Bucknell upsets Niagara / Suge’s game report

[le]

Bucknell comes into the GC at 0-2 with two lopsided losses to Penn and Delaware. The Bison also lost an away exhibition game to MSM. Seems like a very winnable game with Vegas giving Becknell 10.5 points.

PARTIAL NOTES:

» Niagara opens the home portion of its schedule when it hosts Bucknell at 7 p.m.
» The Purple Eagles will honor active and veteran service members for Military Appreciation Night. Discounted tickets are available for active and veteran members of the armed forces.
» The Purple Eagles had three players record double-figures in the season opener at Notre Dame, led by Luke Bumbalough and Ahmad Henderson II with 14 points. Yaw Obeng-Mensah tallied 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds and four assists.
» Niagara holds a 30-14 record inside the Gallagher Center under head coach Greg Paulus and 468-222 overall mark since the building opened.
» Freshman guard Ahmad Henderson II recorded 14 points and seven rebounds in his Purple Eagle debut. His 14 points are the most by a freshman in their first game as a Purple Eagle since Antoine Mason dropped 18 points against Milwaukee in his debut.

» Bucknell and Niagara last met on Nov. 12 of last season with the Bison coming out on top 68-50. Niagara and Bucknell have met 10 times dating back to 1982-83, with each team winning five games. Bucknell has dominated the recent history between the two schools, winning each of the last four games.


COMPLETE NOTES:

https://purpleeagles.com/documents/2023 ... cknell.pdf

[jhart]

Hope there is more participation during this evening's MBB game as there was none for our hockey game this afternoon!
Need younger alumni to grab the torch!
Where are our alumni student/ athletes?

[phillyeagle]

Jim the lack of spending on many things at NU is reaping its payback today. We had virtually no alumni contact during the 70-90s. I once offered to contribute for an improvement for landscaping if NU would equal my donation. I never even heard back from the Alumni director at the time. Many alums in the 70s hated the autocratic Administration when they left.
A winner is Any program might help!

[jhart]

We're getting crushed on the boards 29-12 and after our early good shooting, we're down52-44 with 9 minutes remaining.

[jhart]

Disappointing performance from late 1st period to the end.
Bucknell 73-64 Final

[le]

I just got in from watching a college football game. We lost to Bucknell on home court? Jesus Christ !

I know many alums read this Forum on a regular basis . My guess is lack of winning at this level results in apathy and lack of participation.

Let’s get Mitchell back dammit. He’s a solid smart hard working player and would help in the paint.

[phillyeagle]

My observations: Not going to win many or any games being out rebounded 36-16 and the opponent shooting 53%FG.
OBioha and Obeng Mensah need to be on the court together. Niagara needs to feed Obioha underneath stop him from playing the high post. Henderson is for real but he needs support from another shooter. Bumbaloug disappeared in the 2nd half.

[phillyeagle]

I think I saw Mitchell in civies on the bench? Can anyone confirm?

[Suge]

Just got home. Can confirm that Mitchell was in street clothes and seated next to the coaches the entire game. Good crowd. 2/3 full. Can't tell about students because they are scattered throughout the crowd. Ty Lewis was there. Looked like he brought a large contingent of young people with him.

As for the game, pretty clear the guys are still learning to play together. Pick and roll defense was not great. Not sure if it was a communication thing or a x's and o's thing. Really hard to tell what this team will be. Have a lot of length but not great size. If that makes sense. The offense has a lot of interchangeable parts, at least from the 3 guards, but they seem to be ball dominant when it comes to scoring. Harlan is a really good passer but I was surprised by how much time he spends on the perimeter. Edwards and Tucker were both touted as good scorers coming in. Both were DNPs. Mensah picked up two fouls in the first half. Didn't find his game until late in the second half. Thought the last five minutes of the game was the best basketball all night. The press really seem to energize the team. Lots of basketball left. No need to panic.

And sorry for the rambling post. Man, I'm getting old. I was wiped out by halftime.

[le]

Thanks Suge, your game reports live from the GC are greatly appreciated.

As you said , It’s going to take some time for this team to mature and find some identity. There seems to be enough moving parts to pull this team together.