Bucknell Men's Basketball Hosts Holy Cross Sunday at Noon on Senior Day

Feb. 22, 2013

WHAT: Holy Cross (11-15, 3-8 PL) at Bucknell (22-5, 9-2 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. ET
LIVE WEBCAST: Bison Vision
RADIO: Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM) and SportsJuice.com
HAPPENINGS: Senior Day (ceremony at 11:55 a.m.)
LIVE STATS: GameTracker
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format  

With a Win over Holy Cross, Bucknell Would ...
• ... improve to 10-2 in the Patriot League and maintain sole possession of first place in the Patriot League.
• ... clinch a top-two seed for the Patriot League Tournament, which would mean home-court advantage at least through the semifinals.
• ... improve to 23-5 on the season, which would equal the third-best 28-game record in program history (the 1983-84 and 2004-05 teams started 24-4).
• ... give the senior class a share of the record for most wins by one class (87).
• ... become the fourth team in Patriot League history to win 10+ league games three years in a row. The others are Lafayette (1998-00), Holy Cross (2005-07) and Bucknell (2005-07).
• ... tie the school record for most wins in a three-year period (73). The Bison won 73 games in 2004-05 (24), 2005-06 (27) and 2006-07 (22).
• ... sweep the season series with the Crusaders.
• ... improve to 10-1 at home this season.
• ... improve to 108-33 all-time at Sojka Pavilion and 74-15 at Sojka against Patriot League opponents.

Headlines
• Bucknell won a pivotal game at Lehigh on Monday to recapture sole possession of first place, and now the Bison begin a three-game drive for the regular-season title on Sunday afternoon against Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion.
• At 9-2 in the Patriot League, Bucknell has a one-game lead over Lehigh and a two-game cushion over Lafayette with three contests remaining. The Bison have already clinched a first-round home game at the Patriot League Tournament, and they can lock up a top-two seed with a victory over Holy Cross. The Crusaders have lost seven of their last eight games to drop to 3-8 in the league. Holy Cross sits in seventh place, one game ahead of Navy and one behind Colgate.
• Through Thursday’s games, Bucknell is tied for 9th nationally with 22 victories and is the only team in the country with as many as 11 road wins.
• Bucknell in the rankings:
Associated Press Poll: NR
USA Today Coaches’ Poll: NR
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: 9
ESPN.com Mid-Major Poll: 6
RPI (from RPIforecast.com): 53
Ken Pomeroy computer ranking: 63
Jeff Sagarin computer ranking: 77
• Bryson Johnson and Mike Muscala were both recently named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team, and Muscala went on to earn national Academic All-America (third team) honors on Thursday. Muscala became Bucknell’s 123rd Academic All-American, fifth-most among all Division I programs. In addition, Muscala was recently named one of 10 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Johnson and Muscala both made the Dean’s List in the fall semester, and they grabbed two of the five All-District spots.
• The Bison have been outstanding defensively this season. Opponents are averaging only 58.5 points per game, and Bucknell has held 19 of its last 25 foes under 40% shooting.
• Mike Muscala is in the midst of an outstanding senior year for the Bison, and he has garnered frequent national mentions throughout the season. An All-America and NBA Draft candidate, Muscala leads the Bison in scoring (19.1), rebounding (11.5), assists (2.6), blocks (2.7) and FG% (.517). He leads the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks and ranks in the top 25 nationally in each of those categories (3rd reb., 24th pts., 19th blk.).
• Muscala is the only player in the country averaging at least 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. And there are only three players in all of Division I basketball who are leading his team in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. They are Muscala, Princeton’s Ian Hummer and Towson’s Jarelle Benimon. Muscala leads the nation with 19 double-doubles.
• Muscala recorded his 1,000th career rebound last week, putting him in the exclusive 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. Muscala is the second Bucknell player ever to record 1,000 rebounds (Hal Danzig had 1,134 from 1956-59), and he joined former Colgate star Adonal Foyle as the only Patriot Leaguers ever to reach that milestone.
• Cameron Ayers (12.4), Bryson Johnson (11.6) and Joe Willman (10.4) are also scoring in double figures for the Bison, who average 67.4 ppg. Johnson is coming off a 19-point, 5-assist performance in the win over Lehigh.
• Ayers is on 1,000-point watch. He is 21 points shy of that milestone, which would give Bucknell four 1,000-point scorers on the same team for the first time in program history.
• The Bison opened the campaign with wins over Purdue and George Mason, and then swept Niagara, New Mexico State and West Alabama at the Niagara Subregional of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Wounded Warrior Project. Bucknell won all three of those games by double figures and improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2005-06. The first loss of the season came at Penn State on Nov. 23. The only other setbacks have come at the hands of Princeton, Missouri and Lehigh.
• Bucknell returned four starters and 11 lettermen from last year’s 25-10 squad. The lone graduated starter was 6’5” guard Bryan Cohen, who won each of the last three Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year awards. Despite that loss, the experienced Bison start three seniors and two juniors. Bucknell has used the same starting five in every game this season, and that quintet has a combined 562 career games played.
• Holy Cross is led by junior center Dave Dudzinski, who averages 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Dudzinski had a big game against the Bison in Worcester earlier this season, scoring 26 points. Sophomore point guard Justin Burrell (12.6 ppg) is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
• From the “We Know How It Feels” Department, Holy Cross is coming off a 79-76 loss to Lafayette, with Tony Johnson hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left. One game earlier, Johnson scored with 4.5 seconds left to give the Leopards a 63-62 victory over Bucknell.

