CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – No. 7 Bucknell will advance to play No. 2 American and No. 8 Lehigh moves on to face top-seeded Colgate after the Bison and Mountain Hawks each picked up victories in the 2020 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship First Round on Tuesday night.
The No. 7 Bison outlasted No. 10 Holy Cross, 65-62, behind 17 points from sophomore guard Andrew Funk and 14 points from junior guard Jimmy Sotos. Holy Cross freshman forward Joe Pridgen, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Lehigh sophomore guard Jeameril Wilson led five Mountain Hawks’ in double figures with 18 points in their 78-75 win over No. 9 Loyola Maryland, spoiling career-nights from Greyhounds' All-Rookie Team selections Cam Spencer and Santi Aldama.
2020 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championships
Quarterfinal Round – Thursday, March 5
No. 8 Lehigh at No. 1 Colgate | 7 p.m. | PLN/Stadium |
TICKETS
No. 7 Bucknell at No. 2 American | 7 p.m. | PLN |
TICKETS
No. 6 Navy at No. 3 Boston University | 7 p.m. | PLN |
TICKETS
No. 5 Lafayette at No. 4 Army West Point | 7 p.m. | PLN |
TICKETS
For more information on the 2020 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship, including ticket information,
CLICK HERE.
AT NO. 7 BUCKNELL BISON (13-19, 8-10 PL) 65, NO. 10 HOLY CROSS (3-29, 2-16 PL) 62
Sojka Pavilion/Lewisburg, Pa. 7 p.m. (PLN)
BOX SCORE
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Sophomore guard Andrew Funk led three Bison in double figures with 17 points to lift No. 7 Bucknell to a 65-62 over No. 10 Holy Cross on Tuesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
*Funk added three rebounds, three assists and two steals to help Bucknell outlast the Crusaders’ second-half comeback.
*Junior guard Jimmy Sotos scored 14 points while senior guard Avi Toomer contributed 10 while both had two steals for a Bison team that outscored Holy Cross 25-9 off turnovers.
*Patriot League Rookie of the Year Joe Pridgen recorded a double-double with a game-high 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Crusaders.
*Holy Cross junior forward Matt Faw added 15 points and eight rebounds while junior forward Connor Niego finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
*Bucknell will move on to play No. 2 American on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
RECAPS:
HOLY CROSS |
BUCKNELL
AT NO. 8 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (11-20, 7-11 PL) 78, NO. 9 LOYOLA MARYLAND GREYHOUNDS (15-17, 7-11 PL) 75
Stabler Arena/Bethlehem, Pa. 7 p.m. (PLN)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore forward Jeameril Wilson led a balanced Mountain Hawks’ offense with 18 points as No. 8 Lehigh thwarted a comeback attempt from No. 9 Loyola Maryland in a 78-75 win.
*Junior guard Marques Wilson connected on a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to seal Lehigh’s first-round victory. He finished with 14 points.
*Lehigh junior forward James Karnik added 11 points while senior guard Jordan Cohen finished with 10 points, eight assists and four steals. Freshman guard Evan Taylor chipped in 10 points.
*The Greyhounds’ freshmen carried the scoring load as guard Cam Spencer scored a career-high 24 points in addition to pulling down five rebounds and dishing out six assists.
*Freshman forward Santi Aldama also posted a career-high with 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in the game to bring Loyola Maryland within one point. Aldama added nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.
*Freshman forward Golden Dike finished with 10 points and seven rebounds to round out the Greyhounds’ trio of Patriot League All-Rookie Team selections.
*The Greyhounds were without the Patriot League’s leading scorer, senior guard Andrew Kostecka (19.9 ppg), due to injury.
*Lehigh advances to take on No. 1 Colgate on Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m.
RECAPS:
LOYOLA MARYLAND |
LEHIGH
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.