Category: Sports

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Sports

Semifinal matchup pairs offensive powers

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Men’s basketball advances to semifinals of Patriot League Tournament

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sports

Women’s water polo seventh in ECAC

By Scott Padula

Contributing Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sports

Women’s lacrosse team falls to 1-3

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sports

Men’s lacrosse beats Nova, loses to Penn

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s lacrosse team split a pair of tough games against two ranked Philadelphia opponents this week, falling to No. 14 Penn 8-6 on Tuesday after defeating No. 20 Villanova 10-8 on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison’s record now stands at 2-1.

On Tuesday against Penn, the team got off to a quick start, scoring twice in the first 1:58 to stun the Quakers for an early 2-0 lead. The Bison were able to maintain their two-goal lead and headed into the locker room at halftime with a 4-2 advantage. But the Quakers used a six-goal second half to overtake the Bison.

Ryan Klipstein ’11 led the offensive attack with a hat trick. Nick Gantsoudes ’12, Mike Danylyshyn ’11 and Chase Bailey ’13 also contributed goals. Overall, the Bison were outshot 28-19.

Last Saturday, the Orange and Blue took control early and were able to hold on. The Bison were able to jump out to a 6-3 halftime lead and maintained their three-goal lead at 8-5 going into the third quarter. The Wildcats rallied before the Orange and Blue were able to lock up their second victory of the season.

The offense was once again led by Klipstein, who registered four goals in the contest to pace the offensive attack. Billy Eisenreich ’12 tallied two goals, while Todd Heritage ’14 had a goal and two assists.

The Bison were outshot 35-23, but goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 was solid in goal once again, making 13 saves in the contest. On defense, Alex Lyons ’11 forced three turnovers.

The Bison return to action on Monday when they open Patriot League play against rival Navy at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium

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Sports

Women’s swimming competes at ECACs

By Mike Wolf

Writer

The women’s swimming team put on a great show at the ECAC Championships this past weekend, finishing 10th out of over 35 competing teams, with 134 points. The event was held at the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of New Hampshire took home first place after an intense weekend of competition.

Four separate Bison managed to make it through preliminaries to the finals on the last day of the championships. Alex Panzarino ’14 recorded one of the best performances of the weekend with a 2:05.78 in the 200-yard butterfly. Her previous best time this season was 2:08.83. That time was good enough for sixth in the prelims and the second-best time in Bison history. Panzarino came in seventh on finals day which was the Bison’s best overall finish. Sinead O’Dwyer ’11, Morgan Oxley ’13 and Marisa Taddeo ’13 also qualified for finals in each of their respective events.

The Bison’s 400-free relay was also successful with 11th-place finishes in both the prelims and the finals. The team was made up of Taddeo, Caroline Higgins ’14, Alyssa Rollando ’14 and Panzarino. The team cut almost three seconds off its preliminary time in the finals and posted the third-best time in this event by a Bison team this year.

With this finish, the team will enjoy a productive off-season, happy with the way it finished the year but hungry for more next year.

 


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Sports

Segar ’12 leads swimming at ECAC championships

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

Matt Segar ’12 broke a school record in the 200-yard freestyle that had stood for 23 years en route to victory as the men’s swimming team competed at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh last weekend. Thomas Brown ’12 also broke his own school record in the 200 backstroke, and the Bison 800-free relay team brought home a victory in one of the most successful Eastern Championships in school history.

Segar broke a record that was set by Bison hall-of-famer Jim Harvey, who set the record in the 1988 NCAA Championships. Segar’s time of 1:38.41 in Trees Pool Saturday beat Harvey’s time of 1:38.63 over two decades earlier.

“It feels awesome to break a record. It’s really an honor to break a record that’s been held by one of the most accomplished athletes in Bucknell history. It was a goal that I had for over a year now, and it’s nice to finally achieve it,” Segar said.

With his victory, Segar took home the first ECAC title of his career and Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week honors.

“Going into the meet placing in the top eight was my main goal,” he said. “I definitely didn’t expect to win. Ideally I wanted to swim a little faster, but overall I’m happy with how I finished.”

Brown finished third in the 200 backstroke. At the Patriot League Championships a week earlier, Brown swam the 200 back in 1:48.04, breaking the school record. Brown did it again this week by swimming it in 1:47.85, shaving .19 off his own record.

Segar and teammates Christian Treat ’13, Trevor Reitz ’14 and Matt Ramey ’14 won the 800-free relay in the final event of the night on Saturday. The quartet’s time of 6:47.12 was fourth-best in Bison history, despite having two first-years in the relay. Ramey also reached the finals in the 200 back and the 400 IM.

“It was a good atmosphere,” Ramey said. “I enjoyed being at a familiar location like Pittsburgh because it’s close to my home. It felt great to be on the winning relay, and I think it just makes you even more excited for next year’s competition.”

The Bison boasted winners in multiple events at the Eastern Championships for the first time since 1993, an outstanding conclusion to the year for the men’s swim team.


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Sports

Men’s tennis defeats St. Francis (Pa.)

By Joe Ruby

Writer

The men’s tennis team earned its first win of the season on Friday, defeating host St. Francis (Pa.) by a score of 6-1. Kyle Rosen ’14 and Chris Tortora ’14 each won their first matches as Bison.

