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HAMILTON – Colgate Men's Basketball was on the losing end of a tough battle here Saturday afternoon, dropping a 54-49 decision to American.
 
The Eagles, who have been hot as of late, earned their third straight road victory, improving to 3-6 in Patriot League play. Colgate dips slightly under .500 for the year at 10-11, but still remains solid in the conference at 6-4.
 
The Raiders' final point total matched their season-low from back on Dec. 5 at TCU. Colgate also posted 17 turnovers, 11 in the first half alone, throughout the game.
 
For the second consecutive contest Tom Rivard led the team after earning 15 points. Austin Tillotson maintained his double-digit scoring streak with 10 points as well. He has now reached twin figures in 11 straight outings. The senior chipped in five rebounds to go along with his team-high three assists.
 
Alex Ramon finished tied with Tillotson on the boards with five and added seven points of his own. Jordan Swopshire scored all nine of his points from behind-the-arc to close out the Raider top players.
 
The game saw its sixth tie score at 34-all with 13:23 remaining.
 
After a Dana Batt layup pushed the Raiders in front 36-34, the Eagles answered with eight straight to create a gap between the teams.
 
Tillotson ended Colgate's scoring drought but five more consecutive points from the visitors extended American's lead to a game-high nine points at 47-38 with less than 6:32 to play. 
 
Colgate slowly chipped the deficit down and a Ramon 3-pointer pulled the Raiders to within 49-47 with 75 seconds remaining.
 
Unfortunately, a huge trey on the opposite end of the court by Jesse Reed during the next possession ultimately ended any Raider hopes of making a comeback.
 
Colgate has a very quick turnaround as it travels to Loyola on Monday for a 6 p.m. tilt in Reitz Arena. This contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 24, but was postponed due to Winter Storm Jonas. The Greyhounds are at Lafayette on Saturday night before welcoming the Raiders. Live stats and video will be available at the start.

Bottom Line
• American 54, Colgate 49
 
Won-Lost Records
• American continues its winning streak, which is now at three games, and improves to 5-15 overall with a 3-6 mark in Patriot League play.
• Colgate dips to 10-11 and 6-4, respectively.  
 
Facts & Figures
• Rivard tallied a team-best 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor. He added 5-of-7 makes from the free throw line to complete his numbers. This was the fifth time this season the sophomore led Colgate in scoring. He closed out his night with four rebounds.
• Tillotson went 5-for-10 from the floor for his 10 points. He also recorded five rebounds, a team-best three helpers, and three steals.
• Swopshire added nine points, all of which came from long range. The sophomore also pulled down four rebounds of his own.
• Sean O'Brien matched Tillotson with three steals, while Ramon was tied with his fellow classmate earning five rebounds. O'Brien and Ramon posted six and seven points, respectively, as well.
• The Raiders finished hitting 19 of their 43 attempts (44.2%) from the floor, two more than their season-low. Colgate also struggled from downtown converting on just 4-of-16 from behind-the-arc. The Raiders did go 7-for-11 from the charity stripe though.
• Not only did Colgate match its season-low in total points, but the Raiders compiled just seven assists, which also matched their worst mark of the year.
• Colgate finished three shy of its season-high in turnovers with 17 in the contest. 11 of those came in the opening period of play.
• The Raiders did, however, outscore their visitors in points in the paint at 28-16, in fast break points at 8-0 and in second chance opportunities at 4-3.
• American converted 18 points off of Colgate turnovers compared to the Raiders' 16.   
• The Eagles bench also outscored the Raiders bench, finishing with the 15-7 edge.
• There were six tie scores and 13 lead changes in the contest.
• Colgate led for 14:26, while American was in front for 23:06. The game was tied for 2:28.
 
How It Happened
• Colgate held is largest lead of the game just nine minutes into the contest after a Tillotson layup made it a 14-10 Raiders edge.
• The Eagles eventually rallied late to knot the score at 18-all, and a 4-3 advantage for the visitors to close out the half handed them the 22-21 advantage at the break.
• After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Batt converted on a layup to pull Colgate slightly in front at 36-34.
• American responded with a 13-2 run though that ultimately broke the game open at 47-38.
• With 4:13 remaining, Tillotson ended Raiders' scoring drought, which lasted nearly five minutes, after he finished off a layup.
• That bucket sparked a small 9-2 run for Colgate that made it a 49-47 ballgame with 1:15 left to play.
• Unfortunately, Reed hit his biggest bucket of the game on the other end of the floor to take the Raiders sails out from underneath them and seal the win.
 
Tillotson Honored
• Prior to the start of the game, Tillotson received a decorated basketball commemorating his 1,000th career point at Colgate, which he achieved back on Jan. 20. He now sits with 1,041 in his three-year tenure in the Maroon and White.
 
American's Numbers
• The Eagles saw strong scoring production from two people, Reed and Delante Jones. Reed earned a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Jones chipped in 15 points. Reed went 3-for-4 from long range and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to complete his scoring line. Jones finished 1-for-2 from downtown and scored the majority of his points at the free throw line, converting on 10-of-14 attempts.
• Marko Vasic led American on the boards with five rebounds.
• Reed added three assists, while Charlie Jones earned two steals.
• The Eagles shot 44.4 percent (16-of-36) from the floor and drained 8-of-18 from the 3-point line. They also added 14-of-21 attempts from the line.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Cotterell Court was 784.
                                                                 
Next Up
• Colgate is now on the road for its next three contests, starting with a 6 p.m. Monday matchup at Loyola.
• The Greyhounds play at Lafayette on Saturday night before welcoming the Raiders.
• The all-time series with Loyola stands tied at 3-3.
• Live stats and video will be available at the start of that game.