The No. 14-ranked Bucknell University men’s water polo team doubled up Salem University, 22-11, to finish the Bison Invitational at Kinney Natatorium with a 4-0 record and move to 8-1 on the season.
Rade Joksimovic paced a potent Bison attack with a season-best 14 points on six goals and eight assists. He finished two helpers shy of the school record, set by Sean Tierney in 1994. In addition, his point total was one away from his career high, recorded against Connecticut College (14 goals-one assists) in the first round of the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship at Kinney Natatorium.
Joksimovic now has 72 points (41 goals-31 assists) on the season, an average of eight per contest. His fifth goal of the contest was the 300th of his collegiate career; he joined Scott Schulte, Jeff Hilk and Garrin Kapecki as the only Bison to eclipse this threshold. He also now needs just three points to become the fourth Bison to reach the 400-point plateau.
Beyond Joksimovic, Jared Stanley (four goals-two assists), Jack Otto (six assists) and Jack Lewis (four goals) all had strong games offensively against the Tigers. Nine different Bison found the back of the cage while seven enjoyed multi-point performances.
Bucknell charged out to a 10-2 lead in the first quarter, bolstered by a 9-0 run that stretched from the 6:49 to the 2:50 mark. During that span, Joksimovic factored into six of the goals, netting four himself.
The Bison began to empty their bench as early as the second quarter. A total of 15 players saw action over the course of the contest, including all four freshmen.
Otto finished with eight saves while Stanley (five), Matt Blackwell (four) and Joksimovic (four) each logged at least four steals. Otto set a new career high with six assists, all of which came on long outlet passes to open attackers.
Release courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
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