LEWISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Mike Muscala scored 18 points and Bucknell shut down Lafayette in the second half of a 72-57 victory Friday to win the Patriot League championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Bryson Johnson added 15 points and Cameron Ayers had 12 for the top-seeded Bison (25-8), who earned their first trip to the NCAAs since 2006.
Jared Mintz scored 16 points to lead the sixth-seeded Leopards (13-19), the lowest-seeded team to make the tournament final.
But breaking through against Bucknell at rowdy Sojka Pavilion proved to be too tough a task. The Bison opened a 16-point lead with less than 5 minutes left, when scads of orange-clad fans began celebrating early.
Lafayette narrowed an 11-point deficit to 47-42 with 13:40 left on Tony Johnson’s layup before Bucknell pulled away for good.
