Tickets Available for Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals

Feb. 28, 2013

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The four host sites have been determined for the Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday, and fans can begin buying their tickets to see the games at Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh and Army.

The Bison have secured the No. 1 seed in the League Tournament and home-court advantage in each round. Lafayette, Lehigh and Army are still battling it out for the No. 2 seed, with the Leopards holding the inside track and needing only a win over American on Saturday to claim the spot. If Lafayette loses, the Army/Lehigh winner would be the No. 2 seed.

One quarterfinal matchup is already set, as the Bison will host No. 8 Navy in the round for the second year in a row. That contest, as well as the games at Lafayette, Lehigh and Army, will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and will be available through Patriot League All-Access

Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament tickets are available through the host schools. Information on purchasing tickets from the four quarterfinal hosts is included below. Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students, children and senior citizens.

Bucknell: Tickets may be purchased online at the box office over the phone at 570-577-1000 or by visiting the Weis Center Campus Box Office location.

Lafayette: Tickets can be purchased through GoLeopards.com, at the ticket office in Kirby Sports Center, or by contacting the ticket office via phone (610-330-5471) or email (tickets@lafayette.edu).

Lehigh: Tickets can be purchased by calling the Lehigh ticket office at 610-7LU-GAME (610-758-4263) or by going online here

Army: Tickets can be purcahsed by visiting www.goARMYsports.com or calling 1-877-TIX-ARMY. Fans can also stop by the ticket office at its new location at Gate 3 of Michie Stadium during its regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.). The Holleder Center ticket office, located just outside Christl Arena, opens for sales 90 minutes prior to home contests.

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A Second Chance

Feb. 21, 2013

A Second Chance

 By Matt Dougherty, Patriot League Assistant Executive Director for Communications

 Note: The following story appears in the 2013 Patriot League Basketball Tournament program.

Shock waves were sent throughout the Patriot League when the word came out in the late spring of 2011 that Stephen Lumpkins would not be returning for his senior season at American.

 A team that had just finished 22-9 overall and 11-3 in the Patriot League was expected to be a top contender again, but Lumpkins had another path calling his name. He had just been selected in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Kansas City Royals, and was ready to embark on a professional baseball career.

 Lumpkins appeared in 10 games for the Rookie Arizona League Royals in 2011, then threw in five more in 2012 before realizing that he needed a change in direction.

 "I was out in Arizona playing baseball and I had played about two seasons, and it wasn't really going as well as I thought it was going to go and I wasn't really making any progress," Lumpkins said. "I was going to come back to American regardless this year, even if it was just for a semester, to finish my degree."

 While Lumpkins knew he was done with baseball and knew he would come back to American to complete his degree, it was not as clear if he would return to the basketball court.

 "Towards the end of the baseball season, I was just emotionally done with it. I knew I was coming back to school, but I didn't know if I wanted to play basketball or not," he said. "I went back home and talked to my family a lot about what I wanted to do next. I went to the gym with my dad a few times and just kind of worked out. I kind of knew I wanted to come back to play basketball, but I just wanted to make sure because I had not played much in a year and a half. I got in contact with the coaches and one thing led to the next."

 Lumpkins' return did not get set into motion until July, meaning he had just over three months to get ready for the 2012-13 season and prepare to play collegiately for the first time in 20 months.

 "I think it was tough at first," he said. "I needed to get back and get my basketball skills back. I felt pretty good and it started to come back pretty quickly. I think a lot of it was just the conditioning and getting my body into doing basketball movements again. In baseball there really isn't as much running and activity as in basketball. I think my skills picked up faster than my conditioning."

 What he was coming back to was largely a different team than the one he left. Gone were standouts like Vlad Moldoveanu, Troy Brewer and Nick Hendra from the 2010-11 squad. But Lumpkins was able to transition back with some friendly faces that include a group of seven seniors for the Eagles in 2012-13.

 "It was a little bit different coming back," he said. "I had played with Danny Munoz a lot and remained in close contact with him while I was playing baseball, but a lot of the guys I was closest with on the team had graduated last year or even the year before. A lot of the guys on the team this year didn't even know who I was so it was a bit of a process in getting re-acclimated."

 Lumpkins' teammates would, however, now get the benefit of playing with a Patriot League champion. He played as a freshman when the Eagles won their second of two consecutive crowns in 2009, and learned from a group of veteran standouts like Derrick Mercer, Garrison Carr and Brian Gilmore. Now, it was Lumpkins' time to instill veteran experience for a group that has been stopped in the Patriot League semifinals for three years in a row.

 "Winning the Patriot League and winning a championship is really hard," he said. "My freshman year I got here and we won it, and it was a great experience. You don't really realize how hard it is until you go through it a couple of times and don't win it. My junior year we had a team that we thought had a very good chance to win the Patriot League, but we got upset by Lafayette in the semifinals. A lot of things have to go right and a lot of hard work goes into it to win."

