Bucknell's Mike Muscala Named Patriot League Player of Week

Senior Center Averaged 18 Points, 11.3 Rebounds to Lead Bison to 5-0 Start

Mike Muscala

Nov. 19, 2012

LEWISBURG, Pa. -Bucknell senior Mike Muscala (Roseville, Minn./Roseville) earned Patriot League Player of the Week honors on Monday after leading the Bison a perfect 4-0 week and a 5-0 start on the season. Muscala averaged 18.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in victories over George Mason, Niagara, New Mexico State and West Alabama, and he was named Most Valuable Player of the Niagara Subregional of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Wounded Warrior Project.

Muscala started the week last Tuesday with a 16-point, 15-rebound performance in Bucknell's 61-56 victory over Colonial Athletic Association power George Mason. He had 12 rebounds in the second half alone in that game. The Bison then played three games in three days in Niagara Falls, N.Y., as part of the 2K Sports Classic, and they won them all.

Muscala posted eye-popping numbers in Bucknell's come-from-behind 88-71 victory over the host Purple Eagles on Friday night. He logged 18 points, 16 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and three blocked shots, as the Bison rallied from 12 points down to win by 17. Muscala tallied a game-high 24 points on 11-for-19 shooting and grabbed nine boards in a 62-49 victory over defending Western Athletic Conference champion New Mexico State on Saturday.

Bucknell wrapped up the weekend with a one-sided win over West Alabama on Sunday, and Muscala led the team with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting in only 20 minutes of action.

Muscala earned some national publicity on ESPN.com's "Pick `n' Roll" college basketball column, where he was named to the "Weekly Starting Five" along with Michigan State's Keith Appling, Duke's Seth Curry, Wichita State's Carl Hall and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.

For the season, Muscala ranks third in the league in scoring at 17.2 points per game, and he leads the conference in rebounding (11.0) and blocked shots (2.0). Muscala is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line.

After his productive week, Muscala has joined Fordham's Chris Gaston as the only two active players in the country with 1,000 points, 750 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 assists.

Bucknell is 5-0 for the first time since 2005-06, and the Bison join 6-0 Cal State Northridge as the only Division I teams in the nation with at least five victories so far. Bucknell returns to action on Friday at Penn State at 4:30 p.m.