March 1, 2005
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Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. EST
Match Up: Lafayette (9-18, 5-9) at Bucknell (19-9, 10-4)
Site: Lewisburg, Pa.
Arena: Sojka Pavilion (4,000)
Series: Lafayette leads, 82-52
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, www.goleopards.com
Announcers: Dick Hammer, Phil LaBella
THE STORY LINE: Lafayette will play Bucknell, the No. 2 seed, in the first round of the Patriot League tournament on Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pa. The Bison won both regular season meetings, 71-54 on Jan. 21 and 89-69 on Feb. 4. The winner will play at 1 p.m. on Sunday against the winner of the American-Navy match-up. No. 1 Holy Cross will host Army, while Lehigh will play Colgate on Friday in Worcester, Mass.
LAST TIME OUT: Lehigh pared a 75-65 deficit to one point late in the game, but Bilal Abdullah and Jamaal Hilliard made clutch free throws down the stretch to give the Leopards an 81-76 victory on Senior Day at Kirby Sports Center on Saturday, Feb. 26. Sean Knitter and Jamaal Douglas both scored 16 points, and Hilliard and Abdullah added 15 and 12, respectively.
THE LAST MEETING: Sean Knitter and Jamaal Douglas scored 20 points each, but Kevin Bettencourt led four Bison in double figures with 29 points in an 89-69 win for Bucknell on Feb. 4. Bucknell led 23-18 with 6:20 left in the first half and used a 9-3 run to stretch its advantage. Bettencourt hit five three's after the break. and was 7-of-10 in the game. Douglas was 8-of-10 from the floor, and his 20 points were a career-high. Knitter hit 20 for the first time this season; he scored 21 on Feb. 13 at Army.
NATIONALLY-RANKED: As of the last NCAA rankings (2/21) Jamaal Hilliard ranks fifth in the nation and leads the PL in free throw percentage. The sophomore guard has been perfect from the line in eight or more attempts in four games (8-8 vs. Lehigh, 11-11 vs. American, 10-10 vs. Navy, 10-10 at Duquesne). He currently stands at 90.9 percent (90-99). Hilliard is 52-56 (92.9 percent) from the line in league play, and is 36-for-36 in the last five minutes of games and in overtime. Teammate Sean Knitter ranks second at 35-38 (92.1 percent), and has made his last 28 free throws.
SOPHOMORES HIT THEIR STRIDE: Starting point guard Marcus Harley has scored seven points in each of the last seven contests, and power forward Jamaal Douglas has hit that mark in the last 11 games. Harley averaged 11.6 points in the second half of league play, while Douglas is averaging 13.2 ppg and shooting 56 percent (54-96). Douglas was a perfect three-for-three from long distance in the win over Lehigh, and Harley has shot the ball well (18-35) as Lafayette has won three of its last four.
ON THE SIDELINE: Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his tenth season as the Leopards' mentor. He has twice led Lafayette's non-scholarship program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 150-135, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.
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