Courtesy of BucknellBison.com.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Cameron Ayers matched his career high with 23 points, Mike Muscala added 22 points and 12 rebounds and Bryson Johnson exploded for 18 in the second half to headline Bucknell’s 79-65 victory over Richmond on Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison shot 70 percent from the field in a 52-point second half, and they went 21-for-21 from the free-throw line while improving to 7-4 on the season.
Joe Willman chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds for Bucknell, whose 18th straight home victory came against a Richmond team that went to the Sweet Sixteen last season. The Spiders (6-5), who have now dropped three straight since beating Wake Forest on the road on Dec. 3, were led by Darien Brothers’ 18 points.
The Bison gained control of this one midway through the second half. After trailing 31-27 at halftime, Bucknell regained the lead on Johnson’s first of five second-half 3-pointers 4:25 into the second period. That started a run of nine straight lead changes as the two teams continually traded baskets over a four-minute stretch.
At the 11:36 mark, Muscala made two free throws to put the Bison in front 45-44, and after a defensive stop Bucknell finally strung together consecutive field goals. Muscala hit a short jumper off a feed from Johnson, and then Ayers came up with a steal and a breakaway layup to cap a 6-0 run and give Bucknell a 49-44 lead.
Derrick Williams scored inside to bring Richmond within three, but then Johnson turned in perhaps the play of the night, hitting a long 3-pointer while getting decked on the follow-through. Johnson turned it into a four-point play, and the Bison had the biggest lead of the night for either side at 53-46.
Another Johnson trey with 5:39 to play gave Bucknell its first 10-point lead at 60-50, and the Bison led by at least seven the rest of the way. Johnson’s fifth 3-pointer of the second half made it 67-55 with 3:01 left, and then Bucknell went 12-for-12 from the foul line in the final 2:08 to ice the game.
Bucknell just missed the program record for most free throws without a miss. The Bison went 22-for-22 against Lafayette on Feb. 1, 1989. They also went 20-for-20 against Lafayette during the 2004-05 campaign, making this the third time in program history the team turned in a perfect night at the line with at least 20 attempts.
The Bison also just missed shooting over 60 percent from the field for the second straight game. They did that in the win at Binghamton in their final game before the exam break, and against Richmond they shot 59.1 percent. That includes a toasty 14-for-20 effort in the second half.
Ayers (8-9) and Muscala (8-10) combined to go 16-for-19 from the field and 12-for-12 from the line.
Bucknell also continued its terrific play on the boards, finishing with a 34-19 rebounding edge. After going -15 on the glass against Minnesota and Vanderbilt to start the season, the Bison are +91 since then.
Bucknell now has the 10th-longest active home-court winning streak in the nation at 18 games, and the Bison moved 60 games over .500 (89-29) at home since Sojka Pavilion opened in 2003.
Bucknell made more field goals and the same number of free throws as Richmond in the first half, but the Spiders hit seven of their shots from 3-point range compared to just one for the Bison. Richmond went 7-for-14 from the arc in the opening 20 minutes, with three of those coming from Brothers, but Bucknell held the Spiders to 2-for-11 shooting from 3-point range in the second half.
Richmond finished at 38.6 percent from the field, 36.0 percent (9-25) from the arc and 80.0 percent (12-15) from the foul line.
Bucknell is now 3-2 on the season against teams that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, but its biggest test yet comes on Tuesday night at No. 1 Syracuse. The Orange are expected to retain their top ranking after handling North Carolina State 88-72 on the road Saturday night. It would be Bucknell’s second-ever game against a top-ranked team. The Bison lost at No. 1 Duke on 84-50 on Jan. 2, 2006.
The Bucknell-Syracuse game is slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome, and the contest will air live on ESPNU.
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