Feb. 8, 2008

WHAT: Bucknell (10-12, 5-3 PL) vs. Navy (10-12, 3-4 PL)
WHERE: Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, 7 p.m.
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius 117
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
LIVE VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
COMPLETE PRESS NOTES

Probable Starters
Bucknell:
G, 11 John Griffin, Sr., 13.1 ppg
G, 10, Justin Castleberry, Jr., 12.3 ppg
F, 2 Rob Thomas, Sr., 5.2 ppg
F, 15 Stephen Tyree, So., 6.5 ppg
C, 1 Darren Mastropaolo, Sr., 6.7 ppg

Navy:
G, 3 Greg Sprink, Sr., 21.2 ppg
G, 5 Chris Harris, So., 13.8 ppg
G, 24 Kaleo Kina, Jr., 13.5 ppg
F, 15 Romeo Garcia, Fr., 3.6 ppg
C, 44 Mark Veazey, Fr., 4.8 ppg

With a Victory over Navy, Bucknell Would ...
-- ... improve to 11-12 overall and 6-3 in Patriot League play.
-- ... move back into first place in the Patriot League if Lafayette loses at Holy Cross.
-- ... improve to 4-6 on the road this season and 3-1 on the road in Patriot League play.
-- ... win its eighth in a row over the Midshipmen and third straight at Alumni Hall.

About the Game
Facing the prospects of a third straight conference loss, something that hasn't happened in five years, Bucknell's outlook changed dramatically with one shot on Wednesday night in Hamilton, N.Y. Trailing Colgate by as many as 11 in the second half and by eight with 2:29 to play, the Bison rallied for a 91-85 overtime win, made possible by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by freshman Darryl Shazier at the end of regulation. Instead, Bucknell got back to 5-3 in the Patriot League and pulled within a half-game of first-place Lafayette in what is shaping up to be a wild second-half race. Now Bucknell's three-game road trip continues on Saturday night against a high-scoring Navy team that is 3-4 in the league, 10-12 overall. The Midshipmen have alternated losses and wins in conference play, beginning with an 85-77 setback at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 11. Since then they have three good wins over Lehigh, Holy Cross and American, the latter two on the road. Most recently, Navy lost at home to Colgate 84-77 last Saturday. The Mids average 76.1 points per game, just a single point behind Lafayette for the league lead. They also feature the PL's top individual scorer in senior Greg Sprink (21.2). Guard Chris Harris averages 13.8 ppg but has been even better in league play, where he averages 19.0 ppg and shoots 45.3% (29-64) from the 3-point arc. Guard Kaleo Kina, who scored 24 points in the first meeting against Bucknell, averages 13.5 ppg.

Pat Flannery Cleared to Resume Coaching
Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery has been given full clearance to return to his coaching duties and will be on the sideline for Saturday's game at Navy. Flannery left the bench after feeling ill during the second half of Bucknell's Jan. 30 game against Lehigh and missed the two subsequent games against Army and Colgate. After undergoing thorough medical evaluation and treatment, doctors have determined the cause of the illness and have given him full authorization to resume coaching. Since this is a personal medical situation, further specifics are being kept private at this time.

How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Navy game will not be televised, however live streaming video can be purchased through the Patriot League All-Access package via BucknellBison.com and PatriotLeague.com. The game can also be heard locally on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong and Doug Byerly on the call. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off. The audio feed is available free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com. The game can also be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 117.

Bucknell vs. Navy
This will be the 54th all-time meeting between the Bison and Midshipmen, with Navy owning a 29-24 series lead. The Bison have won the last seven meetings with Navy, however, including an 85-77 decision at Sojka Pavilion last month. The Mids won 12 of 16 from the Bison prior to joining the Patriot League in 1991-92. As conference rivals Bucknell holds a slim 20-17 advantage but is only 5-14 against Navy in Alumni Hall in that span. These two teams met in the 1997 Patriot League championship game, with the Midshipmen prevailing 76-75 in Annapolis. Pat Flannery is 16-15 all-time against the Mids.

