Sharpshooter Bettencourt leads Bucknell attack

League-leading scorers like Bucknell guard Kevin Bettencourt are rarely held without a field goal for an entire game.

But that's what happened last season when the Bison played the Penn men's basketball team -- and you can be sure Bettencourt has not forgotten.

Primarily guarded by then-senior Charlie Copp, Bettencourt finished with five points and five assists after entering the game as the Patriot League's leading scorer with 19.2 points per game.

"We concentrated a lot of our efforts on him last year, and Charlie Copp did a really nice job," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I wish he was the only weapon they had."

However, Copp has graduated, so Bettencourt is looking forward to getting revenge after not being able to lead his team to victory over the Quakers, who won last year's game against the Bison, 58-49.

A junior co-captain, Bettencourt has been a team leader ever since he stepped on the court his freshman year. He led all Patriot League freshmen in scoring and was an easy choice for Patriot League Rookie of the Year. His 321-point season was the fourth-highest by a Bucknell freshman in school history.

As a sophomore, Bettencourt's game really came together. Knowing that defenders would guard him tightly because of his shooting touch, the Peabody, Mass., native threw off the opposition by driving hard to the lane. The 6-foot-2 guard was often fouled to stop his shot, but his precision from the free-throw line enabled him to continue to put points on the board.

Bettencourt was second in the Patriot League in scoring (14.9) and free-throw percentage (82), while leading the league in free throws made (122).

If he did not see a chance to shoot, Bettencourt passed to his teammates, who were often left wide open after the defense collapsed on him.

"He will get in the lane, drive and kick it out," Penn senior guard Eric Osmundson said. "We just have to shut him down."

The drive-and-pass strategy worked well last season against Penn -- after the Quakers made Bettencourt their main focus, then-freshman Chris McNaughton shouldered the Bison's scoring load, finishing the game with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting.

Bettencourt's ease from three-point range puts extra pressure on defenders, who must guard him closely as soon as he crosses halfcourt.

Last season, Bettencourt tied a Bucknell single-season record with 72 three-pointers.

His knack for the trifecta will cause problems for the Penn defense. In their resounding win against Drexel last week, the Quakers left star guard Phil Goss -- a 40 percent shooter from three-point range last season -- wide open behind the arc multiple times. Luckily for Penn, Goss missed his shots.

"I can't say we did a good job against him on those possessions," Dunphy said.

As expected, Bettencourt has started this season on fire for the Bison. He leads the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. He also has nine steals and 11 assists, both good for second on the team.

"He not only creates his own shot but makes everyone else better as well," Dunphy said.

And to add to his opposition's chagrin, Bettencourt is even better from the charity stripe this season. He is currently shooting 90.5 percent.

With Osmundson, senior Tim Begley and sophomore Ibby Jaaber doing most of the guarding, Penn hopes to shut down Bettencourt a second time. But if they cannot, expect the Quakers to struggle for a win.

"Since the main threat is his shot, we just need to make him dribble as much as possible," Osmundson said. "He knows the game really well, so we can't let him get too many open shots.

"We just need to deny him looks and shots and play good team defense."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.