Box Score

EASTON, Pa. (2/10/10) -- Senior forward Ben Jonson (Dallas, Texas) hit a go-ahead free throw with four seconds remaining as the Raiders held off a furious Lafayette comeback en route to a 74-73 win.

With time winding down and the score tied at 73, senior guard Kyle Roemer (Martinez, Calif.) drove down the lane to find a wide-open Jonson under the basket. Jonson was fouled in the act of shooting, sending him to the line with four seconds remaining. Jonson made the first from the charity stripe, but missed the second. Lafayette guard Ryan Willen rebounded the miss and advanced the ball to midcourt, calling timeout with 1.1 seconds remaining. Jeff Kari had a chance to win the game for the Leopards with a corner three-pointer but missed as time expired.

Lafayette led for the majority of the first half, taking a 23-17 lead after two Willen free throws. Colgate responded with an 8-2 run that lasted just over a minute to tie the game thanks in part to a pair of threes from Jonson and freshman Brandon James (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.). Colgate closed the first half with a 14-0 run and went into intermission with a 41-27 lead. Roemer had five points in that stretch, while Jonson pitched in two baskets.

The Raiders led 47-32 early in the second half after a Roemer three, but Willen led Lafayette on a 7-0 run off a pair of three-pointers, the second a rare four-point play, to cut the Raiders lead to eight. Three free throws led to Colgate jumping back out to a double-digit lead at 50-39 with 13:55 left, but a 13-5 Lafayette run over a three-minute span cut the Raider advantage to just three. Jared Mintz later hit a layup to give Lafayette its first lead of the half at 60-59 with 6:55 left.

From that point on, the lead changed hands five times before the end of the contest. The game was tied at 71 before sophomore forward Yaw Gyawu (Lilburn, Ga.) hit a jumper with 26 seconds left to give Colgate the 73-71 lead. On the other end, Kari hit two free throws to tie the game, leading to Jonson's game-winning point.

Both teams were hot shooters on the night. Colgate went 11-17 from the three-point line, while Lafayette made all 19 of its free throw attempts.

James had a stellar game, accruing 10 points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes. Gyawu scored 14, and junior guard Joe Hoban (West Chester, Pa.) had nine points and a team-high four assists off the bench. Jonson finished with a team-high seven boards.

For Lafayette (14-10, 5-4), Jim Mower led all scorers with 21 points, while Mintz finished with 19 and nine boards. Willen finished with 12.

Colgate (7-16, 3-6) will enter a two-game home stand against American and Lehigh. Game time against the Eagles on Saturday is at 2 p.m. and can be seen live on Patriot League All-Access.