Final surge nets Bucknell win over Penn State
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STATE COLLEGE – Steven Kaspar scored 25 points and Cameron Ayers added 19 as Bucknell defeated Penn State 90-80 in a wild, back-and-forth game between two nearby Pennsylvania rivals Wednesday night.
Ben Brackney (16) and Brian Fitzpatrick (13) combined for 29 more to give coach Dave Paulsen his 100th Bucknell victory.
Bucknell (1-1) shot a blistering 61 percent from the floor (28 for 46) and an even hotter 67 percent from 3-point range (10 for 15) to contribute to the Bison’s second victory over a Big Ten team in 19 tries and first win over Penn State since 1976.
Penn State (1-1), led by D.J. Newbill (18), Ross Travis (17) and Brandon Taylor (17), found itself in foul trouble early. Taylor fouled out and playmaker Tim Frazier was held to 13 points and played much of the second half with four fouls.
Bucknell’s shooting stayed consistently on target throughout the second half as the Bison put together a 22-5 run and an 11-point lead as Kaspar couldn’t miss.
Bucknell also had a 28-25 edge in rebounds and sank 24 of 31 free throws, many late in the game, to hold off the Lions.
With Penn State’s Frazier on the bench with four fouls, Bucknell’s Ayers blocked a Graham Woodward shot from behind the 3-point arc and took off for an easy layup and a four-point lead to enable the Bison to pull away.
Fitzpatrick and Dom Hoffman converted back-to-back buckets and the hot-shooting Bison were rolling.
Bucknell went on a 7-0 run to open the second half and erase a five-point Penn State lead. Penn State’s Brandon Taylor sank back-to-back 3-pointers for an identical run for the Nittany Lions to regain the lead.
Allen Roberts popped a 3-pointer to give Penn State a 33-32 lead. Frazier’s notched a steal and took off down court. His crossover dribble and ensuing floating shot that fell through extended the lead that Penn State expanded to 41-36 at the half.
The fast-paced game saw Penn State convert 10 of its first 13 shots and Bucknell’s Ben Brackney make his first four 3-point attempts. But forward Donovan Jack carried three fouls into the second half and Frazier carried two as Frazier played just 13 minutes.