Crusaders Pull Out Another Great Game in Rivalry
WORCESTER, Mass. – A great rivalry has a little of everything. It has one great game after another. It has great players, as well as relative unknowns, coming out of nowhere to make big plays that fans don’t soon forget. It has games that make one team’s fans ecstatic while ripping the hearts out of the opposing fans.
The rivalry between Bucknell and Holy Cross has certainly had some of each. Over the last couple of seasons, there have been a couple that ripped the hearts out of the Holy Cross faithful as the Bison came into Friday night’s game having won four straight in the series. The first of those four was the 2005 Patriot League championship game, where the Crusaders nearly made a miraculous comeback from a big second-half deficit before falling. Last year’s game in Worcester was one where the Crusaders had a 15-point lead with 16 minutes to play, but the Bison came all the way back to pick up the win en route to running the table in Patriot League play.
And for a minute, Friday night’s win by Holy Cross looked like it could be a repeat of last season’s game at the Hart Center. There were certainly moments in the final three minutes where the near-sellout crowd wondered if history would repeat itself.
The Crusaders led throughout the game, holding a 60-50 lead with 2:53 left and Bucknell forward Donald Brown (13 points, eight rebounds, three steals) having fouled out. It looked like they were in good shape, but back came the Bison. Bucknell would score the next five points as part of a 10-1 run to get within 61-60 with 57 seconds left.
But on a Torey Thomas missed free throw, Alex Vander Baan came up with a huge offensive rebound. That gave them more life with another possession and more time off the clock, but it wasn’t sealed until Thomas (13 points, five assists) made two free throws with eight seconds left after big defensive rebound to bring the score to the final margin of 65-60.
“We have to learn how to finish a lot better,” said senior guard Keith Simmons, who had a game-high 22 points. “That’s been a problem for us throughout the year. When we learn to do that, we can be a really good team.”
The win moves the Crusaders to 3-0 in Patriot League play, which head coach Ralph Willard is happy about since he thinks there isn’t much separation between teams in the league this year. When the league is as close as the teams appear to be this season, every win counts.
“To be 3-0 right now, with wins over Bucknell, a good win over Army, a good win over Lafayette, that gives us a lot of confidence going into Navy,” said Simmons.
The Crusaders did a very good job of taking away Bison star center Chris McNaughton. The senior big man had no field goal attempts and precious few touches in the first half and finished with just four points while also battling foul trouble. That was a focus of the defense, and it opened up some opportunities for Bucknell to shoot it. The Bison went 8-21 from long range, with Justin Castleberry (3-6 from long range en route to a team-high 16 points off the bench) being one of the primary beneficiaries.
The game had the atmosphere of a big game, as tends to happen with these two programs. A number of students even came back early from the semester break to be at the game, which had an attendance of over 3,100 (the Hart Center seats about 3,600).
“That’s the great thing about Holy Cross, you’ve got the students willing to come back about four days early off their winter vacation to support their team,” said Thomas.
But it also speaks to the rivalry between these two teams. Every game is hotly contested, and last night’s was no different. The two winningest programs in Patriot League history have met in 10 of the 16 Patriot League tournaments, including the last two title games. The Crusaders may have led throughout Friday’s game, but they were challenged several times and never really broke it open. The Bison aren’t as deep as they have been the past couple of years, and they don’t have as many players who can score the ball as well with the key losses of Kevin Bettencourt and Charles Lee, but they still play the same tough defense and clearly still have the parts to contend in the Patriot League. And the teams know each other, which adds one more element to the rivalry and can be an equalizer of sorts.
“This is the kind of game for both teams, where kids know each other so well – all your sets, all your looks,” said Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery. “Holy Cross does a lot of good things, Bucknell does a lot of good things. We know each other very well. The difference is who’s going to make a basketball play.”
There is also the respect factor, which both coaches talked about. These two may be arch-rivals with the noted recent history, but there’s no hatred between the teams by a long shot. They’re just trying to beat each other when they play, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they played for a third time this year in March.
“Bucknell has built a tremendous program the last couple of years. They’ve represented the Patriot League in an outstanding way, so I have the utmost respect for them,” said Simmons. “This is a lot of fun, you have to enjoy it. I won’t be able to play against Bucknell again ever in my life, so I’m trying to enjoy it.”
The players enjoy it, the fans clearly enjoyed it, and well they should. Friday night’s game was a typical Bucknell-Holy Cross game, and more are probably ahead in the times to come.
Notes
- Bucknell started out the season 0-4, but that record is a bit deceptive as none were against a bad team. The teams they had the last two seasons were pretty special. They were deep at every position and had great class balance, and last season’s team had the added benefit of being very experienced. The Bison are still one of the best teams in the league, but they’re far from unbeatable.
- Holy Cross big man Tim Clifford continues to progress, posting 13 points and eight rebounds. The players all know how important he is, as Simmons noted how good his second half play has been. If he can keep out of foul trouble, the Crusaders will remain in good shape inside.
- Holy Cross could have Lawrence Dixon back before long. The sophomore wing has been dogged by knee problems all season, but was dressed for last night’s game. He has practiced with the team in recent days and is getting better.
