Courtesy of PatriotLeague.org.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Final exams are coming soon at each of the Patriot League schools, and the eight teams will pack in action this week before taking breaks to hit the books.
Each team will hit the court on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday night’s action features four teams playing at home as Lehigh welcomes Fordham, Bucknell hosts Kent State, Army entertains Marist and Lafayette hosts St. Francis (Pa.). American is at Howard on Tuesday, while Colgate goes to Quinnipiac, Holy Cross is at Sacred Heart and Navy visits Monmouth on Wednesday. The Eagles close out the mid-week portion of the schedule at UMBC on Thursday.
Bucknell will be the first team to enter its exam break, as the Bison are off until Dec. 15 after Tuesday’s game. They have built momentum in the first month of the season, and it continued on Saturday with a rally from a 17-point deficit for a 65-57 win at Columbia. Mike Muscala totaled 29 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in the game to lead the way.
Lehigh and American also won on Saturday at home. The Mountain Hawks broke the century mark for the first time since 2004 in a 102-62 win over Fairleigh Dickinson while the Eagles pulled away late for a 61-51 win over St. Francis (Pa.). Patriot League teams are up to 16-4 on their home courts heading into Tuesday’s contest with four teams at home.
Patriot League Anaconda Weekly Awards (Nov. 26-Dec. 2)
Anaconda Player of the Week
MIKE MUSCALA, BUCKNELL Sr., C, 6-11, 239; Roseville, Minn./Roseville
Muscala averaged 23.0 points and 15.0 rebounds to lead the Bison to a pair of wins last week, with 29 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 65-57 comeback win at Columbia on Saturday. Muscala made 10-of-17 shots and 8-of-10 free throws in the game and totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone as the Bison rallied from a 17-point deficit. His jumper with 3:35 left put Bucknell ahead for good, and Muscala added four clinching free throws in the final minutes. He also had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 62-49 win at home against Dartmouth on Tuesday. Muscala made 15-of-27 shots (55.6%) and 15-of-17 free throws (88.2%) in the two games. He is second in the nation with six double-doubles for the year, and ranks fourth in the country with 12.1 rebounds per contest. Muscala is the only player in the nation averaging at least 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. He also set a career mark on Saturday, joining Colgate’s Adonal Foyle (1994-97) as the only players in Patriot League history with 1,500 points and 800 rebounds. Muscala is named Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week for the second time this year and sixth in his career.
Anaconda Rookie of the Week
KENDALL KNORR, NAVY Fr., G, 6-3, 190; Concord, N.C./Concord
Knorr was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range, to score 15 points in Navy’s 54-49 victory over IPFW on Wednesday. He scored 13 of his 15 points in a five-minute span after IPFW had cut the Navy lead to 31-30 in the second half. The stretch was part of an 18-6 run overall that pushed Navy’s lead to 49-36 with under five minutes to play. He also added a rebound and a steal, and had an assist in a 51-41 loss to Tulane on Saturday. Knorr leads all Patriot League freshmen with 12 three-pointers on the season. He is named Patriot League Anaconda Rookie of the Week for the first time.
Honorable Mention
C.J. McCOLLUM, LEHIGH Sr., G, 6-3, 200; Canton, Ohio/Glen Oak
McCollum averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two wins for the Mountain Hawks last week while shooting 18-of-32 (56.3%) from the field and 7-of-12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc. McCollum had 30 points and nine rebounds in a 77-66 win at Quinnipiac on Tuesday where he had a career-high for points in a half with 25 after intermission.
STEPHEN LUMPKINS, AMERICAN Sr., F, 6-8, 230; Redwood City, Calif./Juniperro Serra
Lumpkins averaged 20 points and seven rebounds in two games for the Eagles last week, with 22 points in a 61-51 win over St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.
DAVE DUDZINSKI, HOLY CROSS Jr., F, 6-9, 227; Elburn, Ill./Kaneland
Dudzinski averaged 12.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in two contests for Holy Cross, with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a 48-45 loss at Hartford on Saturday.
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