Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons “Superstar” Andre Bynum hasn’t played a single for the Sixers this season. His absence has had a deeply negative impact on the Sixers.
Julian Dorey
Writer
“Misgivings.”
What has happened to the Philadelphia 76ers this year? It seems like the only news coming out of South Philadelphia is what hairstyle Andrew Bynum is sporting on a given day. What’s even more sad is that’s the only noteworthy effect the 25-year-old “All-Star” has had on the Sixers.
When the Sixers traded their longtime swingman Andre Iguodala, their promising European big man Nikola Vucevic and their first-round draft pick Moe Harkless for a proven “superstar,” something they hadn’t had since trading Allen Iverson in 2006, they most certainly had the word “contender” on their mind. Instead, they’ve dealt with bad hairdos, a media nightmare, a lost season and brittle cartilage in both of Bynum’s knees.
Immediately after acquiring Bynum in August, the big man (who had suffered from some chronic knee injuries in the past) mentioned that he would travel to Germany to receive the same anti-invasive knee procedure that Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriguez received. He was coming off a season in which he had not missed any significant time due to injury and in which he posted the best numbers of his career. Sixers fans didn’t have any reason to worry … until the first day of training camp.
Bynum showed up and said that he was “shutting down” any physical activity for three weeks, and he went on to say that he would be ready for the start of the season. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and said he wouldn’t be ready for the opening tip. Two weeks after that, he changed his status to “indefinite.” And now, all the way into March, after more episodes of prolonging his recovery and after assuring fans all year that he would indeed play this year, he has rescinded that sentiment and has said he may get surgery.
All of this after the Sixers went through hell and high water to get him, and with his looming free agency status coming this summer, the Sixers have some decisions to make. Well, I say there isn’t a decision at all. If a 25-year-old can’t get through a 30-minute shootaround without his knees flaring up, his future doesn’t look too promising. Moreover, the guy has taken the city of Philadelphia for a disastrous roller coaster ride, all while not seeming to care or understand the gravity of the situation.
Does he really think that the Sixers are just going to throw a max-contract at him in July? Does he understand what his absence has done not just to their team (currently one of the worst in the NBA), but to the quality of their brand? The Sixers already were the proverbial red-headed stepchild of Philadelphia sports even before Iverson left town. Bynum has only added to the lore of the team’s continuous embarrassments.
The team spent the offseason building a roster specifically around Bynum, an offense that runs through the paint and spreads the floor for athletic jump shooters. Without Bynum, the shooters are useless, the paint game is non-existent and players have been forced to play out of position. If Bynum acted at all like he cared or showed some sense of urgency this year, maybe I’d consider rolling the dice on him this offseason. Clearly his priorities are elsewhere.
As an old movie once said: “Adios, amigo.” But, for authentic purposes, let’s drop the “amigo” part.
The men’s and women’s swimming teams participated in the ECAC Championships this past weekend in Cambridge, Mass. The women finished fourth out of 21 teams with 380.5 points, while the men finished sixth out of 19 teams with 304 points.
For the women on March 1, Lauren Perry ’15 and Emily Wright ’14 led the Bison with third place finishes in the 500 free and 50 free, respectively. On March 2, the 800 free relay team of Elizabeth Porcellio ’13, Lyndsey Marcheskie ’16, Stephanie Koziol ’15 and Perry set a school record with a time of 7:31.76, while also placing second in the event. Diver Tara Boyle ’15 also finished sixth in the three-meter diving event. Perry was also a top performer on March 3, with a fifth place finish in the 100 free.
Mike Nicholson ’14 and Christian Treat ’13 were the top scorers for the men on March 1. Nicholson finished third in the 200 IM, while Treat finished fifth in the same event. On March 2, Treat and Ben Seketa ’15 were top 10 finishers in the 100 breast, placing fourth and eighth, respectively. On March 3, Nicholson finished fourth in the 200 fly, breaking his own school record in the event with 1:48.45. George Beatty ’15 finished the 1,650 free in 15:53.34, and Tyler Wenzel ’16 finished in seventh place in the 1 meter diving event.
