HAMILTON – Colgate let a golden opportunity to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League tournament slip away after falling to Lafayette, 70-69, Wednesday night at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders, who have secured a top-four seed and home quarterfinal, now must hope for a win at first-place Navy or a Lehigh loss to Bucknell on Saturday to guarantee a top-two spot. The Midshipmen are 13-1 inside Alumni Hall this season with their only home loss to Yale on Nov. 7.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate overcame a sluggish first half to lead by eight in the second half, 44-36, with 12:28 remaining after Ayomi Odetoyinbo's free throw. Lafayette used a 15-3 scoring streak over the next three minutes to take the lead for good, 57-51, with 7:41 left.
A driving layup by Jalen Cox in the final minute cut the deficit to 70-69. Lafayette's Mark Butler missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but a missed layup at the buzzer sealed the one-point decision – Colgate's fourth one-point decision in league play.
The Raiders shot 58.6 percent in the second half, including 5-for-6 from behind the arc. For the game, Colgate shot 46.4 percent overall (26-56), 37.5 percent from behind the arc (6-16), and 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
Colgate started cold on offense, connecting on just 1-of-7 from behind the arc and 3-of-13 from the field. With limited offense Lafayette established an early 18-9 lead after a second-chance layup from Caleb Williams midway through the opening stanza.
Cox provided a short boost for the Raiders, scoring four straight points in an 8-0 surge that closed the gap to 26-23. Lafayette, which led by as many as 11, carried a 31-25 advantage to the break after a 3-pointer from Christian Humphrey-Rembert.
Josh Ahayere was 2-for-2 from behind the arc and scored 10 points inside the first four minutes of the second half to give the Raiders a 37-35 lead. Colgate eventually built an eight-point margin, 44-36, but the Leopards pulled back in front and led by as many as six, 64-58, on the heels of their 15-3 run down the stretch.
Alekseyenko's 3-pointer cut Colgate's deficit to 67-65 with 2:14 left, but Lafayette used three straight trips to the foul line to thwart the comeback. Butler scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to hold off the Raiders.
NOTES
- Andrew Alekseyenko reached double-figures for the 14th consecutive game.
- Colgate is now on a three-game skid at home against Lafayette. The Raiders' last win over the Leopards at Cotterell Court was in the 2023 Patriot League championship.
- The Raiders are 36-9 in February over the past six seasons, including 20-4 at home.
- Ben Tweedy posted his first career double-double, finishing with 12 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists.
UP NEXT
Colgate (17-13, 11-6 Patriot) closes the regular season at top-seeded Navy (24-6, 16-1 Patriot) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Midshipmen outlasted the Raiders 84-80 in overtime two weeks ago in Hamilton.
