17 in the game. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 finished with five saves.

At Lehigh, seven players registered goals for the Bison, including two from Emily Kookogey ’15. The Orange and Blue also had a 24-23 shot advantage, but a 5-0 second half run led the Mountain Hawks to victory.

Kleinert scored the initial goal at the 27:19 mark of the first half, but Lehigh answered with five straight goals. Kookogey’s two goals, along with scores from Rickels and Wenk were part of a 4-2 Bison run that trimmed Lehigh’s halftime lead to 7-5.

Cori Thielemann ’15 capitalized on a free position shot and scored her first goal of the match to make it a two-goal game, but the Bison were held scoreless for nearly 25 minutes, as Lehigh scored five more straight goals. Emily Becker ’16 ended the game with a goal of her own off an assist from Hurwitz.

Adrienne Wendling ’13 finished with four ground balls and forced two turnovers, while Rickels registered four draw controls.

The Bison look to pick up their first conference win when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face American on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Categories
Club/Intramural Men's Rowing Sports

Rowing teams look for repeat of last year’s successes

 

Scott Waters | The Bucknellian The varsity eight of the men's crew team trained during the team's winter break training trip in Orlando, Fla.
Scott Waters | The Bucknellian
The varsity eight of the men’s crew team trained during the team’s winter break training trip in Orlando, Fla.

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

The men’s crew and women’s rowing teams will begin their seasons this upcoming weekend at the Murphy Cup Regatta. Both teams are coming off highly successful seasons; the women’s team is the defending Patriot League Champion and the men’s team won the silver medal at the ACRA National Championships.

The women’s rowing team has very high expectations for this season. The seven-time defending Patriot League champions have been ranked first in the league’s Preseason Poll. Additionally, the team looks to repeat as overall team champions in the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta and improve its performance at the season-ending NCAA and IRA regattas.

The team has a difficult road ahead of them en route to an eighth straight Patriot League title. The team’s challenging schedule features dual races against Drexel, Penn, Columbia, Georgetown Lightweights, Princeton Lightweights and Delaware, as well as the Knecht Cup, Dad Vail, Patriot League Championship and IRA Lightweight regattas.

“The women have been working very hard and we have a challenging racing schedule so it will be great to see the team in action soon,” head coach Stephen Kish said.

The men’s crew team also has high expectations after coming off a historic season, which concluded with silver medal performances at both the ECAC and ACRA National Championships. The team has been training hard over the winter in preparation for the season.

“Throughout winter training, our freshmen and sophomores pushed our upperclassmen on the ergs and on the water, which had created a great on-water racing dynamic. I expect this trend to continue with young talent taking seats in the top two eight’s and those two eight’s to vie for medals at our championship regattas,” head coach Al Monte said.

The team recently returned from a Spring Break training trip in Columbia, S.C. and is ready to kick off its spring schedule, which is filled with tough competition and includes dual races against Hobart, Drexel, Williams and Holy Cross and regatta appearances at the Murphy Cup, San Diego Crew Classic, Knecht Cup, ECAC Championship and the ACRA National Championships.

The Murphy Cup Regatta will be held Saturday on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey.

Categories
Men Sports Wrestling

Stolfi wins three at NCAAs

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

The men’s wrestling team concluded its season at the NCAA Championships this past weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. The only Bison competing at the event was Joe Stolfi ’15. Corey Lear ’13 acquired an at-large berth to the meet, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Stolfi, representing the Bison in the heavyweight division, went 3-2 in the tournament and was one win shy from becoming only the sixth wrestler in program history to earn All-American honors. After opening the meet with a loss to No. 6 Bobby Telford of Iowa, Stolfi won his next three matches. He first defeated Bloomsburg’s Justin Grant by decision, and went on to avenge a regular season loss to Adam Chalfant of Indiana by pinning his opponent in 6:38. This win was followed by a 6-2 decision victory over Benjamin Apland of Michigan.

The victories put Stolfi in a matchup against Central Michigan’s Jarod Trice for All-American honors. These two had met during the regular season, with Trice winning by decision 15-8. Unfortunately, Stolfi was unable to get the win over the three-time All-American Trice.

Despite this loss, Stolfi finished the season with a 26-16 record, winning 16 of his last 19 matches prior to the NCAA Championships, and not losing back-to-back matches since Jan. 6.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

University receiving large amount of media attention thanks to NCAA berth

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

University receiving large amount of media attention thanks to NCAA berth

The men’s basketball’s fantastic season has garnered much attention for the University, and many pundits are quick to take notice. While some experts are already labeling the Bison as a possible Cinderella story and a trendy upset pick in the NCAA brackets, others are expressing confusion over how a small, little heard of mid-Pennsylvanian school even managed to make its way into the Big Dance. Here are just a couple of stories about the Bison in the national media.

In the annual March Tuition Madness bracket, created by The Awl, the 64 schools are pitted against each other to see who has the highest tuition. After Georgetown won in 2012 with an average tuition of $40,920, Bucknell claimed the crown this year with a whopping average tuition of $45,132. The Bison claimed this “victory” over second place Notre Dame, who averaged $42,464 in tuition this year.

