LEWISBURG, Pa. (1/26/08)—Colgate junior Willie Morse (State College, Pa.) scored a career-high 19 points, had six rebounds, and three assists, but it was not enough as the Raiders fell to Bucknell 65-61 in Patriot League men’s basketball action at Sojka Pavilion. Morse shot 7-of-10 from the field for the night.

 

Colgate falls to 9-10 overall and 1-4 in the Patriot League, while the Bison improve to 9-10 and 4-1 in conference action.

 

Senior Kyle Roemer (Martinez, Calif.) added 12 points and seven rebounds, while senior Kendall Chones (Cleveland, Ohio) posted a double-double with 11 points and10 boards.

 

The Bison raced out to a 23-0 advantage in the first 8:12 of the game. Morse stopped the streak with a pair of free throws at the 11:15 mark. Bucknell continued to stretch the lead to as many as 26 points, 36-10, before the Raiders came roaring back.

 

Colgate went on a 15-3 run in the final 5:12 of the first half to close the gap to 14, 39-25, at the break. Morse and Roemer keyed the run with a combined eight points. Morse led the Raiders at the break with 10 points.

 

The Raiders came out of the locker room with the same intensity and pulled within three points, 48-45, the closest the Raiders had been since the Bison led 3-0 to start the game. That concluded a 22-6 run that spanned16:47 across the two halves.

 

The Bison scored two straight baskets to jumpstart an 11-0 run that spanned 3:25 and put Bucknell back in front 59-45 with 5:42 left to play. The Raiders responded with a small 11-3 run over the next four minutes to make it a five-point contest 61-56 with 1:39 left to play.

 

The Raiders sent the Bison to the line four times in the one-and-one bonus, but the Bison missed the front end of each to keep Colgate within reach. Morse hit a three-pointer with three seconds left on the clock and the Raiders fouled on the ensuing inbounds.

 

John Griffin stepped to the line for the Bison and knocked down the first of two in the double bonus situation to seal the four-point victory.

 

Justin Castleberry led all Bison with 22 points and a team-high six rebounds. John Griffin added 10 points and three assists.

 

Colgate shot just 38.3 percent for the game and just 26.9 percent from long range, while Bucknell hit 47.8 percent of its shots from the floor and 36.8 percent from behind the arc.

 

The Raiders dominated the glass, 44-25, including outrebounding the Bison 21-6 on the offensive boards.

 

Colgate returns to Cotterell Court on Jan. 30, hosting Holy Cross at 7 p.m.