How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Holy Cross game will not be televised, however a live webcast will be available on Bison Vision via BucknellBison.com and on Patriot League All-Access via Patriot League.com.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong and Terry Conrad describing the action. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off.
• The audio feed is available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
• Live statistics are available on GameTracker at BucknellBison.com.
• Be sure to follow @BisonSports on Twitter for in-game updates.

Bucknell vs. Holy Cross
The Bucknell-Holy Cross rivalry has been one of the league’s best through the years. Some of the highlights:
• The Bison and Crusaders have combined to win seven of the last 12 Patriot League titles.
• These two teams have met in 13 of the 22 Patriot League Tournaments, including four times in the championship game. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the 2005 and 2006 title tilts, while the Crusaders topped the Bison in the final in 1993 and 2007.
• The Bison and Crusaders had never met until the formation of the Patriot League in 1990-91, but this will be the 59th meeting in 23 years.
• Bucknell leads the series 32-26. The road team has won six of the last 13, including Holy Cross’ upset of the Bison in the 2010 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals at Sojka Pavilion.
• Bucknell is 15-10 against Holy Cross in Lewisburg and 8-4 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell is 13-13 vs. Holy Cross at the Hart Center, with one of the wins coming in the 2005 Patriot League championship game.
• Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen is 7-5 against Holy Cross, including his Williams College team’s 78-71 upset of the Crusaders at the Hart Center on Dec. 4, 2003.
• The Bison and Crusaders split a pair of meetings last season, with the home team winning each time. At Sojka Pavilion Bucknell recorded its most one-sided win ever against Holy Cross, 75-41. Cameron Ayers led the way with 13 points, while Mike Muscala had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Bucknell was faced with a similar situation as this year in the rematch at Holy Cross, coming off a heartbreaking home loss to Lehigh. In that one the Bison trailed 28-10 at the half and by as many as 19 points in the second half. But the Crusaders had to hold on for dear life as Bucknell charged all the way back within two before falling short 54-52. Muscala had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bison, while Justin Burrell led Holy Cross with 15.
• Back on Jan. 26 at the Hart Center, Bucknell outlasted Holy Cross 65-58 behind 16 points apiece from Joe Willman and Bryson Johnson and 13 points and 11 boards from Muscala. Bucknell held Holy Cross to 34.0% shooting, although the Crusaders received 26 points from Dave Dudzinski.

Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 209-96 (.685) all-time in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 18 of 22 seasons (and are guaranteed at least a .500 finish this year).
• Bucknell has won the last two Patriot League regular-season titles, and it is trying to become the first team to win three outright titles in a row.
• The Bison went 13-1 in the league in 2011 and 12-2 last year, making them 25-3 over those two seasons. Dating back to mid-2010, Bucknell has won 42 of its last 49 league games.
• Bucknell won Patriot League Tournament titles in 2005, 2006 and 2011. The Bison have made it to the semifinals 17 times and to the championship game nine times in the 22-year history of the league.
• The Bison are the only team to go unbeaten in league play in a season (14-0 in 2006).