Bucknell vs. Navy Earlier This Season
Back on Jan. 11, Justin Castleberry scored 19 points to lead four Bucknell players in double figures, and the Bison came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Navy 85-77 at sold-out Sojka Pavilion in the first game of the 2008 Patriot League schedule. Greg Sprink scored 26 points and Kaleo Kina tied his career high with 24 for Navy. Bucknell's 12th straight Patriot League regular-season victory was keyed by a balanced offensive attack, and despite allowing its most points in 45 games, timely second-half defense also helped pave the way. Jason Vegotsky scored a season-high 14 points, John Griffin had 13 and Stephen Tyree scored 10, pacing a Bucknell squad that shot 56.0% from the field while outscoring Navy 46-31 in the second half. Much of that damage came with Sprink, the Patriot League's second-leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, on the bench with four fouls. Sprink hit a runner in the lane to give Navy a 48-40 lead in the opening moments of the second half, but on the next defensive possession he committed a reach-in foul about 35 feet from the basket and had to go to the bench with 17:55 left. Sprink returned to the floor at the 7:37 mark, but during his 10-minute absence Bucknell outscored Navy 23-8 to take control of the game. Griffin's four-point play gave Bucknell a 63-56 lead, prompting Sprink's return to the lineup. But moments later Vegotsky canned his fourth 3-pointer of the night to extend the run to 26-8, and the Bison led 66-56 with 7:02 to play. For a complete recap and boxscore, please turn to p. 32.

Bucknell vs. Navy Last Season
Bucknell swept the season series from Navy in 2006-07:
-- On Jan. 6 at Sojka Pavilion, Donald Brown had 15 points and nine rebounds and John Griffin had 11 points along with a career-high eight assists to lead Bucknell to a 59-51 victory. Navy scored 12 straight points in the first half to take a 21-16 lead, but the Bison finished the first half strong and led for the final 21:24 of the contest. Greg Sprink led Navy with 18 points.
-- On Feb. 2 at Alumni Hall, Griffin had 15 points and the frontcourt combo of Chris McNaughton and Darren Mastropaolo combined for 25 points and 19 rebounds in a 78-63 Bison victory. Mastropaolo had 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, while Griffin canned four of the team's 11 3-pointers. Navy stayed in it with 13 treys of its own, but Bucknell broke open a two-point game at the half. Sprink had 18 and Chris Harris 12 for the Mids.
-- On Feb. 28 at Sojka Pavilion in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament, Donald Brown returned from a broken hand to register 15 points and nine rebounds, leading the Bison to a 62-43 win. McNaughton added 14 points to help the Bison to their 13th consecutive win. It was a 15-14 game until Bucknell scored 16 straight points to pull away. Kaleo Kina scored 12 points to lead Navy, while the Bison limited Sprink to just nine.

Last Time Out
It was a wild one at Cotterell Court on Wednesday night, as Bucknell parlayed career games from John Griffin and Stephen Tyree and a 3-point buzzer-beater from freshman Darryl Shazier at the end of regulation into a 91-85 overtime win over Colgate. Bucknell trailed by as many as 11 midway through the second half and still faced deficits of nine points with 3:43 left, eight with 2:29 to play and seven with 1:38 left. Griffin scored 18 of his 31 points in the final 3:26 of regulation plus overtime, but it was his pass to Shazier in the left corner that set up the rookie's tying 3-pointer as the final horn sounded. Tyree, who had played only three scoreless minutes in the first half and did not score, collected a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds after halftime, including nine points in overtime alone. Tyree hit two big free throws with 23 seconds left in regulation that cut a five-point deficit to three. After Daniel Waddy missed two free throws at the other end, Tyree tracked down a huge offensive rebound to keep possession, and after a timeout Shazier hit the buzzer-beater. The lead changed hands on the first 10 baskets of overtime. Tyree hit a 3-pointer and had two 3-point plays, and it was Griffin's 3-point play with 31 seconds left that gave the Bison the lead for good.

