Cohen's Three Lifts Bucknell Men Past Marist in Overtime, 70-67 - BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Cohen's Three Lifts Bucknell Men Past Marist in Overtime, 70-67

Cohen Records Double-Double, Makes Big Defensive Stop on Final Possession

Bryan Cohen scored 16 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, in the win over Marist.

Dec. 30, 2009

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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Bryan Cohen canned a go-ahead 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, then came up with a big defensive stop and rebound in the final seconds to lift Bucknell to a 70-67 overtime win over Marist Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion. Freshman Mike Muscala scored a game-high 18 points, including a clutch game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute, to help the Bison snap a six-game losing streak.

Cohen's big plays in the waning seconds were part of a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Point guard Darryl Shazier also scored 16 points and had six assists, including the helpers on all three of Bucknell's field goals in overtime. Freshman Bryson Johnson also reached double digits with 11 points off the bench.

The victory was Bucknell's first in the month of December and upped their season mark to 5-9, while the Red Foxes remained winless at 0-11. This was Marist's best shooting night of the season, however. The Red Foxes hit 10 of 19 3-pointers and shot 48 percent overall, despite some pretty good defense by the Bison. Rob Johnson had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Korey Bauer added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Devin Price, a 4-for-25 3-point shooter coming in, went 3-for-3 from the arc and scored 13 points.

The game was tightly contested from start to finish. Neither team led by more than six all night, and not by more than four for the entire second half and overtime.

Bucknell went 5-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half, but only 2-for-10 in the second, but it warmed back up when it mattered in the extra period. Cohen started the overtime scoring with a triple, but Marist rallied with six straight points to go up 65-62 with 1:02 left. The last two points in that run came on two free throws by Johnson, whom Bucknell fouled on purpose because he was just 11-for-28 from the line on the season.

After that gamble did not pay off for the Bison, Muscala bailed them out with a huge 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 50 seconds to play. At the other end Daye Kaba backed Cohen down for a go-ahead layup with 38 seconds left. Cohen got his revenge moments later, swishing a three from the right wing after a drive and dish from Shazier, giving the Bison a 68-67 lead.

Marist went right back to Kaba on the final possession, but this time Cohen forced him into a tough, contested fadeaway jumper from the left baseline. The shot drew back iron, and Cohen nabbed the rebound, his 10th of the night, with seventh-tenths of a second left. He then made two free throws to make it 70-67, and Johnson's half-court shot at the buzzer was well off the mark.

The final minutes of regulation were just as tense. Shazier hit two free throws with 3:01 left to put Bucknell up 54-50, but Johnson hit this third 3-pointer of the night to cut it to one moments later. Kaba tied the game at 55 with two free-throws with 2:10 left, but Shazier hit a pull-up jumper in the key to put the Bison back in front with 1:50 remaining.

Bauer tied it with two free throws with 50 seconds left, then Cohen dribbled around a crushing screen from Muscala to hit a short jumper with 22 seconds left, giving Bucknell a 59-57 lead. Candon Rusin, Marist's leading scorer coming in, made his first field goal of the game a big one, as he finished a tough reverse layup with 11 seconds left to tie it. Shazier's left-corner 3-pointer off an inbounds play didn't connect as the buzzer sounded.

Two early threes by Price helped Marist get out to a 10-4 lead, but Shazier's trey at the other end cut it to 10-7, and neither team led by more than five the rest of the way. There were four lead changes in the first half, and Marist took a 30-28 lead to the locker room.

Bucknell shot 39 percent on the night and finished 10-for-23 from 3-point distance. The Bison had only seven turnovers all night, including only one combined miscue from guards Shazier and Cohen, who played 41 and 43 minutes, respectively.

Marist outrebounded Bucknell 32-29, but the Bison allowed only four offensive rebounds.

Muscala, who made his first start of the season, blocked a shot for the 10th straight game.

Bucknell will play its third straight home game on Jan. 2 against a very good Richmond team that already boasts wins over No. 13 Florida, Missouri and Mississippi State this season.