EMMITSBURG, Md. – Bucknell and Mount St. Mary’s made Pat Behan ’10 proud on Saturday at Knott Arena, as the two teams went toe-to-toe for 50 minutes before the Mountaineers prevailed 72-67 in a hard-fought battle that was not decided until the final minute of the second overtime period.
 
SUPPORT BEHAN STRONG

Proceeds from the charity exhibition game will benefit “Behan Strong”, a foundation set up to support Pat Behan ’10, a former Bison standout player who was most recently the head boys’ basketball coach at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. Pat is currently in a battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“The effort between the two teams today was a great tribute to Pat Behan,” said head coach John Griffin III. “His fight is obviously much more serious than a basketball game, but it was an honor to do our part for a member of our family who needs our help. Our program is renowned for being a brotherhood, and one of our brothers who we love and care needs our support, both emotionally and financially. Today was all about raising awareness for ALS and Pat’s cause.”
 
Griffin and Mount St. Mary’s coach Dan Engelstad, a longtime friend of Pat’s, both addressed the crowd before the game. Once the game tipped off, it was a defensive struggle throughout the opening 20 minutes, but things heated up in the second half and then got wild at the end of regulation when Josh Bascoe stole a tipped inbounds pass and scored at the buzzer to force overtime.

The shot that sent us to overtime! pic.twitter.com/0CacOWWw6e

— Bucknell MBasketball (@Bucknell_MBB) October 28, 2023

 
Elvin Edmonds IV led the Bison with 16 points and four assists. Noah Williamson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Ian Motta tallied 10 points and six boards. In a game where neither side led by more than six points all day, the Bison managed to stay engaged despite 1-for-26 shooting from the 3-point line.
 
After struggling offensively in the first half but trailing by only four at 22-18 at the break, Edmonds got the Bison going in the first few minutes of the second half. He scored on two tough drives and then fed Ruot Bijiek for a layup that tied the game at 26.
 
Bucknell took its first lead since 8-6 when Williamson drove baseline for a layup and then fed Josh Bascoe for a reverse layup. Bascoe returned the favor a few minutes later with an assist to Williamson for a 3-point play, and the Bison had their largest lead of six points at 38-32.
 
Bucknell’s lead was three at 45-42 after two free throws by Jack Forrest, but the Mount answered with six straight points to take the lead back. After 16 straight misses from the arc to start the game, Williamson finally got one to go down for the Bison, tying the game at 48 with 2:26 to go.
 
Frantisek Barton gave the Mount the lead back with a baseline jumper and after a Bison miss from the perimeter, Dakota Leffew scored on a scoop shot in the lane to make it a four-point game again. Twice Edmonds made pairs of free throws to get the Bison with two, and a Mount travel on the sideline gave the Bison the ball back with 11.7 seconds remaining.
 
After two missed threes, Mount St. Mary’s inbounded under its own basket with 1.9 left. The Bison double-teamed the inbounder and deflected the pass, and Bascoe grabbed the loose ball in the lane and flipped in a floater at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
 
The Bison trailed 60-58 in the extra session when Jack Forrest backed his way into the lane and scored with a foul with 5.7 left. He missed the free throw, but Mount St. Mary’s turned it right back over. The Bison couldn’t get two shots to go in the final seconds, and we went to double-overtime.
 
With all five starters having playing well over 30 minutes at that point, Griffin went to his bench for the second overtime period. Patrick O’Brien hit a baseline jumper to give Bucknell a quick lead, but Leffew canned his fifth trey of the day on the next possession, and the Mount led the rest of the way.
 
Josh Adoh’s layup brought the Bison within 67-65 with 54 seconds left, and they had another three rim out that would have tied it with 30 seconds left. Mount St. Mary’s Dallas Hobbs went 5-for-6 from the foul line to seal it.
 
Leffew, a senior All-MAAC guard, led all scorers with 23 points, and Josh Reaves added 14 for the Mount.
 
Bucknell committed only 10 turnovers in the game, four coming in the overtime periods, while forcing 21 Mount St. Mary’s miscues. The Bison shot 34.2 percent from the field to the Mount’s 43.3 percent, and Bucknell held a 47-44 edge on the glass, including a 19-7 margin on the offensive boards that led to a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points.
 
“We obviously didn’t shoot it very well, but I was very pleased with our fight and our energy and our execution,” said Griffin. “We have broken the season up into six phases, and today marked the end of the second phase. We have a long way to go, but today was great for us. It was our first true road game in front of a big crowd, where every possession was important. In the first half, Mount St. Mary’s showed their experience and athleticism and their maturity, and they made us play more to their style. Once we settled into the game, we played closer to our brand of basketball.”
 
The Bison now have nine days to prep for the official 2023-24 season opener on Nov. 6 against Delaware at Sojka Pavilion.