Senior Salute
• Prior to Sunday’s game against Holy Cross, the Bucknell men’s basketball program will honor seniors Bryson Johnson, Colin Klebon, Mike Muscala and Joe Willman. Managers Zach Kriftcher, Bob Manning and Eric Martin will also be recognized.
• The Class of 2013 has an overall record of 86-41 (.677) and a Patriot League record of 43-10 (.811).
• The Class of 2013 has 86 wins, one shy of the Bucknell record of 87 wins currently held by the Class of 2007, which featured Abe Badmus, Donald Brown, John Clark and Chris McNaughton.
• This class has been part of teams that have won a Patriot League Tournament title and two Patriot League regular-season titles. They have competed in an NCAA Tournament and an NIT.
• This class has combined for 435 games played, 4,419 points and 1,962 rebounds over the last four years.
• The trio of Muscala, Johnson and Willman have played in 379 of a possible 381 combined games over the last four seasons.
• The senior class combined for a 3.53 GPA in the fall semester.

Last Time Out
• Bucknell got hot from long range at just the right time, hitting five straight 3-pointers in a key stretch of the second half to defeat Lehigh 61-55 at Stabler Arena on Monday. Bryson Johnson hit three of those treys and reserve Ben Brackney hit the other two. Johnson led all scorers with 19 points, and Mike Muscala added 12 points and nine rebounds despite sitting out most of the first half with foul trouble.
• Bucknell’s bench was the key to victory. In addition to Brackney’s aforementioned 3-pointers, Brian Fitzpatrick came in with Muscala sidelined with two early fouls and produced six points and nine rebounds in the first half alone. He grabbed another board in the second half and finished the night with a career-high 10 rebounds. Steven Kaspar equalled his career high with seven assists off the bench, and Ryan Frazier scored a key basket on a drive to the hoop with 2:43 to play, and he played strong defense on Lehigh’s talented point guard Mackey McKnight down the stretch.
• This game was a complete reversal from the first meeting at Sojka Pavilion, when Lehigh won 65-62. In that contest, the Mountain Hawks went 10-for-18 from 3-point range, while the Bison were just 2-for-14. This time, Bucknell went 6-for-17 from the arc, including the five straight makes in the second half, while Lehigh was just 1-for-15.
• The Bison committed only three second-half turnovers and had just eight for the game, while Lehigh turned it over only four times.
• Bucknell outrebounded Lehigh 42-35.
• Both teams struggled at the free-throw line. The Bison started the game 10-for-11 but went just 1-for-6 in the final 3:20 to keep Lehigh in the game. Meanwhile the Mountain Hawks made only 6 of 15 charity tosses.

20-20-20 Vision
• Bucknell is coming off its first-ever back-to-back 25-win seasons, and now the Bison have made it three straight 20-win campaigns. This is the second time in program history that the team has produced three straight 20-win seasons. The other stretch was 2004-05 (24), 2005-06 (27) and 2006-07 (22).
• The program record for victories in consecutive years is 51, set in 2004-05 (24) and 2005-06 (27).
• The program record for wins over a three-year span is 73, set from 2004-07 (24, 27, 22). The current squad needs one more win to equal that mark.

Who’s Got Next?
• Bucknell will play its final regular-season home game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against American. That contest will be televised live on WNEP2 in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
• Bucknell defeated American 56-55 on Mike Muscala’s put-back with 0.8 seconds to play back on Jan. 30 in Washington, D.C.

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Fans Encouraged to Come Early as Bucknell Men's Basketball to Honor Seniors on Sunday

Feb. 21, 2013

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Mathematicians will be needed to tally up all of the records, awards and honors bestowed on the Bucknell men's basketball team's senior class. The senior group of Bryson Johnson, Colin Klebon, Mike Muscala and Joe Willman are in the midst of a postseason drive and would prefer that mention of those individual accolades be tabled until after the season, but the program will take a few minutes to publicly recognize this outstanding senior class and their families prior to Sunday's home game against Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion.

Please note that the senior ceremony will begin at 11:55 a.m., and fans are encouraged to arrive early in order to be seated for the presentation. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:13 p.m.

The first 200 Bucknell students to enter Sojka Pavilion will receive a free breakfast sandwich from Burger King.