Inside the Colgate Boxscore
-- It was Bucknell's first overtime win since a 73-65 triumph at Yale on Dec. 4, 2004. That victory ignited an 11-game winning streak. Since then, the Bison had dropped three straight OT decisions to Northern Iowa (2/18/06), Wake Forest (11/14/06) and Penn State (11/21/04). Bucknell is now 10-4 in overtime under Pat Flannery.
-- Bucknell reached the 90-point scoring barrier for the first time since a 98-86 double-overtime win over George Mason on Jan. 23, 1999.
-- Bucknell swept the season series from Colgate and won its eighth in a row over the Raiders.
-- After getting outrebounded by Colgate 44-25 at Sojka Pavilion nine days earlier, the Bison gained a 39-29 edge on the glass on Wednesday. Colgate had 21 offensive rebounds in the first meeting but only eight the second time around.
-- John Griffin became the first Bison to score 30 or more points in a game since Kevin Bettencourt hit for 42 at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 6, 2003. Griffin went 9-for-18 from the floor, 4-for-11 from 3-point range and 9-for-10 from the foul line. He had 10 points and an assist in the final 3:26 of regulation, then scored eight more points in overtime. In OT he hit a 3-pointer with the Bison trailing by two and had a 3-point play (coming on a jumper with a foot on the arc) to put them up two with 0:31 left.
-- Griffin also had a season-high seven assists and came up with three steals.
-- Stephen Tyree finished 5-for-6 from the field, including a big 3-pointer in overtime, and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
-- Darren Mastropaolo and Justin Castleberry added 10 points each. G.W. Boon had eight points in a career-high 31 minutes, and Rob Thomas contributed seven points and a career-high seven rebounds.
-- Darryl Shazier's seven points were a career high. The buzzer-beating 3-pointer was obviously the shot of the night, but he also hit a big 17-foot jumper in overtime that gave Bucknell a one-point lead. Shazier began the year 3-for-27 from 3-point range but has now made four in a row.
-- The Bison made a season-high 30 field goals and shot 52.6% from the floor. They were 10-for-20 from 3-point range and 21-for-27 from the foul line. Bucknell made its last 15 free throws of the night.

Numbers to Watch
Some relevent stats involving Bucknell and Navy:
-- Bucknell's normally stingy defense has allowed its last three opponents to shoot a combined 48.2% from the field, and the Bison have now allowed two Patriot League teams to score 80 points or more in the same season for the first time since 2001. Now Bucknell will be challenged to slow down one of the league's top offensive attacks. Navy has scored 73 or more points in 11 of its last 12 games and averages 76.1 points per game. They average 62.0 shot attempts per game (about 11 more than Bucknell), with 26.5 of them coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
-- Bucknell has struggled in the rebounding department at times this season, but Navy actually ranks last in the league in rebound margin at -4.4 per game. In the first meeting, Bucknell finished with a 41-35 edge on the glass.
-- The Bison will have to be wary of an aggressive Navy defense that leads the Patriot League in steals per game (9.1). Navy forced 17 Bison turnovers on Jan. 11 in Lewisburg. The Mids also lead the league in turnovers per game (17.0), however.
-- These two teams faced two common non-conference opponents. Both teams lost at Drexel (Bucknell 65-53 and Navy 86-70), and both defeated Towson (Bucknell won 71-57 at Towson, Navy won 73-59 at home).

Griffin Nearing Century Mark
Senior guard John Griffin has moved within 33 points of 1,000 for his career. He is trying to become the 33rd member of Bucknell's 1,000-point club. He is also just seven 3-pointers shy of 200 for his career. Only Kevin Bettencourt (294) and Mike Bright (206) have reached that milestone at Bucknell.

Patriot League Success
The Bison are 160-72 (.690) in Patriot League regular-season games, the best record of any league team. They have finished at least .500 in PL play in 15 of 17 seasons. The Bison won a league-record 23 straight contests against conference foes from Feb. 23, 2005 to Jan. 12, 2007, and they had a five-year streak of 38 straight wins at home against conference opponents broken up on Jan. 30 by Lehigh.

Who's Got Next?
Bucknell's three-game road trip concludes on Wednesday night at American's Bender Arena at 7:30 p.m. On Jan. 16 at Sojka Pavilion the Bison rallied for a 66-62 win over the Eagles. Bucknell has won eight straight against American and leads the all-time series 24-17. AU enters the weekend tied for second with Bucknell in the Patriot League standings at 5-3. The Eagles host Lehigh on Sunday at noon on ESPNU.