Feb. 20, 2004
Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Bucknell stretched a three-point halftime lead to as many as 21 in the second half en route to a 79-61 win over Lafayette on Friday at Bucknell.
Lafayette (18-6 overall, 9-2 Patriot League) remains in a tie for first in the Patriot League, while Bucknell (12-12, 8-3), winners of six straight and 9 of 10, moves to within a game of the league leaders.
The Leopards shot just 40 percent from the field, had a season-low one player in double figures and went a 10-minute span in the second half with just a single field goal.
Neither team could take control early, as Lafayette missed its first seven shots from the field and trailed 8-2. A Winston Davis three-pointer, however, opened a 9-3 spurt that tied the score at 11 with 10:10 left in the first stanza.
Bucknell's Kevin Bettencourt, who finished with 17 points on five three-pointers and a pair of foul shots, buried three triples on consecutive possessions late in the half as the Bison took a 37-34 lead into the locker room.
Leading 50-43, the Bison embarked on a 21-7 run that spanned 10:43 and sealed the win. The Leopards' only field goal during the stretch was a three-pointer by Marcus Harley at the 14:27 mark, while Chris McNaughton scored 10 of Bucknell's 21 points in the burst.
McNaughton scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting; he tallied 18 in the second half alone. Charles Lee and Abe Badmus joined Bettencourt and McNaughton in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Davis scored 18 points to lead to the Leopards, while Mike Farrell and Pat Betley chipped in eight points apiece.
Lafayette is back on the road on Sunday, visiting Lehigh with first place in the Patriot League on the line. The Leopards downed Lehigh 111-104 in overtime in Kirby Sports Center on Jan. 23.
