Welcome to another edition of live action on the Patriot League Gameday Blog, coming to you tonight from Stabler Arena in Bethlehem where Bucknell and Lehigh will match up for first place in Patriot League men’s basketball! We’ll have updates from courtside as well as score updates of the other contests through the Patriot League All-Access package, where you can follow along and watch the games here.
That’s it from Bethlehem….we’ll wrap everything up shortly at http://www.patriotleague.org/.
FINAL: American 80, Navy 77 (2OT) – Eagles score the last eight points of double OT to get the big win at Navy and keep their PL quarterfinal hosting chances alive. American is 9-19 overall and 6-7 in the Patriot League, one game behind the Mids at 13-15/7-6. Both teams with a chance for final hosting spot in PL quarterfinals.
FINAL: Lafayette 80, Army 54 – Leopards win big to clinch their first Patriot League quarterfinal home game since winning the League title in 2000. Lafayette is 17-11 and 8-5 in the Patriot League, and still in the hunt for the top seed in the League tourney. Army falls to 14-13 and 4-9 in the League, in eighth place.
Score Update: American 72, Navy 72 (2OT) – Amazing. Navy takes a 72-70 lead over American with 1.5 seconds left in OT, then the Eagles amazingly tie it up on long inbounds play to send it to double OT. Key players fouled out on both sides.
FINAL: Colgate 79, Holy Cross 74 (OT): Raiders take the OT win in Worcester. Colgate is 9-18 overall, Holy Cross is 8-20. Both teams are 5-8 in the Patriot League, tied for either fifth or sixth depending on AU/Navy outcome.
We’re off to the press conference, but will be back soon with a final update to close out the night with the finals from the two overtime contests, and Lafayette’s likely big win at Army.
FINAL: Lehigh 81, Bucknell 59 – Mountain Hawks took control midway through the first half and never looked back. Lehigh in first place in the Patriot League at 9-4, and improves to 18-10 overall. Bucknell falls to 13-16/8-5, and effectively out of the race for the No. 1 seed in the PL Tournament.
Score Update: Lafayette still well on its way to earning first PL Tournament home game since 2000, routing Army, 71-45.
Score Updates: Final seconds between American/Navy and Colgate/Holy Cross, and both games are tied.
Lehigh 73, Bucknell 50: 3:47 left, 2nd Half: It’s been over here in Bethlehem for a while. We’ll check out the close finishes at Navy and Holy Cross down the stretch here on All-Access.
Score Updates: Two great games going on elsewhere. American has scored 12 straight to take a 62-58 lead at Navy. Colgate up 63-61 at Holy Cross. And one blowout: Lafayette all over Army, 65-40, at West Point.
Lehigh 69, Bucknell 43: 6:11 left, 2nd Half - A three-pointer right in front of my face has given C.J. McCollum the Patriot League freshman scoring record. He has 25 points tonight, and 512 for the year.
Lehigh 66, Bucknell 42: 6:48 left, 2nd Half - Lehigh’s C.J.McCollum has 22 points, tying the Patriot League freshman scoring record of 509 set by the League’s most recognizable player, Colgate’s Adonal Foyle, in 1994-95. Whether or not he breaks mark is only drama left here, and could depend on how much more time he sees in 24-point game with under seven to play.
Score Updates: Navy has opened up a 53-48 lead over American. Holy Cross up on Colgate, 54-47. And Lafayette routing Army, 56-38.
Lehigh 55, Bucknell 38: 10:23 left, 2nd Half – Mountain Hawks continue to hold a comfortable lead. Bucknell just not scoring enough to get back in it.
Lehigh 53, Bucknell 33: 12:32 left, 2nd Half – Lehigh has its biggest lead of the game on a three-point play by Prentice Small. Bucknell has defended well but can’t put the ball in the basket enough to come back.
Score Update: Lafayette 50, Army 32 - Leopards looking good to earn first PL Tournament home game since 2000.
Score Update: Navy 48, American 46 – Navy is on an 18-4 run to surge ahead in Annapolis.