The ECAC Championships conclude the 2012-2013 season for the Bison. With many swimmers returning next year for both teams, the Orange and the Blue will look to build on their strength and come out even stronger during the 2013-2014 season.
The women’s lacrosse team traveled to Fairfax, Va. and Washington D.C. last weekend to face the George Mason Patriots and the George Washington Colonials. Despite two close matches, the Bison came away empty handed with a 12-8 loss to George Mason and an 11-9 loss to George Washington.
Plagued by slow starts in previous matches, the opening half against George Mason on March 1 was little different for the Bison as they fell behind 10-3. The Bison did manage to regroup in the second half, outscoring George Mason 5-2 and preventing the Patriots from scoring during the match’s final 23 minutes, but it was too little too late for the Orange and the Blue.
Emily Kookogey ’15 and Katelyn Miller ’14 led the offense with two goals each, while Madison Hurwitz ’13, Sam Rickels ’16, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Ryan Wenk ’13 also scored one goal apiece. Adrienne Wendling ’13 played a big role on defense, with six draw controls, while goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 recorded four saves.
The Bison looked to rebound against George Washington on March 3. They took an early 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Miller and Hurwitz and responded to three straight Colonial goals with three of their own (two from Wenk and one from Kookogey). Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to sustain their offensive success in the second half, when the Colonials went on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 11-6 lead. Miller had three more goals in the final minutes to lessen the deficit, but it was not enough for the Orange and the Blue as they fell to 0-5 for the season.
In addition to Miller’s hat trick, Kleinert also put points on the board for the Bison with a single goal in the second half. Wendling caused four turnovers, while Kerri Althouse ’14 led the team with four ground balls. O’Neill finished the match with 11 saves.
The women’s lacrosse team is still looking for its first win as they open Patriot League play tomorrow at Colgate. The Orange and the Blue also play Presbyterian in South Carolina on March 12 and will be hosting Navy on March 16 at 1 p.m.
In their Patriot League opener, the Orange and Blue ran away with an 11-2 win over the visiting Navy Midshipmen on March 2. Over the final 51 minutes of play, the Bison held Navy scoreless on a meager eight shots, while the offense posted its third straight game of more than 10 goals.
The Midshipmen came into last weekend’s contest averaging 12 goals a game and kicked off the day’s scoring in just 66 seconds after the opening whistle. Chase Bailey ’13 would then equalize the game at a goal apiece, before the Midshipmen took back the lead with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.
During the opening period, this game appeared to have all the makings for a classic Navy-Bison battle as the Orange and Blue had an answer for each tally by the visiting squad. After the Bison took their first lead of the day on Bailey’s second goal early in the second quarter, it was full steam ahead as the Orange and Blue scored the final eight goals. Sean Doyle ’16 attributed offensive success to “selfless play and the fact that everyone was always trying to find the extra man.”
Over the final three quarters of play, the Bison defense completely shut down the visiting Midshipmen while the offense benefitted from its ability to maintain long possessions, wearing down their Patriot League foes and allowing for their defense to stay fresh.
“[The Bison] were stronger physically, winning individual battles, and [the] defense pushed their guys around whenever they did have the ball; forcing turnovers and bad passes,” goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 said.
Doyle led the Bison scoring, registering three goals and an assist, leading to an award for the Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Bailey, Todd Heritage ’14 and Thomas Flibotte ’16 added two goals apiece, while Peter Burke ’14 and David Dickson ’15 rounded out the Bison scoring, each with a single goal.
The defense was led by Alex Spring ’16, with five caused turnovers and had six ground balls, and a five-save performance by Feeney.
The 3-1 Bison continue their homestand with non-league games against Massachusetts and Drexel before heading to Easton, Pa. on March 16 for a game versus Lafayette. All three games will occur during Spring Break.
The men’s baseball team played two games against Harvard and two against No. 19 Virginia last weekend, and recorded its first win of the season against Harvard with a 7-4 victory on March 3. The Bison fell to Harvard 2-1 in extra innings on March 1, and dropped both games against Virginia 12-4 and 9-1.