 One area where Lumpkins' hard work has always shown up is on the boards. His return has led to an ascent up the Patriot League rebounding charts, with Lumpkins becoming just the fourth player in League history to crack 800 career rebounds and ending his career in the top three in the record book.

 "The biggest thing is just going for the ball," he said. "It's a learned skill, you just need to watch the ball and see where it's going to go off. As far as offensive rebounding, you just have to go every time. You're not going to get every rebound, but if you don't go then you're never going to get it."

 Of course, he had a good teacher to learn those types of skills at a young age. Stephen's dad, Larry, played collegiately at Northwestern University and showed his son the ropes early on.

 "My dad has been the biggest influence on my basketball career, we were always playing in the driveway and the backyard. I started playing when I was like 4 or 5 and I just always liked it and stayed with it," Lumpkins said.

 A Marketing major, Lumpkins is hoping for a career in a business-related field or a stint playing professional basketball after graduating from American. But first he hopes to finish his senior year the same way he started his career as a freshman.

 "Now that we're in Patriot League play I want to give my team the best chance to win every night. I want to win the Patriot League and go back to the NCAA Tournament one last time," he said.

That would be a fitting end to a second chance senior season.

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Army/Lehigh Selected as CBS Sports Network Telecast for March 2

Feb. 21, 2013 -

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Patriot League announced Thursday that the Army at Lehigh men's basketball contest has been selected to air on CBS Sports Network as part of the League's television package. The game is scheduled for Saturday, March 2 at Noon EST.

The Mountain Hawks stand in second place in the Patriot League at 8-3, while the Black Knights have a 6-5 record in the League to hold fourth place. Lehigh has already clinched at least one home game in the Patriot League Tournament.

Lehigh and Army had an exciting matchup in their first meeting at West Point on Feb. 3, with the Mountain Hawks holding on for an 85-76 victory. Lehigh leads the Patriot League with 73.4 points per game, while Army is right behind with 72.8 points per contest for the year. Army's Ella Ellis (17.1 ppg) and Kyle Wilson (13.0 ppg) each rank in the top eight in the Patriot League in scoring, while Gabe Knutson (13.5 ppg), Mackey McKnight (12.5 ppg) and Holden Greiner (12.3 ppg) are all in the top 15 for the Mountain Hawks.

The rest of the Patriot League contests on March 2, the final day of the regular season, include American at Lafayette, Bucknell at Navy and Colgate at Holy Cross. Each of those games will be available through Patriot League All-Access.

Eight Patriot League men's basketball games have already been shown on CBS Sports Network this season, including three on consecutive days from Saturday-Monday. Patriot League action resumes on CBS Sports Network on Sunday when Lehigh visits Lafayette at Noon EST. After the Army/Lehigh regular-season finale, coverage on CBS Sports Network continues in the Patriot League Tournament with both semifinals on March 9 (2 and 4:30 p.m. EST) and the Patriot League Championship on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) is the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports. CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers on Verizon FiOS Channel 94 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 (1643 in HD) and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information on how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com

The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.

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Army-Lehigh Selected For CBS Sports Network Broadcast

Feb. 22, 2013

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Patriot League announced this week that the Black Knights' regular-season finale at Lehigh on Saturday,  March 2 has been chosen for broadcast on CBS Sports Network as part of the league's television package. Tip-off is still set for 12 p.m.

The game will mark Army's third national television appearance of the season. Both of the Black Knights' contests with arch-rival Navy aired on CBS Sports Network.

The Army-Lehigh match up features the two highest-scoring teams in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks lead the conference with 73.4 points per game, while the Black Knights score 72.8 points per contest. Lehigh won the first meeting at West Point, 85-76. Army trailed by more than 20 in the first half, but came back to make it a five point game in the closing minutes.

After the regular-season finale, CBS Sports Network's coverage of the Patriot League continues in the postseason with both semifinals on March 9 (2 and 4:30 p.m. EST) and the Patriot League Championship on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) is the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports. CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers on Verizon FiOS Channel 94 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 (1643 in HD) and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information on how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

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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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Bucknell's Mike Muscala Earns Capital One Academic All-America Honors

Feb. 21, 2013

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Senior men's basketball standout Mike Muscala (Roseville, Minn./Roseville) has already enjoyed a decorated career at Bucknell, and on Thursday he added another major accolade when he was named to the national Capital One Academic All-America Team. A two-time Academic All-District selection, Muscala earned Academic All-America honors for the first time, and he becomes Bucknell's 123rd all-time Academic All-American, fifth-most among all Division I programs.

A standout both in the classroom and on the basketball court, Muscala was named to the Academic All-America Third Team, joining many of the top stars in college basketball this season. The first team honorees are Indiana's Cody Zeller, Duke's Mason Plumlee, Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, Brown's Matthew Sullivan and Ohio State's Aaron Craft, who was named the Academic All-American of the Year.

