Last week, Men’s Basketball prepared for three big match ups as they continued getting their season started. They first faced off at home against Southern Indiana Monday night.
Southern Indiana was coming off of a heartbreaker against La Salle and started off hot early on against the Bison. The Bison worked hard to steal the lead from the Screaming Eagles. In the final seconds of the half the Bison forced a shot clock violation. They managed to score off this play when Josh Bascoe ’25 got the ball down the other end of the court to Ruot Bijek ’26 who made the three pointer at the buzzer. Despite a slow start, the Bison managed to cut the score to 33-26.
The Bison scored in the first play of the second half. A strong move in the paint by Noah Williamson ’26 for an and-one closed the gap to 33-29. The Bison’s first lead came after back to back threes from Jack Forrest ’24 and Bascoe right before the under-16 timeout. The Bison continued scoring to push the lead even further. Quin Berger ’26 beat the shot clock with a successful 25-footer, followed by Williamson with two free throws.
Southern Indiana made sure to fight back with a 8-0 run of their own to tie the game at 46. This would be their final lead of the night as Bascoe stole it with two floaters in the lane. The end of the game was a free throw party between both teams.
Defensively the Bison were able to hold the Screaming Eagles to only two points for almost five straight minutes. In the meantime, the Orange and Blue were lights out from the free throw line, hitting 11 of 12. Their final 17 points came from made free throws. Southern Indiana made their best attempts but would never get closer than seven points from the Bison. The final score was 67-56.
Some highlights from individual players include Forrest leading with 12 rebounds and 14 points, Bascoe leading the team with a career high of 20 points and Williamson going 11-13 from the line.
Two days later the Bison hit the road where they took on St. Bonaventure, a team led by five fifth-year seniors.
The Bison shined defensively against the Bonnies, holding them to 41.1 percent shooting. They started the game with eight straight defensive stops but struggled offensively. The only points they saw during these possessions were a 3-pointer from Forrest. The Bonnies managed a free throw that was followed by an and-one layup by Pip Ajayi ’25 fed to him by Brandon McCreesh ’27. This pushed the lead to 6-1 for the Bison.
St. Bonaventure managed to score from the field with 13:23 on the clock. They would continue scoring, going 11-for-20 the rest of the half, leaving the Bison trailed behind at 32-26.
At the start of the second half, the Bison’s defense dominated once again. The Bonnies only pulled off three field goals 10 minutes in. Offensively they managed to cut the gap to 41-39 after a backdoor cut layup by Forrest and three pointer from Ian Motta ’25. St. Bonaventure was not rattled as they produced back to back three pointers. With seven minutes remaining, the Bison trailed 54-42.
The Bison got as close as six points but struggled to keep up. The game ended 67-61, a loss for the Bison. Forrest left with 18 points, Motta close behind with a season high of 12, and Bascoe finished with eight assists (third time this season).
In their final match up of the week, the Bison stayed in New York where they met Marist on the court. The Red Foxes came out booming during their home opener. Bascoe led the team with six straight points to help close the gap between the Bison and Marist. A tip in by Williamson closed the half and the Bison trailed 39-27.
At the start of the second half, the Bison struggled to score, going 1-8 in the first seven minutes. The Red Foxes saw no struggle at all, managing to stretch their lead to 52-29. The Bison did their best to catch up but would end up suffering a 73-49 loss.
Of note, Berger added eight points off the bench and Ajayi grabbed five rebounds during the game.
Catch the Orange and Blue in their next game this Saturday at Penn State.