“We pitchers are focused on what we can control which is keeping runners from getting on base and scoring, and we’ve had some success so far. The win we got this weekend helps our confidence in that we know we can put all the pieces together and win a game,” pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 said.
Hough started off the weekend by logging seven strong innings on the mound, allowing only six hits and one run against Harvard. But the Bison offense could only manage one run in support of Hough, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Rob Krentzman ’15 in the eighth inning. The team pushed the 1-1 tie to extra innings, but ultimately fell short of victory.
The Orange and Blue faced off against Virginia the next day. Despite the loss, the team improved offensively and seven different players recorded hits, with Jon Mayer ’16 leading the way with a two-run double and Corey Furman ’14 scoring after hitting a triple.
“This weekend was a great experience for the team. We saw some great competition and are getting closer to where we need to be … I think if we can limit the number of big innings when on defense then that would help solve a lot of our problems,” pitcher Max Kra ’16 said.
The Bison came back with a vengeance against Harvard, and their strong effort resulted in their first win of the season. Furman once again had a strong offensive performance with a two-run home run, while Travis Clark ’13 and Robb Scott ’13 both had two doubles apiece. Dan Goldstein ’13 started the day on the mound and struck out six in seven innings, while Kra posted his first career save in the final two innings.
“The win against Harvard really was good for the team … It really lifted the team’s spirit and took some weight off our shoulders,” right fielder Matt Busch ’13 said.
The Orange and Blue finished off their weekend against Virginia, but were unable to keep their momentum from the earlier game going in the loss. Krentzman and Busch led the offense with two hits apiece, with Krentzman driving in the only run for the Bison with an RBI single in the first inning. On the mound, six different pitchers stepped up for the team to gain some experience.
The Bison will leave for their Spring Break trip to Florida this weekend, starting off their seven-game trip against North Dakota State.
The women’s golf team swung into season last weekend at the Edwin Watts Kiawah Classic in South Carolina, finishing with a collective score of 335 on March 5. Jen Lee ’16 led the team, beginning the weekend with a 79 and finishing with the Orange and Blue’s lowest score at 81.
“This weekend was rough for us, [but] considering it was our first time on grass for the season, I think we did fairly well. I think we held our own,” Lee said.
Emily Timmons ’15 and Lee carried the Bison on the first round of the Kiawah Classic. Lee jumpstarted the Bison’s performance with a par-birdie start, ending with a score of 79. Timmons followed in Lee’s path, posting 1-under par for the final five holes, giving her an end score of 80.
Bridget Wilcox ’14 pulled ahead on March 4 by shooting one birdie and 11 pars, carding a 78. Kasha Scott ’14 posted a final score of 80, helping Wilcox to aid the Bison’s concluding score of 329 in the second round.
The Bison finished the Classic with a team score of 335 on March 5. Lee struggled in the middle of her round, but ended strongly with the Bison’s lowest score of 81. Scott and Wilcox both carded 84’s, joining Lee in posting the team’s best scores for the day. They were closely followed by Timmons’ final score of 86.
“We had some stellar rounds posted by both Jen Lee and Emily Timmons which was really exciting. Even though we didn’t perform our best this weekend, we definitely are working our way towards posting up some great scores. I bet we are going to go low in Las Vegas next week,” Scott said.
The women’s golf team will return to action on March 14 for the Second Annual Bison Challenge at Paiute in Las Vegas.
The Bison traveled to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Colonial Classic this past weekend, coming away with a 4-3 win against George Washington, a 4-0 shutout over Seton Hall and a 4-2 loss to the Pirates. The two wins brought the Orange and the Blue’s overall record to 3-8.
The Bison pulled out their second win of the season in an eight-inning game against tournament host George Washington on March 1. It was the fourth extra-inning game of the season for the Bison. Due to the international tiebreaker rule, Mariah Midyette ’16 started off on second base. Thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Cheyanna Young ’16, Midyette was able to advance to third. Mallory Lyons ’14 hit the game-winning single in the top of the eighth inning to send Midyette home and defeat the Colonials.
