Gamecenter: Cornell 75, Bucknell 88

Posted on by Jake Wilson in Cornell, Gamecenter, Ivy League
1st 2nd Final
Cornell (4-3) 30 45 75
Bucknell (4-5) 47 41 88
Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, PA Boxscore
Keys to the Game
Key sequence It was a 31-25 game in Bucknell’s favor with just over five minutes to go in the first half when John Griffin gave the Bison a 34-25 lead with a three-pointer. After both teams misfired from the outside, Jeff Foote’s bucket drew Cornell within 10. Justin Castleberry hit one of two at the line, then after trading missed jumpers, Castleberry and Ryan Wittman sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions. Griffin then knocked down another three, and when Collin Robinson missed a layup with the shot clock running out, Jason Vegotsky beat the halftime buzzer with a three-pointer to send Bucknell into the locker room up 47-30 at intermission.
Key sign it was over Cornell scored six straight points to draw within 11 with 1:48 remaining, but Stephen Tyree got free for a fastbreak layup out of a timeout. Griffin came up with a steal from Robinson and Castleberry scored on a layup to make it 84-69 with just 1:25 to play. Robinson’s jumper made it a 13-point game, and the Big Red caught a break when double technicals on Castleberry and Andre Wilkins led to the visitors getting the ball back. However, Wittman couldn’t find the range on a three-point attempt, and Castleberry controlled the rebound. The Bucknell guard was fouled and hit one of two at the line. Wittman’s missed jumper inside of a minute left gave the ball back to the Bison with an 85-71 advantage, and the home crowd could begin celebrate the impending win.
Key performance Griffin had an excellent game for Bucknell, leading all scorers with 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting — including 4 of 7 from three — and hit 9 of 10 free throws. The senior point guard also dished out five assists and had three rebounds and a pair of steals in 32 minutes.
Key statistic Cornell came in as the nation’s most dangerous three-point attack offensively, but it was Bucknell who put on an outside shooting clinic. The Bison knocked down 11 of 21 (52.4 percent) from long range, while Cornell had its worst three-point shooting performance of the season by a wide margin, connecting on just 6 of 24 (25.0 percent) from the perimeter.
Notes

– Robinson led the way for Cornell with 21 points off the bench, while Louis Dale had 17 points on 12-for-12 shooting from the line, but didn’t record an assist on the night.

– Castleberry chipped in with 18 points, while Josh Linthicum had 12 in the middle for Bucknell.

– The Bison blistered the nets in the first half, shooting 8 of 15 (53.3 percent) from three and 19 of 33 (57.6 percent) overall.

– The Cornell backcourt struggled with fouls, with Dale and Adam Gore both fouling out and Robinson finishing with four fouls. Bucknell’s starting guards attempted 18 free throws as a pair.

– Foote had a very productive debut in a Big Red uniform, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks in 21 minutes. He could have had an even more impressive scoring night if not for 6-for-12 shooting from the line.

– Cornell will try to break a sudden two-game losing streak when it visits the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse on Saturday, December 22, at 7:00 pm ET.

Jake Wilson

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Basketball U.

Jake Wilson wrote 754 posts

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