LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Mike Muscala tallied 27 points, three assists and two blocks as Bucknell beat Kent State 76-60 Tuesday night and improved to 8-1 for the first time since 2005-06.

Muscala added six boards while Bryson Johnson and Ryan Frazier scored 13 points apiece.

Joe Wilman pulled down 10 rebounds to help Bucknell control the boards, 34-22.

Bucknell led 32-31 at the break and extended their lead to 43-35 behind a Muscala tip-in. Kent State rallied to close the gap to 57-51 after Chris Evans hit a 3-pointer, but Muscala converted a layup, 3-pointer and a jumper on consecutive possessions to put Bucknell up for good.

Muscala, who is the only Division I player averaging at least 15 points and 12 rebounds per game, leads Bucknell in most statistical categories, including scoring (17.8), rebounding (12.1), blocks (2.0) and assists (2.0) through nine games.

Devareaux Manley led Kent State (5-4) with 15 points.