Dana Nielsen ’16 took the win for the Orange and the Blue. She served as the relief pitcher for 2.2 innings without giving up a walk or a hit.
After several postponed and cancelled games due to darkness, the Orange and Blue were finally able to get back on the field on March 3 for a split doubleheader against Seton Hall. The Bison lost the first game, which they entered trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning, but Courtney Conover ’14 had a strong game, scoring both Bison runs with a home run in the seventh inning.
Although the Orange and Blue could only string together two runs in the first game, they were able to put four runs on the scoreboard in the second game, which was ended after five innings due to darkness.
Cydnee Sanders ’15 singled to get on base, then advanced to second on a base hit from Erin Cox ’15. Sanders scored the first run in the first inning, coming home on a wild pitch. The Bison scored their second run of the game in the fourth inning, when Young drew a leadoff walk, and then pinch runner Caryn Connors ’14 came home on Conover’s double to right center field.
The Bison scored their final two runs of the game in the fifth inning before the darkness set in. Cox singled to get on base, then scored due to fielder’s choice. Conover helped score another run due to another fielder’s choice.
“The tournament this weekend went pretty well for the team aside from all the field complications we experienced,” Conover said. “Aside from the one loss, the team worked extremely hard and got the bats rolling in our games against Seton Hall. Communication was a major aspect of our success this past weekend. It was exciting to finally beat a team that Bucknell has never beaten in past years. The team is really coming together as a unit.”
Nielsen (1-3) took the loss from the first game, while Amanda Fazio ’16 (2-4) took the win in the nightcap. Fazio pitched her first career shutout, only allowing nine hits and four runners in scoring position.
The Orange and Blue will travel to Texas and Louisiana to compete in several games over Spring Break. They will play Houston Baptist (March 11), Lamar (March 12), McNeese State (March 13), Prairie View A&M (March 15) and Texas Southern (March 16).
Christian Limawan | The Bucknellian Ryan Frazier ’16 attempts to juke out a Navy defender in Wednesday’s quarterfinal game. The Bison won 58-42 and will face No. 4 seed Army in the semifinals on Saturday.
Eric Brod
Senior Writer
The road to the NCAA tournament has officially begun. In a historic week for the men’s basketball program, which included Mike Muscala ’13 breaking the all-time program scoring record, the Bison won a pair of games against Navy, the second a 58-42 victory in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament after defeating the Midshipmen 62-46 on March 2. The Orange and Blue have now advanced to the league semifinals for the third straight year.
In the opening round of the league tournament on March 6, the Orange and Blue dominated Navy on the defensive end en route to their third victory of the season over the Midshipmen. Muscala, who came into the game just two points shy of Al Leslie’s 32-year-old program record for career scoring (1,973), broke the record with a free throw 3:53 into the contest. The Bison also received strong play from starting point guard Steven Kaspar ’15 who finished with seven points and Ryan Hill ’14, who had a strong game with five points.
In the game, the Bison relied on a smother defense and outstanding free throw shooting to get past a tough Navy squad. Muscala, who shot 9-10 from the line, recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. In the first half, the Orange and Blue held Navy to a mere 22.2 percent shooting en route to a 26-16 first half advantage. The Midshipmen were also held scoreless for the final 5:30 of the first half.
Navy made a mini-run in the second half to cut the lead to 32-23, but the Bison responded with an emphatic 12-1 run. A key point in that span came when Navy committed a flagrant foul on Joe Willman ’13. Willman, who had 10 points and seven rebounds, knocked down both free throws and Hill scored on the ensuing possession. The Bison led by 20 after Bryson Johnson ’13, who had seven points in the game, hit a pair of free throws. The Orange and Blue extended their lead to as much as 23 points before the game was over.
For the night, the Bison shot only 38.6 percent and 2-14 from beyond the arc, but used a balanced offensive attack and were able to get to the line, shooting 22-24 from the foul line on the night.
