BALTIMORE – Loyola's Eric Laster hit a 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining that ultimately handed Colgate a gut-wrenching loss here Monday night, 68-65.
 
The Raiders held the 65-63 edge with less than 24 seconds left to play and needed a stop in their defensive zone to end a two-game losing skid. Unfortunately, with the shot clock winding down, Loyola saw Laster throw up an attempt from downtown that rattled home, handing the hosts a 66-65 lead.
 
Colgate quickly got the ball in-bounds and tried to attack the bucket but the Raiders shot just missed, forcing them to foul with 1.2 remaining.
 
Two made free throws from Chancellor Barnard then sealed the Greyhound victory.
 
Sophomore Tom Rivard led Colgate for the third-straight game with 19 points. Classmate Jordan Swopshire added 16, while Austin Tillotson closed out the Raider players in twin figures with 15.
 
Rivard missed his first career double-double by one rebound, leading the team with nine boards. Tillotson handed out a game-high seven assists to go along with his two steals.
 
After intermission, Colgate shot just 31.8 percent from the floor for its worst second half since Dec. 1. The Raiders finished the game shooting 41.1 percent from the floor, while hitting 7-of-23 from behind-the-arc.
 
Colgate remains on the road, traveling to the Patriot League's two military academies Saturday and Monday. Colgate first plays Navy in a 4 p.m. tilt before heading to Army West Point two days later for a 7:30 p.m. contest on CBS Sports Network.

Bottom Line
• Loyola 68, Colgate 65
 
Won-Lost Records
• Loyola is now riding a three-game winning streak and improves to 7-14 overall, with a 6-4 mark in league play.
• Colgate dips to 10-12 and 6-5, respectively. The Raiders are on a three-game losing skid.
 
Facts & Figures
• Rivard posted his 10th double-digit scoring night of the season after registering a game-high 19 points; 16 of those 19 points came in the opening period.
• The sophomore's line read 8-for-13 from the floor and 3-for-4 from long. He added a team-high nine rebounds.
• Swopshire got back in twin figures with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He went 2-for-4 from 3-point range, while knocking down 6-of-9 from the line.
• Tillotson finished with 15 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. The senior also handed out a team-best seven helpers and is just 25 shy of matching Hasan Brown '94 for Colgate's season assists record.  
• Alex Ramon added eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. He went perfect at the line as well, finishing 2-for-2.
• Colgate shot 41.1 percent on the night. The Raiders drained 7-of-23 from long range and converted on 12 of their 15 attempts from the free throw line.  
• For the first time this season, the Raiders dropped a contest after shooting better than their opponent from the floor.  
• Colgate scored 32 points from inside the paint compared to Loyola's 24. Both teams recorded nine points off turnovers, while the hosts held the slight edge at 15-12 on second-chance points.  
• Bench points were tied at 10-10.  
• There were 13 lead changes and 11 ties.
• The Raiders held the largest leads of the game at 10-3 early and then 34-27 toward the end of the half, while Loyola was in front by its largest margin at 43-38 with 15:34 left to play.
• Colgate led for 22:19. Loyola was ahead for 8:43. The game was tied for 8:58.
 
How It Happened
• The game was a back-and-forth affair for much of the opening 10 minutes.
• Loyola pulled in front 26-22 following a layup from Barnard with 6:36 remaining in the first period.
• But Colgate responded with a 12-1 run over a little less than five minutes to build its largest lead in the game at 34-27.
• The hosts finished the half on a 9-2 run to knot the score at 36-all at the break.
• Five minutes into the second half, Loyola created a 46-41 gap but five quick points from the Raiders tied the game for the eighth time at 46-46.
• The momentum swung back in Colgate's favor and the visitors found themselves with the 58-53 edge with 8:38 remaining.
• The Greyhounds rallied and with 3:09 left they drew even for the final time at 60-all.
• Then with time winding down, Laster hit a 3-pointer to hand Loyola a 63-62 edge at the 2:10 mark.
• Colgate's Swopshire answered on the other end of the court to give the Raiders a big bucket and the 65-63 lead with 1½ minutes remaining.
• The Raiders fended off the next two Greyhound shots but couldn't add to their lead following a missed jumper on the offensive end. That forced them into what they would hope would be a big defensive stop with 24 seconds remaining.
• Colgate maintained its solid defense until the Greyhounds found Laster at the 3-point line. The junior was open just long enough to drain what would be the game-winning bucket with 8.4 seconds left on the clock.
• The Raiders tried to answer on the other end of the floor but a missed shot, handed the hosts their third straight win.
 
Loyola's Numbers
• Laster finished with 18 points to lead the Greyhounds on 6-of-12 shooting. He also went 3-for-7 from long range and 3-for-5 from the free throw line.
• Andre Walker and Jarred Jones earned double-figures as well with 17 and 11 points, respectively. Walker matched Laster from downtown, hitting 3 of his 7 attempts.
• Cam Gregory earned a team-best 10 rebounds, while Walker handed out five assists and compiled three steals.
• The Greyhounds shot 37.5 percent on the night and drained 7-of-24 from behind-the-arc. The hosts also went 19-for-25 at the line.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Reitz Arena was 431.
 
Straight From The Source
• Colgate head coach Matt Langel: (On the game) "Not to be repetitive, but winning on the road is hard to do. I was proud of the fight our team played with, especially being a little thin in the front court due to injury and foul trouble, against a team that has good size and attacks the basketball well.
 
"The guys put us in great position to win the game, but we were simply unable to finish the job. For sure we have to credit Eric Laster for both of his big threes late in the game. With that said, I think the valuable lesson learned by our guys will be that the little details throughout the game, a free throw, open shot, loose ball rebound, missed defensive assignment, or ensuring we simply get the last shot of the first half, all impacted that game in a great way."
                                                                 
Next Up
• Colgate remains on the road at the league's two military academies. The Raiders travel to Navy on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest before heading to Army West Point on Monday for a CBS Sports broadcast at 7:30 p.m.
• The Mids host Boston University on Wednesday prior to welcoming Colgate.   
• The all-time series with Navy stands at 32-28 in favor of the Raiders. The last meeting between these two programs was decided in overtime. The Mids edged Colgate on Cotterell Court, 71-68.
• Live stats and video will be available at the start of that game.