Tag: men’s basketball

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

“One more.”

That was the men’s basketball team’s mantra walking off the court after its grueling, down-to-the-wire victory over Lehigh in the Patriot League semifinal game last Sunday.

Sure, the Bison had used every effort to beat a worthy opponent, an achievement in a season marked by many double-digit victories. But the job they had set out to accomplish on day one, the goal that had been driving them all season, was yet to come. That job was winning the conference tournament and playing in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think a lot of our success has come from our confidence throughout the season,” point guard Darryl Shazier ’11 said. “We have worked very hard since the end of last season to get where we are today, and I think that the confidence in knowing how hard we have worked will get us far and carry us on Friday.”

To finish off the season the way they want, the top-seeded Bison must get through a pesky Lafayette Leopards squad, who came into the tournament ranked sixth in the Patriot League but won some tough games to get to the final. The Leopards upset two top-ranked teams in the opening two rounds of the tournament, the third-seeded Holy Cross in the first round and then second-ranked American in double-overtime in the semis.

History, though, is not on the Leopards’ side. Despite being the first team seeded lower than third to make the Patriot League final, Lafayette also faces the fact that number-one seeds are 49-5 overall in the conference finals.

That said, the Orange and Blue know that history will not be the deciding factor for either side and that it’s about the execution of the ten players on the floor and the schemes that the two head coaches draw up.

“Lafayette has a big low-post presence in Jared Mintz, who is surrounded by great shooters and penetrating guards on the perimeter,” said Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala ’13. “If we take care of the basketball, make hustle plays, and are focused on defense, the offense will take care of itself, and we will be in pretty good shape.”

Defensively for the Bison, the Leopards boast a strong inside game, led by Mintz. But, in both head-to-head match-ups this year, Muscala and Joe Willman ’13 each limited Mintz to less than his scoring average.

In their first meeting of the season, back in mid-January in Sojka Pavilion, the Bison used a 14-2 second-half run to take a four-point halftime advantage and win by a 19-point margin. Muscala, G.W. Boon ’11, and Bryson Johnson ’13 each had 13 points to lead the Bison.

The second time around, on the road, the Orange and Blue played a back-and-forth game with Lafayette all night long. With just four minutes remaining, the Bison opened up an 11-point advantage. But a shocking 11-0 run by the Leopards tied the game and sent it to overtime.

In the extra session, Enoch Andoh ’12 had one of the most clutch stretches of his entire Bison career, scoring two important baskets to take the victory over Lafayette. Johnson also had a career night, recording 30 points and a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line.

“It helps that we know we can win, but it is always tough to beat a team three times in one season,” Johnson said. “Our last game against Lafayette went into overtime, so we know we have to focus and play well to beat a team like them.”

The 4,000 rowdy Sojka Psychos should expect to see a focused, determined and physical Bison squad on Friday afternoon. This team has been tested all year, with close losses to Villanova, Marquette and Boston College, but also tough wins over most of the Patriot League. If the Bison play up to their potential, a Patriot League championship could be coming to Lewisburg.

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.

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s basketball team began a three-game homestand this week by splitting a pair of contests between Wagner and Columbia. The Orange and Blue won impressively Wednesday against the Columbia Lions 73-68, two days after losing to Wagner 77-73.

Despite shooting only 35.5 percent from the field, the Bison used a stifling defense and a turnover-free second half to get past Columbia 73-68 and improve to 3-6 on the still-young season. Darryl Shazier ’11 paced the Bison with 15 points and five assists. Cameron Ayers ’14 posted a career-high 14 points and forward Joe Willman ’13 netted 13 points with seven rebounds in his return to the starting lineup. Columbia was led by Steve Frankosi, who scored 12 points on three of four shooting from beyond the arc.

After the Bison took a 40-30 lead into halftime, the Lions came out firing in the second half, scoring the first seven points of the half. With the Bison leading 49-46 with just over 10 minutes left to play, the Lions went cold, failing to score a field goal for the next seven minutes. Columbia was unable to overcome this stretch of solid defense, and was kept at arm’s length for the rest of the game. Leading the defensive effort was Bryan Cohen ’12, who held Columbia’s leading scorer Noruwa Agho in check, who finished with 11 points on three of 10 shooting from the field.

On Monday night, the Bison were not able to keep pace with the hot-shooting Wagner Seahawks en route to a 77-73 defeat. Wagner shot 55.3 percent from the field for the game, led by Latiff Rivers, who scored 20 points. Teammate Tyler Murray contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists for the Seahawks. Leading the Bison attack was Mike Muscala ’13 with 22 points. Shazier tied his career high with nine assists for the game.

The Orange and Blue could not overcome an ice-cold first half in which they shot only 28 percent from the field and went almost 10 minutes without a field goal.

The men return to action Saturday night, completing their three-game homestand against Boston University. Tipoff is scheduled for at 7 p.m.