January 6, 2015

(9-4), (1-1)	Lafayette at Bucknell Wednesday, Jan. 7 | 7 p.m. Lewisburg, Pa. | Sojka Pavilion Game Notes	(6-9), (1-1)

LAST TIME OUT
A late 12-2 run following a Lafayette turnover in transition iced the game for Navy as the Mids left Kirby Sports Center victorious on Saturday afternoon with a 69-65 win over the Leopards.

Missing its starting point guard, Nick Lindner, with a dislocated shoulder, Lafayette's offense struggled, scoring less than 70 points for just the fourth time this season. The loss drops the Maroon and White to 1-1 in conference play and 9-4 on the year, while Navy improves to 6-8 overall and 2-0 in Patriot League play.

Senior captain Seth Hinrichs led the Leopards offensively with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, tying with three other players for the game-high on the glass. Junior Zach Rufer also chipped in offensively with a career-high 14 points, coupled with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

For Navy, Worth Smith led three Mids in double figures with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Venturini added 16 points and Tilman Dunbar chipped in with 13. The Mids won the battle on the glass, 34-31, and were able to convert on Lafayette mistakes, getting 24 points off of 13 Leopard turnovers.

SCOUTING THE BISON
Bucknell, looking to improve upon a 16-14 record a season ago when it went 11-7 in league play, is the third conference opponent the Leopards will face in the opening go-around of Patriot League action. The Bison have opened the season with a 6-9 record, taking care of defending Patriot League champion American in their league opener by a 57-47 final before falling to Colgate on the road on Saturday, 68-62 to push their league mark to 1-1. Predicted to finish fifth in the league standings this season, Bucknell is led offensively by Chris Hass at 16.3 points per game, while Cory Starkey paces the Bison on the glass with 4.9 boards per contest. Bucknell, currently sitting in fifth in the standings, has struggled offensively this season, averaging just 64.5 points per game.

RAIN IS A GOOD THING
Having connected on 111-of-259 three-point attempts this season, a 42.9 percent clip, the Maroon and White are second in the nation in three-point shooting percentage. Junior Zach Rufer leads the distance arsenal at 59.1 percent, while three other Leopards with consistent production are shooting above 40 percent from distance. Senior Joey Ptasinski is 40-of-74 (54.1%), sophomore Monty Boykins is 10-of-24 (41.7%) and senior Seth Hinrichs is 24-of-59 (40.7%). Three-point shooting is a major reason why the Leopards are second in the league in scoring offense, dropping in 77.9 points per game as a unit.

FAMILIAR FOES
Lafayette has played 723 games against current Patriot League members, holding a 389-334 overall record. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 142-189 in the regular season and 18-22 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 129-132 in conference regular-season play. Below are Lafayette's all-time records against current Patriot League schools.

American, 19-32 Army, 41-26 Boston U., 4-5 Bucknell, 87-69
Colgate, 46-48 HC, 24-34 Lehigh, 140-79 Loyola, 3-2
Navy, 31-43

LAST MEETING
Lafayette clamped down defensively for a prolonged stretch and took advantage of a large run in a 66-58 win over Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 5, 2014. Seth Hinrichs scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his double-double.

A 17-2 run that lasted more than eight minutes to end the first half and open the second helped the Leopards take the lead for good in their first-ever victory in 16 tries at Sojka Pavilion. Dan Trist scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Monty Boykins added a career-high 13 points, including a crucial three with three minutes left.

As a team, Lafayette held a 37-35 rebounding edge and held its opponent under 60 points in back-to-back games. Cameron Ayers led Bucknell with 22 points and seven rebounds and he was the lone bright spot offensively as the team made 2-of-16 from beyond the arc. Overall, Bucknell shot 34.5 percent from the field.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Leopards hold an 87-79 lead in the all-time series with the Bison that dates back to 1915. The two teams split their pair of games last season, with each team winning on the road.

UP OFF THE PINE
Junior Zach Rufer and sophomore Monty Boykins, along with freshman Matt Klinewski, have provided much needed production off the bench this season for the Maroon and White. Rufer tallied a career-high 14 points in the loss to Navy on Saturday, while Boykins is averaging 5.6 points per game and Klinewski is dropping in just under five points per contest as all-important depth on the block. Additionally, Rufer is tops in the Patriot League in three-point field-goal percentage at 59.1 percent on 13-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc.