Bucknell

Quarterback Keiffer Garton will make his season debut Saturday for Penn after sitting out all three games while recovering from off-season knee surgery, coach Al Bagnoli said Tuesday. Garton was listed as a game-time decision last week, but he did not play in the Quakers' 35-28 overtime win over Dartmouth in the Ivy League opener. Bagnoli said it was too soon to name him the starter against Bucknell. "He's cleared [to play], so our plan right now is to play him," Bagnoli said.

For the third consecutive week, Penn did its part yesterday to make Gary Steele's heart beat a little faster, his hair turn a little grayer. The cardiac Quakers again played a game down to the wire - and won. This time they went ahead on defensive tackle Dan Curtin's sack for a safety with just under six minutes to play, then watched Bucknell's potential game-winning field goal hit the crossbar with 14 seconds left to escape with a 25-24 victory....

Like a new pair of store-bought shoes, basketball teams need a bit of breaking in before they're a comfortable fit. The Villanova Wildcats may yet justify their No. 6 preseason ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/ USA Today coaches' polls, but they'll have to play sharper and more under control than they did in last night's season-opening 68-52 victory over pesky Bucknell at the Pavilion. Fortunately, 'Nova didn't have to be in midseason form against the Bison, who played smart and tough but lack the sort of elite athletes coach Jay Wright has assembled on the Main Line.

The story of the first overtime game in Penn's 120 years of football yesterday was one of joy, relief, and two unlikely heroes making the big plays in the, uh, fifth quarter. After four periods of offensive inconsistency against Bucknell, the Quakers put up a touchdown and a field goal in the tension-packed overtime, then were rescued when Roger Beckwith blocked a 25-yard field-goal attempt that would have tied the game again. Chris Parsons returned the block 75 yards for a touchdown to account for the final margin in Penn's 30-21 nonleague victory over the Bison before a sun-drenched and stunned Parents Day crowd of 9,166 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium.

The Bucknell University women's track and field team has been on the verge of winning the East Coast Conference indoor and outdoor championships over the last year, but Lafayette has stood in the way. Junior Sue Rowland, an Abington graduate, could help push the Leopards aside, however. The Bison lost the outdoor championship to Lafayette, 77-67, last spring, and the indoor championship to the Leopards, 114-96, this winter. But Rowland, a team tri-captain, is losing no time in preparing for Lafayette and the rest of the ECC. At the Susquehanna Invitational on March 26, Rowland started by setting two meet records and a school record.

A hiccup in Penn's Ivy League schedule this week will give the Quakers an opportunity to retool defensively before closing out the season against six league opponents. Last week, Penn (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) gave up its highest point total in nearly two years in its 35-28 overtime victory over Dartmouth. Dartmouth produced "an almost-perfect" offensive effort, Penn coach Al Bagnoli said Wednesday. The Big Green did not register any turnovers, nor did the Quakers record a sack. Senior quarterback Keiffer Garton, who has yet to play this season because of off-season knee surgery, will come off the bench early, subbing for redshirt freshman Billy Ragone, who was voted the Ivy League offensive player of the week.

Kevin Bettencourt scored 17 points to lead Bucknell to a 68-59 win over Colgate yesterday in Hamilton, N.Y. Three other starters for the Bisons (18-3) were in double figures: Charles Lee with 13 points, Chris McNaughton with 12 and Abe Badmus with 10. Colgate (8-14) led the entire first half, getting 10 points from Kyle Roemer and holding Bucknell to 33 percent shooting from the field. The Raiders were up by 28-20 at the break. A 13-2 run gave Bucknell its first lead at 38-36 with just under 13 minutes to play.

Freshman Mark Porter scored 18 points and sixth-seeded Wagner overcame the loss of its best player and an early 11-point deficit to stun top-seeded Monmouth, 63-60, in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference tournament yesterday in West Long Branch, N.J. DeEarnest McLemore added 11 points and freshman Jason Rudakas hit two late free throws as the Seahawks (13-16) moved within a game of joining Mount St. Mary's (1999) as the only sixth seeds to win the conference tournament. Wagner, which started the season with a 1-12 record, will meet Fairleigh Dickinson (19-12)

          LEWISBURG, Pa. - Mike Muscala scored six of his 20 points during a decisive second half Wednesday night to help Bucknell capture its second NCAA tournament berth in three seasons with a 64-56 win over Lafayette in the Patriot League title game. Muscala also had 11 rebounds. Joe Willman added 14 points and eight boards for the Bison. Just like two years ago, top-seeded Bucknell (28-5) beat Lafayette (19-15) on its home floor to advance.

Vinnie Pini, a dangerous senior wide receiver and return man from Burlington Township, has made an oral commitment to attend Bucknell. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Pini, who also played defensive back, became the second South Jersey recruit this week to commit to Bucknell, joining Bishop Eustace center Mike Spear. Pini had 31 receptions for 452 yards and three touchdowns in helping the 6-4 Falcons earn a South Jersey Group 3 playoff berth. He also averaged 24.86 yards per punt return with three touchdowns.