Second Team honorees include Ben Averkamp of Loyola (Ill.), Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's, Nathan Healy of Appalachian State, Peyton Siva of Louisville and Andrew Smith of Butler. Muscala was joined on the Third Team by Indiana's Jordan Hills, Santa Clara's Marc Trasolini, Montana's Mathais Ward and Campbell's Darren White.

Muscala is the ninth Bucknell men's basketball student-athlete to make the national Academic All-America Team, and the first since Valter Karavanic made it in back-to-back years in 1998 and 1999.

In order to be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or key reserve, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or better.

Muscala, a management major with a 3.36 GPA, made the Academic All-District team as a sophomore in 2010-11 when he was also the Patriot League Player of the Year. Muscala was named to the five-man Academic All-Patriot League Team last season, and this year he is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which honors student-athletes for their success on the court, in the classroom and for their character and service in the community. Muscala was also a Dean's List honoree this fall.

Muscala is in the midst of a sensational senior year, and he is stamping his name as one of the top players in Bucknell and Patriot League history. The 6'11" senior leads the league in scoring (19.1), rebounding (11.5) and blocked shots (2.7), and he also leads the team in assists with 71. He is one of only three players in the nation leading his team in all four of those categories, and he is the only Division I player in the country averaging at least 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Muscala also leads the country in double-doubles with 19, and he ranks third nationally in rebounding.

Muscala recently joined the exclusive 1,000-rebound club, making him only the second player in Bucknell and Patriot League history to reach that milestone. On Bucknell's all-time charts, Muscala ranks second in scoring (1,916), second in rebounding (1,025) and second in blocks (263). In Patriot League history, he ranks fifth in points and second in both rebounds and blocks.

A six-time Patriot League Player of the Week this season, Muscala has helped lead the Bison into first place in the Patriot League standings with three games remaining. Now 22-5 overall and 9-2 in the Patriot League, Bucknell has a one-game lead over Lehigh and a two-game cushion over Lafayette.

Bucknell hosts Holy Cross at noon on Sunday. Muscala and fellow seniors Bryson Johnson, Colin Klebon and Joe Willman will be honored prior to the contest as part of Senior Day activities.

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Bucknell's Muscala Named Third-Team Academic All-American

Feb. 21, 2013

Capital One Men's Basketball Academic All-America Team

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Bucknell senior Mike Muscala added to his lengthy list of accolades on Thursday when he was named a Capital One Men's Basketball Third-Team Academic All-American.

Muscala becomes just the sixth Patriot League men's basketball student-athlete to receive the honor, and earns the eighth overall selection from the League. He is only the second Patriot League student-athlete honored as a Men's Basketball Academic All-American in the past 13 years.

A standout both in the classroom and on the basketball court, Muscala joined many of the top stars in college basketball this season as an Academic All-American. The first team honorees are Indiana's Cody Zeller, Duke's Mason Plumlee, Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, Brown's Matthew Sullivan and Ohio State's Aaron Craft, who was named the Academic All-American of the Year. Second-Team honorees include Ben Averkamp of Loyola (Ill.), Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's, Nathan Healy of Appalachian State, Peyton Siva of Louisville and Andrew Smith of Butler. Muscala was joined on the Third Team by Indiana's Jordan Hills, Santa Clara's Marc Trasolini, Montana's Mathais Ward and Campbell's Darren White.

In order to be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or key reserve, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or better. Voting was conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Muscala, a Management major with a 3.36 GPA, made the Academic All-District team last month after also doing so as a sophomore in 2010-11. He was named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team each of the last two seasons, and this year he is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which honors student-athletes for their success on the court, in the classroom and for their character and service in the community. Lehigh senior C.J. McCollum is also among the 10 finalists for that honor.

Muscala is in the midst of a sensational senior year, and he is stamping his name as one of the top players in Bucknell and Patriot League history. He leads the Patriot League in scoring (19.1), rebounding (11.5) and blocked shots (2.7), and he also leads the Bison in assists with 71. He is one of only three players in the nation leading his team in all four of those categories, and he is the only Division I player in the country averaging at least 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Muscala also leads the country in double-doubles with 19, and he ranks third nationally in rebounding.

Muscala recently joined the exclusive 1,000-rebound club, making him only the second player in Bucknell and Patriot League history to reach that milestone. On Bucknell's all-time charts, Muscala ranks second in scoring (1,916), second in rebounding (1,025) and second in blocks (263). In Patriot League history, he ranks fifth in points and second in both rebounds and blocks.

A six-time Patriot League Player of the Week this season, Muscala has helped lead the Bison into first place in the Patriot League standings with three games remaining. Now 22-5 overall and 9-2 in the Patriot League, Bucknell has a one-game lead over Lehigh and a two-game cushion over Lafayette. The Bison are back in action on Sunday at Noon at home against Holy Cross.

For the full Capital One Men's Basketball Academic All-America team and release, go here

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