Courtesy of BucknellBison.com.
BOSTON, Mass. – Bucknell sprinted into the holiday break in full form, using a dominant performance from its frontcourt in a 75-61 win over preseason America East favorite Boston University on Thursday night at Case Gym. Joe Willman scored a career-high 19 points, Mike Muscala recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Brian Fitzpatrick gave a huge lift off the bench with 10 points, lifting the Bison to 8-5 heading into a six-day layoff.
Bucknell placed five played in double figures, with Bryson Johnson adding 12 points and Cameron Ayers 11 points and five assists. With the victory, the Bison navigated a run of seven non-league games against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams with a 4-3 record.
Darryl Partin scored 17 points to lead Boston University. The Terriers, who won the America East title last season, fell to 4-8 against a tough schedule of their own.
Bucknell played a near-flawless first half offensively, shooting 64.3 percent from the floor with only one turnover. Willman was a force both inside and out, scoring 17 in the half, eight of them coming in a 21-6 run that pushed a 25-21 lead up to 46-27.
There were seven lead changes in the first nine minutes of the game as both teams started out hot. The Bison began to make some headway midway through the first half thanks to some hard work by reserve forward Brian Fitzpatrick. With the Bison leading by just a point, Fitzpatrick scored seven straight Bucknell points. He turned offensive rebounds into a 3-point play and a tip-in, and his layup off a Steven Kaspar feed capped a 9-2 run and gave the Bison a 25-19 lead.
Four straight Muscala points pushed Bucknell’s lead into double figures for the first time, and then Muscala tipped out an offensive rebound, leading to a Johnson 3-pointer and a 36-23 lead. Inside four minutes left in the half, Ayers slipped a sweet pass inside to Willman for a layup, then Muscala swished a 3-pointer from the top of the arc for a 41-25 lead.
Willman’s free throws extended Bucknell’s advantage to 46-27 with eight seconds left in the half. The Terriers got two back at the buzzer when Dom Morris snagged a loose ball and popped it in, and then Boston University scored the first three points of the second half to get within 46-32.
But Muscala got Bucknell going again when he tipped in his own miss, and the Bison were off and running again. Two Muscala free throws made it a 20-point game for the first time at 59-39. Bucknell led by as many as 22 and cleared the bench with about four minutes to go. The Boston University starters played to the final buzzer and made up some ground with a few late steals, but it was hardly enough.
Bucknell shot 54.2 percent overall and made 18 of 21 free throws. The Bison also finished with a 33-17 rebounding edge, as Boston University had only five first-half boards.
The Bison will be back in action on Dec. 28 at home against Loyola (Md.). Game time is 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
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