Bucknell Opens Patriot League Play with 85-77 Win over Navy

Four Bison Score in Double Figures, Led by Justin Castleberry's 19

Stephen Tyree had a solid all-around game in the win over Navy, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Jan. 11, 2008

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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Justin Castleberry scored 19 points to lead four Bucknell players in double figures, and the Bison came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Navy 85-77 Friday night at sold-out Sojka Pavilion in the first game of the 2008 Patriot League schedule. Greg Sprink scored 26 points and Kaleo Kina tied his career high with 24 for Navy, but the Midshipmen could not prevent Bucknell from winning its 36th straight home game against Patriot League competition.

Bucknell's 12th straight Patriot League regular-season victory was keyed by a balanced offensive attack, and despite allowing its most points in 45 games, timely second-half defense also helped pave the way.

Jason Vegotsky scored a season-high 14 points, John Griffin had 13 and Stephen Tyree scored a career-high 10 points for the second straight game, pacing a Bucknell (6-9, 1-0) squad that shot 56.0 percent from the field while outscoring Navy 46-31 in the second half.

Much of that damage came with Sprink, the Patriot League's second-leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, on the bench with four fouls. Sprink hit a runner in the lane to give Navy a 48-40 lead in the opening moments of the second half, but on the next defensive possession he committed a reach-in foul about 35 feet from the basket and had to go to the bench with 17:55 left.

Sprink returned to the floor at the 7:37 mark, but during his 10-minute absence Bucknell outscored Navy 23-8 to take control of the game. Griffin's four-point play gave Bucknell a 63-56 lead, prompting Sprink's return to the lineup. But moments later Vegotsky canned his fourth 3-pointer of the night to extend the run to 26-8, and the Bison led 66-56 with 7:02 to play.

The Midshipmen (7-9, 0-1) were not done, as Sprink scored five quick points, first on a put-back of a Chris Harris missed front end of a 1-and-1, then on a long 3-pointer from the left wing. Bucknell's lead was still five at 68-63 when Castleberry hit a big 3-pointer after a kick-out from Tyree, who had a career-high six assists along with seven rebounds to go with his 10 points. Then Darryl Shazier grabbed a long rebound on Spink's missed 3-pointer and fed Tyree for a fastbreak layup and a 73-63 Bucknell lead with 3:38 left.

Darren Mastropaolo and Tyree both scored inside to answer Navy baskets later in the game. Kina hit a 3-pointer to make it 77-70 with 1:52 left, but Bucknell, which had struggled from the free-throw line all night, made six in a row down the stretch to ice the game.

Mastropaolo and Vegotsky both made their first starts of the season for the Bison, who played without starting center Josh Linthicum, scratched after hurting his right knee in practice this week. Bucknell got a big lift from senior co-captain Rob Thomas, who returned to the lineup for the first time since injuring his knee early in the season-opener against Albany. Thomas played 15 minutes and hit two important 3-pointers to keep Bucknell afloat in the first half. He finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists.

Eight Bucknell players scored at least six points, and all 10 who saw action made at least one field goal. Freshman center Todd O'Brien played a solid 13 minutes, with six points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.

For awhile, it seemed like Bucknell had no answer for Navy's up-tempo offense. The Midshipmen were on fire early, connecting on seven of their first 13 3-point attempts. Kina's trey gave Navy a 33-24 lead, and it gave Kina a staggering 17 points in the first 12:46 of the game. He would not score his next point until his 3-pointer with 1:52 left in the game, however, going 0-for-9 with three turnovers in the interim.

Navy led 46-39 at halftime, setting a Sojka Pavilion record for points in a half by a Bucknell opponent.

The Mids shot 48.4 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Bison defense stiffened after the break, holding them to only 29.4-percent shooting (10-34). Navy finished at 38.5 percent on the night, 35.3 percent from 3-point range (12-34) and 68.2 percent from the foul line (15-22).

Bucknell shot 50.9 percent overall, improving to 3-0 on the season when making more than half its shots. The Bison also went 11-for-24 (.458) from the arc and 18-for-30 (.600) from the charity stripe.

Bucknell had 19 assists on 28 field goals and outrebounded the Mids 41-35. Tyree and Mastropaolo both had seven rebounds, while Castleberry equaled his career high with six.

The Bison have now beaten Navy seven straight times overall and eight times in a row at home. It was the 12th consecutive Patriot League regular-season victory for Bucknell, which has not lost a home game to a conference foe since March 2, 2003.

Harris added 11 points and four assists for Navy, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.

Bucknell is back in action at home on Wednesday night, taking on American at 7 p.m.