Courtesy of PatriotLeague.org.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — With exam breaks coming to an end and the holidays ahead, Patriot League teams will get back on the court this week before more time off around Christmas.
Bucknell became the first team to return from its exam break on Saturday when it posted a 74-66 win over La Salle at home. The Bison improved to 9-1 for just the fourth time in the last 84 years, and a win over St. Francis (Pa.) on Monday would give them a 10-1 start for the first time since the 1926-27 season. Bucknell has the busiest week ahead as it also hosts Marist on Wednesday and visits Princeton on Saturday.
Four teams return from exam break on Tuesday, and three of them will be on the road as American visits Hampton, Colgate goes to Providence and Holy Cross is at San Francisco. Lafayette hosts Division III Arcadia in its return to the court.
Lehigh comes back from its 11-day exam break on Thursday with a visit to North Texas, a matchup that features two of the top draft prospects in the country in Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum and North Texas’ Tony Mitchell.
Army and Navy are both off until Saturday, when five other squads also play their last game until Christmas. League squads are 45-39 for the season, and a combined 25-6 at home going into the week.
Patriot League Anaconda Weekly Awards (Dec. 10-16)
Anaconda Player of the Week
JOE WILLMAN, BUCKNELL Sr., F, 6-7, 209; Tinton Falls, N.J./Monmouth Regional
Willman had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Bucknell to a 74-66 win over La Salle on Saturday. He made 9-of-13 shots and also dished out three assists while recording his first double-double of the year. All four of Willman’s offensive rebounds were putbacks for points. The 12 rebounds tied a career high for the senior, who claims his first Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week award. It was a matchup of one-loss teams with RPI ratings in the top 30 nationally, and the Bison improved to 9-1 for just the fourth time in the past 84 years.
Anaconda Rookie of the Week
TILMAN DUNBAR, NAVY Fr., G, 5-10, 153; Woodbridge, Va./Paul VI Catholic
Dunbar wins the Patriot League Anaconda Rookie of the Week award for the second straight time after recording a 13-point, 10-assist double-double in a 63-53 win over Bryant on Monday. Dunbar tallied seven points and six assists in the second half as Navy closed with an 18-7 run to earn the win. Dunbar recorded the second double-double of his career and now leads all Division I freshmen in both assists (70) and assists per game (5.8). He also tops the Patriot League in both categories. Dunbar is averaging 17.0 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 19-of-28 (67.9%) from the field in the last three games. In that time, he is putting up 10.3 points and 4.0 assists while making 12-of-15 shots (80.0%) in the second half alone.
Honorable Mention
KYLE WILSON, ARMY Fr., G, 6-4, 190; Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills (USMAPS)
Wilson averaged 14.0 points in two games for the Black Knights, with 18 in a 96-67 win over Maine on Friday.
RYAN FRAZIER, BUCKNELL Fr., G, 6-0, 181, Silver Spring, Md./Salisbury School (Conn.)
Frazier had 11 points off the bench, all in the second half, to help Bucknell past La Salle 74-66 on Saturday.
Patriot League Twitter Notebook – @PL_MBB
*Bucknell goes for its best start since 1926-27 at St. Francis (Pa.) Monday.
*The Bison are 9-1 for just the fourth time in the last 84 years.
*Four Patriot League teams return from exam break on Tuesday as Colgate, Lafayette, American and Holy Cross all play for the first time in over a week.
*Lehigh is back in action on Thursday at North Texas, a game that pits potential NBA lottery picks C.J. McCollum (Lehigh) and Tony Mitchell (North Texas).
*Army and Navy are each off until Saturday.
*Patriot League teams are 45-39 overall, and 42-25 against DI teams outside of the BCS leagues.
*The Patriot League is a combined 38-16 against regional conferences including the Atlantic 10, America East, CAA, Ivy League, MAAC, NEC and MEAC.
*Patriot League teams are a combined 25-6 at home.
*Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum leads the nation with 24.9 points per game.
*Bucknell’s Mike Muscala is just six rebounds and one block away from second place in Patriot League history on both lists.
*Lafayette is 4-1 in games decided by three points or less or in overtime.
*Lehigh has won seven straight and its 8-2 record is its best since 1938-39.
*Lehigh is in the top five nationally in both free throw and three-point percentage and stands in the top 20 in the country with 80.8 points per game.
*Four Patriot League teams are in the top 25 nationally in free throw shooting.
*Holy Cross’ Justin Burrell is third in the country at 96.2% from the line.
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