EASTON, PA (2/13/08) – Tim Pounds (Dudley, NC) scored 18 points, including the game-winning free throw with 20 seconds left, to lift Colgate to a 76-75 Patriot League win over Lafayette College Wednesday night at the Kirby Sports Center.

 

Colgate (12-12, PL 4-6) snapped a two-game losing streak, both in overtime, while Lafayette (14-10, PL 5-4) dropped its third straight game.  The Leopards defeated Colgate 69-68 earlier this season in overtime, but the Raiders won for the third time in their last four games in Easton.

 

Other Colgate players in double figures were Kendall Chones (Cleveland, OH) with 17 points, Kyle Roemer (Martinez, CA) and Daniel Waddy (Tucson, AZ) with 12 apiece and Mike Venezia (Westfield, NJ) with 10.

 

Matt Betley led Lafayette with 15 points followed by Michael Gruner with 13 and Everest Schmidt with 12.

 

The contest came down to the final seven-tenths of a second.  After Pounds made his free throw to give the Raiders a 76-73 lead, Lafayette moved into the front court where the Leopards called timeout with eight seconds left.  Betley took a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, but was fouled by Roemer, sending Betley to the line for three attempts with 0.7 left.  He made the first two before missing on the tying attempt.

 

Lafayette opened contest on a 10-2 run, before Colgate came roaring back with a 10-4 run to trail 14-12 with 11:56 remaining.  Waddy came off the bench with five points to ignite the rally.  The Leopards were able to maintain their advantage until the Raiders tied the contest 21-21 on a 3-pointer by Waddy with 8:10 left.  Colgate closed the first half with an 8-2 run for a 36-32 lead heading into the locker room.

 

The Leopards scored the first 11 points of the second half, all after turnovers, to take a 43-36 lead.  Colgate answered the challenge with a 19-4 run with Pounds scoring the final six points for a 55-47 lead. 

 

The Leopards would rally one last time coming back from six points down for a 69-68 lead with 4:01 left.  Colgate tied the game on Chones’ free throw, and back-to-back buckets by Pounds and Roemer gave the Raiders the lead for good.

 

Colgate shot 51 percent from the field, while holding the top field percentage team in the Patriot League to 43 percent, including only 28 percent from 3-point range.  The Leopards held the advantage on the boards, 37-33.

 

The Raiders will entertain league-leader American on Sunday at Cotterell Court.  The game will be televised by ESPNU at 12 noon.

 

GAME NOTE:  Colgate played without its leading rebounder Alex Woodhouse (Alexandria, VA), who was out with an injury.