In perhaps more welcome news, the Bison also placed high in graduation rates for their basketball teams, with a perfect 100%. According to Tidesport, Bucknell is one of only 11 teams in the tournament to have a 100% graduation rate for all of their players. As the popular chant/taunt goes, “2, 4, 6, 8–all our players graduate!”

The Bison’s 28-5 record and impressive leading ensemble of Mike Muscala ’13, Joe Willman ’13, and Bryson Johnson ’13 have many people thinking that the Bison could go far in the tournament. Many sources are predicting that the 11th seeded Bison have what it takes to knock of 6th seeded Butler, largely in part to Muscala. Patrick Stevens of USA Today Sports comments that “[Muscala] is a ruthlessly efficient post presence, establishing position effectively and then delivering high-percentage shots. Yet he can also step outside and connect on mid-range jumpers and (on rarer occasions) 3-pointers. Bucknell wisely is built around his talents, and his skills amplify the abilities of some capable complementary pieces.” Other analysts also laud Muscala, stressing his importance in the Bison’s attempt to pull off an upset against Butler.

Of course, if Muscala isn’t enough, maybe having a cool-sounding name will do. Bucknell’s fame has risen as far as the Jimmy Kimmel Show, where Kimmel’s cousin Micki picked “Buck-null” to win it all. Micki’s motivation for choosing the University? In her own words, “I think it’s important in life to support the underdogs, and the most important thing is [to] go with your gut, and not your head.” Well said Micki, well said.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball stuns third-seeded American

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s basketball team experienced its biggest season turnaround in program history this year, clinching the sixth seed in the Patriot League tournament and pulling off a first-round upset against third-seeded American University on March 7 before being eliminated at Navy on March 11. First-year head coach Aaron Roussell led the Bison to a 15-16 overall record, along with a 5-9 record in Patriot League play.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great staff and a team that was welcome to a change which helped tremendously. Once the season got going the transition was easy because we were back to just playing and coaching basketball,” Roussell said.

Shelby Romine ’14, the team’s leading scorer, garnered Second Team All-Patriot League honors. Fellow co-captain Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team. Horbatuck, an Elementary Education major, has made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times and is a member of the Dean’s List.

In their first-round matchup at American, the Bison knew they had a tall order, having fallen to the Eagles twice during the regular season. It was a different story in their third meeting, as the Orange and Blue staged another second half comeback to come away with the 46-43 victory.

Audrey Dotson ’15 finished with a game-high 17 points. The backcourt tandem of Romine and Alyssa Dunn ’13 added nine points each. League-leading rebounder Horbatuck controlled the glass with 16 rebounds to go along with four steals.

The Bison struggled in the first half, shooting 5-25 from the field and committing 14 turnovers that translated to 16 points for the Eagles. An early 11-0 run guided American to the 21-11 advantage at halftime.

A 16-2 opening run gave the Bison their first lead of the game at the 13:36 mark of the second half. Romine started and ended the run with a couple of three-pointers. Dunn scored consecutive baskets and Dotson added another three during the run to take a 27-23 lead. Katherine Harris ’15 continued the streak shooting with another basket from beyond the arc.

After American tied the game at 35, Dunn and Dotson created some breathing room for the Bison with consecutive baskets. The game would come down to the wire, as American nailed a three-pointer to cut the Bison’s lead to one with seven seconds left. Dotson was fouled and hit both of her free throws. American made one last attempt to force overtime, but the Eagles’ three-point attempt hit the side of the rim, allowing the Bison to claim the upset.

“We started off the game very slow, and we weren’t getting much offensively however we were holding them defensively. We came out the second half extremely strong and were able to go on a run that ultimately gave us the lead that we kept for the rest of the game. It was a huge upset that not many people were expecting,” Horbatuck said.

After the win, the Orange and Blue tried to convert another upset over second-seeded Navy, a team they defeated 55-48 on Senior Night. Unfortunately, the Bison could not duplicate their second half comeback from the previous round, eventually falling 60-48 in Annapolis, Md.

The halftime score was 26-13 in favor of Navy after it held the Bison to 5-24 shooting in the first half. The Orange and Blue stormed back in the second half when Dotson and Tyler Craig ’16 nailed consecutive three-pointers to cut Navy’s lead to four with 9:53 left. It would not be enough to overcome the Midshipmen, as Navy scored 10 unanswered points and carried a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

“It would be impossible to label this season anything other than a success. We surpassed just about everybody’s expectations, including many of our players. I am proud of our team and so happy that we were able to send our seniors out with some positive accomplishments and memories,” Roussell said.

Despite the loss, the team had a number of accomplishments to be proud of this season. Horbatuck, Dunn and Dotson were all named Bison Athletes of the Week. The Orange and Blue enjoyed a five-game winning streak early in the season, as well as a four-game win streak in conference play, including wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The team also set the program’s new single-season rebounding record. Horbatuck is graduating second on that individual list as well.

“I think that this was one of the best seasons that I have been apart of and would not have changed my senior year one bit. My senior class has been through a lot because of the all the coaching changes that we have had throughout our four years. I am so thankful for my teammates, coaches, professors and most of all my parents for all the support they have provided me over the past four years,” Horbatuck said.