In the doubles phase of the contest, the Bison took two of three and clinched the doubles point, with the team of Josh Katten ’13 and Kelly Morque ’13 winning the second doubles match 8-2 and the team of Rosen and Scott Bernstein ’14 earning the 8-3 victory in the third doubles match. Anton Kovic ’11 and Evan Zimmer ’13 were edged out in the first doubles match by a score of 8-7.

The Bison kept control of the competition in the singles phase, winning five of the six matches, all in two sets. Gregg Cohenca ’12, competing in the second slot, improved his singles record in duals to 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Youlian Natchev. In the third through sixth spots, Rosen, Mark Malloy ’11, Tortora, and Gregory Maxson ’13 each won their first dual matches of the year for the Bison. Tortora and Maxson were particularly dominant, each conceding only two games to their opponents.

The Bison will face non-conference opponent Niagara at 6 p.m. today in Olean, N.Y. The team will remain in Olean to face St. Bonaventure at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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Women’s tennis takes first victory of season

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The women’s tennis team earned its first win of the spring season this past weekend, defeating the St. Francis Red Flash 6-1. Lauren Lucido ’11 led the Bison, winning first singles and her doubles match with teammate Courtney Casey ’12.

After Lucido and Casey won 8-3 in first doubles, Lucido easily defeated Tina Miller in first singles (6-1, 6-2). With this singles win, Lucido has a career record of 74-33 and has moved into fourth place on the all-time career wins list.

The Orange and Blue also won second doubles, with Dara Dwojewski ’11 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 defeating the St. Francis pair with a score of 8-1.

In addition to her doubles’ success with Lucido, Casey swept her own opponent in fifth singles, defeating Julie Meier of St. Francis 6-0, 6-0. Vidrascu also found success in singles, defeating the Red Flash’s Laura Husband with scores of 6-1 and 6-1. Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 only allowed one game in her singles match, winning second singles against Devyn Sarver, 6-1, 6-0.

“I am proud of our team for performing the way we needed to against St. Francis. I am hoping that this win will improve our confidence going into our matches this coming weekend,” Casey said.

The team will try to keep the momentum going on March 5, when it travels to Olean, N.Y. to take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.


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Softball drops all four at Longwood

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The women’s softball team put up a strong fight in the Longwood Tournament last weekend, but it was not enough to capture a win as the Bison went 0-4 for the weekend.

“This weekend was a great learning experience. We took strides in the right direction and learned a lot about ourselves,” Meredith Dickson ’12 said. “We know what we need to work on to be successful and be Patriot League Champions again.”

The Orange and Blue battled it out with Stony Brook in their first match-up of the Longwood tournament on Saturday, losing 1-0. The Bison defense came out strong with a 1-2-3 inning for Alex MacLean ’13 in the third. Both teams were connecting offensively, but neither the Bison nor the Seawolves could bring any of those hits home. The scoreboard remained empty going into the seventh inning. Following a combination of Bison errors, the Seawolves managed to bring in a run late in the inning. Sam Rollandi ’11 singled in the bottom of the seventh, but it was the Bison’s lone hit for the inning.

The Bison came out strong in the second game of the day against Quinnipiac, losing 5-4. The Orange and Blue took advantage of the struggling Bobcat defense to put four runs on the board in the second. Later that inning, pitcher Bridget Gates ’13 had a 3-up-3-down inning to solidify the lead. The fourth inning saw momentum change in favor of the Bobcats as they managed back to back doubles, ending in two runs.

With the score gap decreased, both teams continued to battle it out. Quinnipiac managed to tie up the game in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs. With the score still tied at the end of the seventh, the game was pushed into extra innings. The eighth inning saw no addition to the scoreboard. In the ninth, Quinnipiac managed to put runners in scoring position and brought in the final run of the game on a wild pitch.

The Bison lost to Quinnipiac once again on Sunday with a score of 8-1. In the second, Alison Ford ’11 singled to get on base and stole home in a double steal to give the Orange and Blue a one-run lead. Quinnipiac answered later that inning with a run of its own to tie the game. The Bobcats managed to gain three runs off the Orange and Blue in the third for a 4-1 lead. The Bison defense rallied in the fourth to hold off the Bobcats, but it didn’t last long as the Bobcats scored again in the fifth. The Bison could not get their offense started and were unable to bring anyone else around the bases. Quinnipiac scored three more in the sixth to give the Bison their third loss.

The Orange and Blue lost their final game of the weekend 6-2 against Longwood. Longwood was the first to erase its goose egg off the board, scoring in the third with one run off the Bison. The Bison answered with a run of their own in the fourth to tie the game. The Lancers added at least one run to the board each inning for the remainder of the game. Jessie Snyder ’11 doubled to right center in the seventh to take advantage of the Bison’s last chance to score. Ford singled to bring Snyder home, giving the Bison one more run, but the short rally was not enough.

“This weekend was definitely a tough one for the team, but we came away from it knowning that there are a lot of things to fix, and we’re all committed to making those adjustments,” Snyder said. “We know that we have the potential as a team, it’s just a matter of making things happen.”

The Bison will be back on the field March 11-13 at the George Mason Tournament in Fairfax, Va.