Some general notes on this year's senior class:
-- Entering Sunday's game against Holy Cross, the Class of 2013 has an overall record of 86-41 (.677) and a Patriot League record of 43-10 (.811).
-- The Class of 2013 has 86 wins, one shy of the Bucknell record of 87 wins currently held by the Class of 2007, which featured Abe Badmus, Donald Brown, John Clark and Chris McNaughton.
-- This class has been part of teams that have won a Patriot League Tournament title and two Patriot League regular-season titles. They have competed in an NCAA Tournament and an NIT.
-- This class has combined for 435 games played, 4,419 points and 1,962 rebounds over the last four years.
-- The trio of Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and Joe Willman have played in 379 of a possible 381 combined games over the last four seasons.
-- The senior class combined for a 3.53 GPA in the fall semester.

The Bison are now 22-5 overall and 9-2 in the Patriot League after Monday's 61-55 victory at Lehigh. Bucknell has a one-game lead over the Mountain Hawks in the Patriot League standings with three regular-season games to play.

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Senior Trio Adds to Bucknell Basketball's Rich History

Feb. 21, 2013

By Thomas Walter, Bucknell Athletic Communications Student Assistant

Four years ago when Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson, and Joe Willman came to Bucknell as freshmen, instead of going to their orientation activities they went straight to Gerhard Fieldhouse and played basketball together until the lights went out.

"I remember playing in the Fieldhouse in the dark that night," says Muscala. "It was fun. I left that night thinking to myself that it is going to be a good four years."

And what a four years it has been. The individual awards and recognitions for Muscala, Johnson and Willman are tremendous. But, one of the most noteworthy ones is that they are each members of the 1,000-point club. It is only the second time in the 118-year history of the Bucknell basketball program that three members of the same class have each scored 1,000 points.

"They're a real special bunch," says Bison fifth-year head coach Dave Paulsen. "They've allowed me to coach them hard, they're unselfish, they're team oriented guys, and they've worked their rear-ends off. You can't ask for anything more."

But, as much as these three seniors appreciate what they have accomplished, making it into the 1,000-point club and other numerous individual awards, they understand that the team comes first, and they still have more they want to accomplish. Together.

***

When Paulsen was hired at Bucknell in May 2008, he knew he was going to be pressed for time to find recruits so he hired close friend, and one of his former assistant coaches at Williams, Dane Fischer to help try and piece together a recruiting class.

Colin Klebon, a local product from Shamokin, Pennsylvania, signed with Bucknell. Klebon, who majors in civil engineering, was one of the top players to come out of the Coal Region of Pennsylvania and has become a solid four-year contributor for the Bison.

Things really started to take off for Paulsen and Fischer when the two coaches then found Muscala, a tall, skinny kid from Roseville, Minnesota.

After Paulsen watched the tape of the 6'11" forward, he was impressed. But, when he finally saw Muscala play, it was an easy decision to offer him a scholarship on the spot. When the Muscala family came to visit later that August, only a few days after Paulsen had finished moving into his Lewisburg home, Muscala gave a verbal commitment to play for Bucknell. The chips had begun to fall into place.

Next came Johnson, who was flying a little bit under the recruiting radar.

"This kid had all the intangibles. Everyone talks about Bryson's shooting ability, which is amazing. But, he had everything a coach was looking for in a player," says Paulsen. "He has the leadership, the passion and the charisma."

Johnson, who was also being recruited by Cornell, was originally on the fence about Bucknell. Once he came for his official visit, however, Johnson loved the school and committed a few days later.

Willman would be last and the toughest to convince. When Paulsen first saw Willman at a camp, he hardly ever touched the ball. Paulsen was skeptical at first

"I didn't know if this kid could even play," Paulsen remembers. "When I saw him play the next weekend, however, I just loved how hard he played, how much he competed, and how smart he was."

When Willman came to visit Bucknell, he still remained doubtful. He ended up taking official visits to a total of five schools and was not ready to commit to Paulsen and the Bison. But, a few days after his official visit to Bucknell, Paulsen got the verbal commitment he wanted from Willman, and with it, he had the bulk of his first recruiting class

"We were trying to revitalize this program which had been so tremendously good," explains Paulsen. "We were trying to recreate this culture of excellence. The passion that Bryson brings, the intensity that Mike brings and the intelligence that Joe brings, those intangibles were as important as their very tangible basketball skills."