Joining Horbatuck and Dunn on the graduating stage are teammates Ashley Baxter ’13, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13.

In addition, Romine became the 20th member of the program’s 1,000 point club.

“This year we had more confidence and competitiveness. We came to each practice with a different attitude. Confidence is such a huge part of the game. I have extremely high hopes for next season,” Romine said. “Everyone is bought in and geared at achieving the same goal: winning a Patriot League Championship.”

Roussell also remains optimistic about the team next season, as he stresses the importance of continuing to improve.

“My goal is to always win the next game. Overall, we worked hard this year but there is another level of dedication that we can get to and it is our job as coaches to make sure our players want to get to that level,” Roussell said.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Within Reach

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The road back to the top of the Patriot League is complete for the Bison men’s basketball team. This gritty squad, led by arguably the most decorated senior class in program history, is poised to make some serious noise as they head back to the NCAA Men’s Division One Basketball Championship tournament as the 11 seed in the East Region. The Orange and Blue defeated a tough Lafayette team 64-56 in the Patriot League Championship on March 13 after defeating a game Army squad in the league semifinals 78-70, on March 9. The Bison head to the tournament with a 28-5 overall record, and set the single-season record for most wins by a Patriot League team. This is the second tournament appearance for the Bison in three years and the sixth in program history.

The Bison used tough defense, especially from guards Steven Kaspar ’15 and Ryan Frazier ’16, and a tremendous second-half stretch run by Mike Muscala ’13 to get past the two-seeded Leopards. In front of a raucous crowd at Sojka Pavilion, Muscala showed why he was the Patriot League Player of the Year, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds for a nation-leading 22nd double-double of the season. Frontcourt teammate Joe Willman ’13 provided a great effort as well, posting 14 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

In the first half, the defense stifled a Lafayette offense that came in to the contest red hot, limiting them to just 18 points on 29.2 percent shooting en route to a 26-18 halftime advantage. Ben Brackney ’14 came off the bench and nailed two crucial first-half threes to get the Orange and Blue offense going in the opening frame. The tandem of Kaspar and Frazier limited Lafayette point guard Tony Johnson, who came in leading the Patriot League in field goal percentage, and held him to 11 points for the game on just 4-13 shooting.

The Bison came out strong to start the second half, pushing their lead to 12 points early on. However, the Leopards went on a 9-0 run led by Joey Ptasinski to cut the home team’s lead to 30-27. Frazier then came up with a game-changing series of plays. On the team’s following possession, Frazier made a driving layup as the shot-clock was winding down, and then broke up Lafayette’s inbound pass and found Cameron Ayers ’14, who finished with a hard-earned nine points, for the layup to push the lead back to seven.

Lafayette refused to go away though, going on a 6-1 run to cut the Bison lead down to 41-38 with 7:17 left. Then Muscala, the program’s all-time leading scorer and only player to surpass the 2,000 point mark, took over. First, he hit a hook shot on right baseline, and then came back on the team’s next possession and nailed another hook shot from the left baseline. Later, Muscala nailed a jumper that bounced off the rim several times before finally going in as part of a pivotal 12-0 run that expanded Bison lead to 55-40 with 2:54 left. A flurry of Lafayette three’s kept the game interesting, but a pair of Brackney free-throws sealed the victory, and Muscala’s 11th rebound of the game with eight seconds left started the celebration.

Muscala, who was just as excellent in the postseason as he was in the regular season, was named tournament MVP, and was joined by Willman and Ayers on the All-Tournament team. Ayers talked about how the team came together to bring home another Patriot League Championship.

“The most impressive aspect was how it was a total team effort. Every guy played a huge role in the win over Lafayette and it just shows how hard we have been working together throughout the whole year,” Ayers said.

The Orange and Blue survived an upset bid by the pesky Army Black Knights in the league semifinals. The Bison were paced by Muscala, who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Ayers scored 19 points, including 17 in a tense second half.

The Orange and Blue came out strong and took a 36-31 lead into halftime. The Bison lead grew to seven at 51-44 after an Ayers jumper. Army refused to give in and eventually took a 61-59 lead after Patriot League Rookie of the Year Kyle Wilson nailed a layup after being fouled.

The veteran, tough Bison team responded. Bryson Johnson ’13, who throughout his career has had a knack for providing threes when needed most, drained a three on the Bison’s next possession to retake the lead at 62-61, and ignited a 10-1 run. This proved to be the difference as the Bison advanced to their third-straight league championship game.

Ayers was brilliant down the stretch, and during one stretch scored 10 of the team’s 13 points. He explains what the keys to his success were against the Black Knights in the second half.

“I think I was able to succeed during the second half because I came in from halftime with an aggressive mindset and I tried to play to my strengths by getting to the midrange jumper,” Ayers said. “My teammates did a great job finding me and encouraging to keep attacking.”

In the final 3:30, Muscala hit five of six free throws to help seal the victory, and scored 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half. Brackney again was huge off the bench, grabbing five boards and mostly filling in for Willman, who was plagued by foul trouble for large portions of the game but still posted eight points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.