Men’s Basketball finished up their three-game road trip to open up the season, picking up a 75-69 overtime victory over Southern Indiana on Thursday, Nov. 7 before falling to #23 Kentucky 100-72 on Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Bison went into Evansville, Ind. looking to build off a strong opener against Delaware where they defeated the Blue Hens, who beat the Orange and Blue in their home opener last year. With a win over the Screaming Eagles, the Bison would start the season 2-0 with road wins for the first time since the 2005-06 season where they took down Rider and a then 17th-ranked Syracuse squad.
The Orange and Blue were characterized by their strong play off the glass, out-rebounding Southern Indiana 43 to 32 and picking up six more offensive rebounds. The Bison also demonstrated their ability to get to the charity stripe and knock down free throws, converting on 25 of 34 attempts. Both of these strengths allowed them to overcome the 16 turnovers they accumulated and a cold shooting day (23.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Noah Williamson ’26 was the standout player for the Orange and Blue, putting up 32 points, with seven of the team’s 12 in overtime as well as nine rebounds. The seven footer’s ability to get fouled and knock down free throws kept the Bison in the game as he went 14 of 18 from the line. In the dying seconds of the game, down one point, it was Williamson getting fouled that sent the game to into overtime.
The Orange and Blue looked to ride this momentum into Lexington, Ky. where they took on a ranked Wildcat squad, under new head coach Mark Pope, after the departure of John Calipari who led them to a national title in 2012. A win here would be the first against an SEC team since 2016 when the Bison defeated Vanderbilt.
It was an uphill battle for the Orange and Blue throughout, falling behind by double digits early on and then struggling to close the gap. Two quick fouls in the opening three minutes of play on Williamson seemed to quickly close the doors on a possible upset for the Bison. The Wildcats had their way with them on the glass, out-rebounding the Orange and Blue 57 to 35, as well as in the lane, putting up 50 points in the paint to the Bison’s 28.
Ian Motta ’25 was a bright spot in the contest, putting up 18 points while shooting 60 percent from three. He also made his presence known on defense picking up two steals. Josh Bascoe ’25 contributed 15 points with six of them coming from beyond the arc. Pip Ajayi ’25 hounded the Wildcats on the glass, picking up nine rebounds, five of which were offensive.
The Bison return to Lewisburg to play Richmond on Nov. 17 at 12 p.m.
