Bucknell Defeats #17/19 Men's Basketball, 74-69

Tuesday, November 22

Carrier Dome

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Bucknell

Junior forward Demetris Nichols scored a team-high 19 points versus Bucknell.

11/22/2005 9:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SU Player Quotes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior guard Kevin Bettencourt scored nine of his game-high 20 points during the game's final three minutes to lift the Bucknell men's basketball team to a 74-69 victory against No. 17-ranked Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Bettencourt's layup with 2:47 remaining broke a 60-60 tie and gave the Bison the lead for good. Down the stretch, he made seven free throws to seal the win.

Bucknell (2-0) came back from a seven-point deficit in the second half to record its first win against the Orange in nine tries. Bucknell is now 3-1 against nationally-ranked opponents during the last two seasons. It is the first two road wins for the Bison to open a season since 1983-84.

The Bison held the lead for a span of nearly 16 minutes in the first half. They led by as many as eight points (24-16) with 3:26 remaining in the opening period after senior Charles Lee finished off a pass from John Griffin. It was Lee's third basket of the night. He had previously hit an 18-foot jump shot and a three-pointer from the left corner.

Syracuse (3-2) closed out the half with a 12-3 run sparked by the play of junior forward Terrence Roberts who turned up the intensity by crashing the offensive glass. Roberts scored five points on three different plays in which he followed up a teammate's missed shot. Senior guard Gerry McNamara missed his first five three-point attempts, but connected on a big one with four seconds remaining in the half to give SU its first lead (28-27) since the 17:30 mark.

Roberts had a double-double by halftime (10 points, 10 rebounds). He finished the game with 12 points and 11 rebounds. It was his second double-double of the season and third of his career.

In the second half, junior forward Demetris Nichols tallied 10 of his team-high 19 points during the first seven minutes to give SU a trio of seven-point leads, the last one coming off a three-pointer which gave the Orange a 47-40 edge with 13:02 remaining. During that stretch, sophomore guard Josh Wright scored two layups, while McNamara hit his second three of the night.

The Bison defense refused to allow the Orange to extend its lead past seven points. Bucknell chipped away at the lead and brought it back to a one-point game (47-46) following a Chris McNaughton jump shot with 10:46 remaining.

After a stop on the defensive end, the Bison regained the lead at the 10:20 mark when Lee pulled up at the foul line for a successful field goal. The basket gave Bucknell a 48-47 advantage.

A three-pointer by SU freshman guard Eric Devendorf and a running bank shot by McNamara put the Orange back ahead, 52-48, with 9:18 remaining.

Abe Badmus was fouled in the act of shooting by Devendorf and made the ensuing free throws to pull Bucknell within two points, 52-50, with 8:36 left on the clock.

Bettencourt nailed one of his three three-pointers on the night with 7:45 remaining to give the Bison a 53-52 lead.

Nichols made two free throws at the 7:24 mark. Then a pair of three's by McNamara and Nichols on consecutive trips down the floor gave SU another four-point lead (60-56) with 5:28 left. It would be the last time Syracuse would have momentum.

Bucknell coach Pat Flannery called timeout with 5:22 on the clock and the Bison tied the game at 60-60 two plays later. Lee got to the free-throw line where he made two shots and Badmus stripped McNamara and went in untouched for a layup with 3:47 remaining.

In addition to his 19 points, Nichols posted nine rebounds and three steals. McNamara finished with 18 points and four assists, while Roberts ended up as the game's high rebounder with 11 caroms.

For Bucknell, Lee finished with 18 points and four assists. McNaughton was 7-of-12 from the floor for 15 points, to go along with his team-high 10 rebounds. Badmus had a game-high four steals, six points and five rebounds.

Syracuse, in the midst of a seven-game home stand, returns to action on Friday, Nov. 25, when it hosts Siena at 7 p.m.