***

A frustrating freshman year followed. Muscala, Johnson, and Willman were asked to carry the load for much of the season for a team that finished below .500. While all three were named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team, the Bison were bounced out of the Patriot League Tournament in the quarterfinals.

"There needed to be some time to get acclimated to the new system," says Willman. "We had three freshmen playing regular minutes, which is pretty crazy to think about. But, we have been able to grow each and every year."

The evolution of the team began sophomore year as there was a tremendous growth from all three players. The trio led the Bison a 13-1 regular season Patriot League record, a Patriot League title, and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Muscala led the way as he was named Patriot League Player of the Year, averaging 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was only the third sophomore ever to earn the award. It was the start of many more awards to come for Muscala who will have the chance to become the Patriot League's fifth 2,000-point scorer, Bucknell's all-time leading scorer, and a member of the 2,000-point - 1,000-rebound club.

Winning the Patriot League Championship was a very special moment. Even though the team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual champion, Connecticut, Muscala, Willman and Johnson all agree that March is their best memory in a Bison uniform to date.

"Winning the Patriot League sophomore year is easily the best moment of my career," says Johnson. "To see everyone at the school get so excited, and for all the time and effort we put into practice to pay off was extremely special."

During their junior year, the trio picked up right where they left off. Another 25-win season and Patriot League regular season title followed, but they fell short in the Patriot League Championship as they ran into C.J. McCollum and a tough Lehigh team that went on to beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament.

Muscala scored his 1,000th point that season in late December against future Patriot League member Loyola (Md.). Johnson would need a couple months to join his freshman-year roommate in that exclusive club, but would do so as the team went on an inspired run in the NIT, upsetting No. 1 seed Arizona.

With one more year remaining, Willman would have a chance to join his fellow classmates in that club, but all three of them knew there was something larger at stake to play for.

***

As their senior season winds down, Muscala, Willman, Johnson, and the rest of the Bison have emerged as one of the front-runners to win the Patriot League title once again. With their continued excellent play, the expectations have grown and grown for this team.

"The legacy of this team is all anyone is talking about," Paulsen says. "That can really weigh you down. But, we can't control everything. So we're stressing to not leave anything on the table. I want our guys to play with a chip on their shoulders, rather than playing with the weight of expectations on their shoulders."

The team played extremely hard through the first half of the season as they were 13-3 entering Patriot League play. Two games later, Willman joined his fellow seniors as he scored his 1,000th point Jan. 16th, 2013. Only one other class in Bucknell history has three members in the 1,000-point club.

The recruits of the 1986-1987 senior class were the first three individuals from the same class to score 1,000 points. Chris Seneca scored 1,082 points, while Mark Atkinson scored 1,029 points and Mark Allsteadt registered 1,020 points.

"It's a big accomplishment," says Willman. "It's even more special that all three of us have accomplished this."

Their paths to 1,000 points all differ. Muscala was the skinny kid who transformed himself into one of the most dominant big men in the country and a likely NBA draft pick. Johnson has gone from the team's best jump shooter to the sixth man and is now back to the starting two guard with an expanded versatility to his offensive arsenal. Willman, always the smartest player on the floor, has developed a strong post game and the ability to defend smaller players around the perimeter while continuing to hone his deadly mid-range jumper.

Perhaps even more special than all their accomplishments, is that through their sacrifices and growth as players, they have been able to resurrect Bucknell back to one of the top mid-major basketball programs in the country.

"I think we got the school excited about basketball again," says Johnson. "We have the best student fan-base in the league and it's incredible to play in front of."

As special as the three seniors all being in the 1,000-point club was, with the season beginning to wind down the team is getting closer and closer to the ultimate goal of winning another Patriot League Championship. But, Muscala, Willman and Johnson all know the job isn't finished yet.

"We were all so heartbroken after that game to Lehigh that we did not need to say anything to one another. The three of us just knew we did not want to have that feeling again," says Muscala. "We just have to go out aggressive and leave everything on the court. If the other team is better than us, so be it. But, we have to play hard enough so we have no regrets."

In order to win their second Patriot League Championship, the Bison's three 1,000-point scorers will have to do all the little things right, play their hardest leaving nothing out on the court, and finish their career just as they started it that first night in the dark of Gerhard Fieldhouse: together.

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