An early second half run in the Patriot League Tournament final propels Bucknell to first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013.
The Bucknell Bison have been at the top of the regular season standings in the Patriot League the last couple of seasons. They won the regular season title in 2015 and 2016, but they wound up in the NIT after not winning the conference tournament.
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This year proved to be different as the Bison find themselves back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 after defeating Lehigh, 81-65, on Wednesday night.
Both teams found themselves in a back-and-forth battle in the first half. However, a late three-pointer by Avi Toomer put Bucknell up 35-34 going into the break. The Bison used the early part of the second half to go on a 12-1 run in the first three minutes to take a commanding lead.
The Bison used the early part of the second half to go on a 12-1 run in the first three minutes to take a commanding lead. Bucknell’s lead got larger from there as the Bison were ahead by as much as 18 at one point. Kimbal Mackenzie led Bucknell with 18 points.
The win for Bucknell gave the Bison their first win over Lehigh this season. Bucknell lost both meetings. They lost 81-7 on Jan. 11 and 79-71 on Feb. 8.
Three-pointers played a role in Bucknell’s win as they made eight in the game. Meanwhile, Lehigh went 4-of-14 from three. By comparison, in Lehigh’s last win against Bucknell on Feb. 8, the Mountain Hawks made nine three-pointers.
The Bison also limited their turnovers against Lehigh as they only turned the ball over five times. They turned it over eight times in the Feb. 8 loss to the Mountain Hawks.
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This will be the seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bison. Bucknell has won two games in the tournament. Their last win came in 2006 as a nine seed, defeating Arkansas 59-55. However, most people remember Bucknell as a 14-seed in 2005 upsetting the No. 3 seed Kansas Jayhawks 64-63.