Colgate Outlasts Bucknell Men, 84-73

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Colgate took advantage of a key 11-0 run around the halftime break along with some accurate free-throw shooting on the way to an 84-73 win over Bucknell in Patriot League men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. Jack Forrest and Elvin Edmonds IV both scored 17 points to pace the Bison, who dropped to 2-2 in conference play while the Raiders improved to 3-1.

Noah Williamson just missed his second straight double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, and Josh Bascoe added 10 points for the Bison. Bucknell made four more total field goals than Colgate (28-24), but the Raiders outscored the Bison 27-18 from the 3-point arc and 27-11 from the foul line.

Six Colgate players scored in double figures, led by Braeden Smith with 14 along with nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Nicolas Louis-Jacques tallied 13 points, Brady Cummins and Sam Thomson both scored 11, and Ryan Moffatt and Jeff Woodward added 10 each.

The first half saw five lead changes, and Bucknell was locked up in a 34-34 draw with the three-time defending Patriot League champs after Edmonds' pull-up jumper capped an 8-3 Bison run. Colgate had the last possession of the half, and Cummins beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to give the Raiders a three-point cushion at the break. The visitors then scored the first eight points of the second stanza to gain some separation.

While the Bison missed their first three shots of the period, Colgate made its first three, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Louis-Jacques and Smith to make it a 45-34 game. Forrest answered with a three for Bucknell, and the Bison hung around as Colgate made just five of its next 21 shots after the strong start to the half.

The Bison pulled within four at 59-55 as Edmonds drove the lane for a 3-point play, followed by two free throws from Forrest. But over the next four minutes, they went 1-for-6 from the foul line and were off the mark on a couple of three attempts. Still, Bucknell was getting plenty of defensive stops and was only down by six at 64-58 after another layup by Edmonds.

After the final television break, Bascoe deflected a pass but the Bison could not corral the loose ball, and Smith beat the shot-clock buzzer with a tough layup. Williamson could not get a short bank shot to drop, and Moffatt followed with a 3-pointer to push the margin back up to 11 at 69-58 with 1:49 to go.

Bucknell played the fouling game the rest of the way, but Colgate would not cooperate, hitting 15 of 18 at the stripe in the final 1:34. The Raiders came into the day shooting just 65.9 percent from the line as a team, but they were 27-for-31 (.871) in this one.

"I loved our level of competitiveness today, but at the end of the day we didn't make enough shots or get enough stops," said head coach John Griffin III. "Colgate has established themselves as the standard-bearers in the Patriot League over the last few years, and Coach [Matt] Langel does a great job having his team prepared for moments of duress. From our perspective, our guys feel like they can compete with any team on our schedule. There's a long way to go this season, and I'm excited to see how we respond with some tough road games coming up."

Griffin, a 2008 Bucknell graduate, took part in Alumni Day festivities throughout the day. The annual Alumni Game was held in the morning, along with a luncheon and halftime ceremony honoring the 1989 East Coast Conference championship squad. Hall-of-Fame coach Charlie Woollum and many of his players and families from that team were in attendance.

Bucknell will play its next two games on the road, starting with a trip to Boston University on Wednesday.

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Team Stats

Elvin Edmonds IV

Jack Forrest

Noah Williamson

Josh Bascoe

Players Mentioned

Josh Bascoe

Elvin Edmonds IV

Jack Forrest

Noah Williamson