Lehigh 48, Bucknell 31: 15:48 left, 2nd Half: Bison have defended well since McCollum’s four-point play, but they need to start scoring, too. Lehigh up 17 at first media TO of second half.
Lehigh 46, Bucknell 27: 19:00 left, 2nd Half: Not the start Bucknell wanted. McCollum with a four-point play on Lehigh’s first possession to push the lead to 19, and the run to 13-1.
2nd Half: Lehigh 42, Bucknell 27 – Bison have played great defense of late, and that’s what they’re going to have to do to get back into this game.
Some halftime stats: McCollum unbelievably leads Lehigh with 11, considering he was blanketed for most of the first half by Cohen. Muscala with 10 for Bucknell. Lehigh with a 14-5 edge in bench points, a number you would have figured to go in the other direction.
More PL MBB Halftime Scores: American 38 at Navy 30; Lafayette 40 at Army 27 (right before half); and Colgate 31 at Holy Cross 30.
Halftime: Lehigh 42, Bucknell 27 – McCollum had two points until the final three minutes of the half, then exploded for nine in a few minutes, including a three to push Lehigh’s lead to 15. Mountain Hawks closed the first half on a 9-1 run to build the 15-point edge after Bucknell had inched closer.
Lehigh 39, Bucknell 27: 50 seconds left, 1st Half - With Cohen out of the lineup, McCollum has scored six points in last couple of minutes. He had a breakaway layup after a steal, and just went to the hoop for a three-point play for Lehigh’s biggest lead of the night.
Score Update: Lafayette on a 20-3 run, leads at Army, 39-25.
Score Update: American leads at Navy, 38-30, at the half.
Lehigh 31, Bucknell 24: 3:28 left, 1st Half - Bucknell’s defense picking up now….Cohen is still making life very hard on McCollum, and Bison just drew a charge on a drive by Hall to re-gain possession down seven after the media TO.
Score Updates: The other action is picking up, too: It’s Lafayette 26, Army 23; American 31, Navy 26; and Colgate 19, Holy Cross 15 – all heading towards the final five or six minutes until halftime.
Lehigh 29, Bucknell 19: 7:11 left, 1st Half – Lehigh’s offense is clicking, and C.J.McCollum only has two free throws. After a Marquis Hall three, Gabe Knutson just layed one in and has a chance to make it a three-point play after the media timeout.
Lehigh 24, Bucknell 19: 9:30 left, 1st Half – Adams hits another three to push Lehigh’s lead back to five as we’ve past the halfway point of the first half.
Score Updates: Some good early action in other PL MBB games, too. American is up at Navy, 25-21, Lafayette and Army are tied at 19 and Holy Cross is up on Colgate, 12-11.
Lehigh 17, Bucknell 12 – 11:40 left, 1st Half - Lehigh with seven points off the bench thus far after a steal and layup by Prentice Small. Marquis Hall and Zahir Carrington have already grabbed some rest for the Mountain Hawks, huge against a Bucknell team that is possibly the deepest in the League.
Lehigh 15, Bucknell 12 – 13;45 left, 1st Half – Lehigh with six straight points and an 11-2 run before Bucknell just answered with a bucket. John Adams has provided a spark off the bench for Lehigh with five points.
Bucknell 10, Lehigh 9 – 15:48 left, 1st half – Lehigh scored five straight to take the lead, but Bucknell went back ahead on a slam by Mike Muscala. Cohen making things very difficult for McCollum, as he is up denying and then staying with him nearly step for step so far. The star Lehigh freshman is scoreless, but at the line for two coming out of the media timeout.
Bucknell 8, Lehigh 4 – 17:53 left, first half - Two three-pointers for Bryson Johnson and a drive to the hoop by Stephen Tyree to start it for Bucknell, which looks very crisp on offense again.
7:06 p.m. - We’re underway in Bethlehem….I’m going to check out the great matchup between Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum and Bucknell’s Bryan Cohen the first few times Lehigh has the ball.
6:58 p.m. - We’re only a few minutes from tip here at Stabler Arena!