Feb. 19, 2002
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Two teams in the upper portion of the Patriot League standings square off tonight at the Hart Center, as Bucknell looks to even the season series with Holy Cross and avenge a 73-65 loss to the Crusaders on Jan. 30. The Bison enter the contest with a 7-5 league record, good for a third-place tie with Lafayette. American tops the conference with a 9-3 mark, with Holy Cross just a game back at 8-4. With a victory tonight, Bucknell can move back into a tie for second with only one regular-season league game remaining. Tonight's game is also a clash of the Patriot League's top top defensive teams. Holy Cross leads the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of only 60.3 points per game. The Bison rank No. 2 at 64.5 ppg. Recent history predicts a low scoring game - in the last 13 meetings, neither team has scored more than 76 points, and the losing team has been held to 65 points or less in every game.
Schedule Note
Bucknell's regular-season finale is scheduled for this Sunday at Lehigh at 3 p.m. Some earlier schedules may have listed this game to be played on Saturday.
The State of the Bison
With only two regular-season contests remaining, Bucknell can clinch a top-four Patriot League Tournament seed with a win tonight at Holy Cross. The Bison, who can finish as high as second, have won three of their last four, including Saturday's 68-57 win over Colgate in the final Patriot League game ever in Davis Gym. Continuing a recent positive trend, Bucknell scored high marks for defense and rebounding against Colgate, gaining a 41-32 edge on the glass while liminting the Raiders to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (and 2-for-20 from 3-point range). The Bison have benefited from the terrific play of guard Bryan Bailey, who has returned to all-star form since returning from a knee injury eight games ago. Bailey is averaging 23.3 ppg., and 10.0 rpg., in the last three games.
Scouting Holy Cross
After a 2-3 start in Patriot League play, the defending champs have been white hot, winning 6 of 7 outings to gain sole possession of second place, one game behind league-leading American. While Bucknell has relied on defense and rebounding during its recent surge, the same can be said of Holy Cross. In their current 6-1 run, the Crusaders have allowed an average of only 56.9 ppg. They rank first in the Patriot League in both scoring defense and rebounding. While senior guard Ryan Serravalle (12.6 ppg.) is the team's leding scorer, Holy Cross boasts one of the league's premier frontcourts in reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Tim Szatko (12.4 ppg., 6.4 rpg.), 6-11 freshman Nate Lufkin (7.8 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and 6-9 junior Patrick Whearty (8.3 ppg., 5.7 rpg.). Sophomore guard Jave Meade leads the Patriot League in assists with 136.
Series Notes
Two teams that had never met prior to the inception of the Patriot League, Bucknell and Holy Cross have developed a sharp rivalry over the last decade. Bucknell holds a 16-12 series lead, thanks in large part to a 10-game winning streak that spanned four seasons and included two Patriot League Tournament wins. The Crusaders ended that streak last season, winning both games in convincing fashion. Bucknell is 6-5 against Holy Cross at the Hart Center. The Herd's four-game winning streak in Worcester ended with a 69-45 loss here last season. The two teams have met five times in the Patriot League Tournament, including the 1993 championship game won by the Crusaders in Davis Gym.
The First Bucknell-Holy Cross Clash
Tim Szatko scored 22 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, leading Holy Cross to 73-65 victory in Davis Gym before a Patriot League TV audience on Jan. 30. Boakai Lalugba paced Bucknell with a game-high 25 points on 12 of 15 shooting from the floor. Bryan Bailey added 15 for the Bison. Holy Cross led by as many as 12 at 53-41 midway through the second half following a pair of free throws by Greg Richter. However, Bucknell pulled within four at 64-60 with 1:55 remaining after a fastbreak dunk by Lalugba capped a 6-0 spurt. Jave Meade quelled the rally by making 1 of 2 free throws, and the Bison turned the ball over on their next possession. Meade made both free throws moments later, and when Bucknell missed three shots in the paint on its next trip, the comeback attempt was over. Holy Cross took a 34-33 lead into the halftime break after a tight first half that featured five ties and seven lead changes. The low post duo of Szatko and Nate Lufkin combined for 21 first-half points for the Crusaders, while Bucknell benefited from five 3-pointers. Neither team led by more than five points in the half. Holy Cross shot 51.0 percent from the floor and outrebounded Bucknell 39-29.
Bison First to Capture 100th Patriot League Win
No Patriot League team has won more regular-season conference games than Bucknell since the start of league play in 1990-91, and Feb. 9 the Bison reached a milestone by becoming the first team to register 100 regular-season league wins. The Bison carry a 101-51 (.664) conference record and by clinching at least a .500 record this season, have endured only two losing seasons in 12 years.
Bailey Climbing Bison Scoring Charts
Senior guard Bryan Bailey scored his 1,000th career point at Lafayette on Jan. 9, becoming the 28th Bucknell player to reach the milestone. After scoring 24 points against Colgate the last time out, Bailey currently has 1,092 career markers, tying him with Brian Anderson for 19th on Bucknell's all-time scoring chart (see complete list, page 6). Bailey also became the 37th Patriot League player to reach the 1,000-point barrier. Holy Cross' Ryan Serravalle scored his 1,000th point only about an hour before Bailey.
