Jan. 18, 2006
Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Playing its second game in three days, the Lafayette men's basketball was dealt its second league loss at Bucknell, falling 62-32 on Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
The Leopards (8-9, PL 2-2) struggled to keep pace with the Bison (13-3, PL 4-0) all night, resulting in inconsistency on both ends of the floor. The game opened sloppily on both sides, as the teams combined for seven turnovers in the opening 3:08.
The difference was that Bucknell found composure midway through, running off a 17-6 run over the final 13:18 of the opening stanza to hold a 24-13 advantage at the intermission.
The Bison continued to pressure Lafayette defensively for 40 minutes, converting 27 Lafayette turnovers into 29 points. Employing an aggressive match-up zone, the Bison held the Leopards to just 23 percent (11-of-48) from the field. Conversely, Bucknell converted 24 of its 58 attempts for 41 percent.
Sophomore guard Paul Cummins came off the bench and scored a team-high seven points on 2-of-4 shooting with a pair from the stripe. Senior forward Andrei Capusan finished with six points and as many rebounds. Junior guard Jamaal Hilliard tied Capusan's team-best six boards.
Leading the way for the Bison was Kevin Bettencourt with 19 points, 16 of which came before the break. The senior shot 7-for-12 with four triples. Thanks in large part to the defensive effort of Capusan, Bucknell leading scorer Chris McNaughton was held to four points on the night.
The Leopards are back in action on Saturday, as they host league rival Lehigh at Kirby Sports Center at 1 p.m.
