Men’s basketball couldn’t defend home court on Saturday, falling in a close match 80-73 to the Crusaders.

Bucknell started off 7-4 on the season. The offense had taken a serious step forward, specifically in the three-point shooting category. Through their first five games of the season, the Bison shot north of 35 percent from the three-point line and was a reliable source of offense with several capable outside shooters off the catch or dribble.

However, this has yet to transfer to conference play. The Orange and Blue have shot 26 percent from outside the arc through their first eight games in Patriot League play.

Jack Forrest ’24 has been a bright spot for Bison basketball with his play over the last few games. In an upset win at Army, Forrest led the charge with 25 points on 9/15 shooting and six rebounds. He followed that up with 14 points against Holy Cross on 6/13 shooting. The St. Joseph’s transfer is starting to find a groove, shooting 38 percent from three-point range on four attempts a night for the season.

Bucknell’s defensive efforts have been strong throughout conference play so far, keeping them in virtually every game. The Bison rank fifth in the Patriot League in adjusted defensive efficiency at 102.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Transition offense will need to be a huge part of keeping the Bison on track towards a Patriot League title, as multiple Bison guards are capable of pulling up from outside off the pass, in addition to the spectacular one-two punch of Andre Screen ’24 and Alex Timmerman ’23 in the post. 

“For us to contend for a Patriot League title we need to execute the things that we practice on a daily basis more consistently,” Forrest said. “We have been putting together 32 to 35 minute performances, but the other five to eight  minutes is where we are losing games.” 

Men’s basketball takes on a 10-10 Navy Midshipmen team at home on Wednesday.