The Bison completed one of the most impressive and memorable seasons in program history with a convincing victory over the Midshipmen on March 2. Rebounding proved to be pivotal in the regular season finale, as the Orange and Blue outrebounded Navy 35-26, led by Willman who pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with nine points. Muscala finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of game action.
Making his third straight start, Kaspar showed his versatility with an impressive eight points, four assists and two steals. For the game, the Bison had 18 assists on 23 made baskets.
The Bison raced out to a quick 13-2 lead on 6-10 shooting to start the game and held a 33-24 advantage at halftime. After Navy had cut the lead to six near the end of the half, Kaspar forced a steal and found Johnson, who nailed a three-pointer at the first half buzzer.
Cameron Ayers ’14, who finished with a game-high 14 points, opened the second half with two straight three’s to extend the Bison lead to 39-24, and the team led by double digits the rest of the way en route to the victory.
“They tried to play a lot of different defenses against us and we moved the ball around well for the most part,” Ayers said. “We have seen a variety of defenses this year and I think if we keep being aggressive on offense and make the right plays we should have success on Wednesday.”
The Bison will look to advance to the Patriot League Championship tomorrow when they take on Army in the league semifinals. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
Heather Oros | The Bucknellian Shelby Romine ’14 drives to the lane in the women’s basketball team’s 55-48 upset win over Navy on Senior Night.
Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor
The women’s basketball team concluded its regular season with a remarkable 55-48 Senior Night victory over Navy in Sojka Pavilion on March 2. Seniors Ashley Baxter, Alyssa Dunn, Lindsay Horbatuck, Felicia Mgbada and Rachel Voss were honored before the game and all five seniors were in the starting lineup for the Orange and Blue.
With the win, the Bison clinched the sixth seed in the Patriot League tournament, finishing with a 14-15 overall record (5-9 in conference play).
“Senior Night brought a mix of emotions. Before the game, Coach [Aaron] Roussell told us that we had a chance to make that night one to remember and that simple realization really motivated us to fight hard for the result we all wanted so badly,” Dunn said.
Navy started the game with momentum from the three-point line, draining three straight shots from behind the arc to gain an 11-2 lead. Mgbada opened with seven straight points to keep the Orange and Blue within striking distance, and Audrey Dotson ’15 sunk a three-pointer to cap a 10-0 run for the Bison, giving them their first lead of the game.
“My mindset was that it was Senior Day, it might be the last time our fans get to see us play and a lot of people came out to support us. We started out slow, but once we got the nerves out and a little sweat going, there was no stopping,” Mgbada said.
The Bison continued to keep up the defensive pressure, holding Navy without a field goal in seven minutes of play. The Orange and Blue were down 26-23 at halftime, but shot 50 percent from the field (10-20), while holding the Midshipmen to 28.6 percent shooting (8-28) in the first half, including 5-18 from behind the arc.
“We knew that Navy was going to shoot a lot of threes, but we wanted to minimize those as much as possible while contesting the ones that they did get,” Dunn said. “As a team, we also focused on neutralizing their inside presence and we all did a great job making the game difficult for their post players in the paint.”
The Orange and Blue began the second half on an 18-6 run. Katherine Harris ’15 started the blitz with a three-pointer, while Dotson contributed eight points to build a 41-32 lead. Navy kept the game within single digits, but the Bison’s balanced effort guided them to the win.
Dotson was the leading scorer with 17 points on 7-8 shooting. Mgbada added 13 points and Horbatuck continued her strong post play with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Her 299 rebounds this season places her second on the program’s single-season rebounding list. After a strong performance by all three forwards, the Bison set a program record with 1,227 rebounds this season.
“Coach [Roussell] said to us before the game that this game has the chance to be a highlight of our career, winning a huge game on Senior Night. We all fed off of each other’s energy and when we started hitting shots in the second half there was no looking back from there. That game was a true example of a team effort,” Horbatuck said.
Two Bison players were recognized for their regular season achievements. Shelby Romine ’14 was named Second Team All-Patriot League, while Horbatuck received Academic All-Patriot League Team honors. Horbatuck led the Patriot League in rebounding (10.3 RPG) and Romine finished third in league scoring (13.4 PPG).
