WEST POINT, N.Y. – Colgate Men's basketball closed out a three-game road swing with a tough 82-72 loss to Army West Point here Monday night.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the opening half until the Black Knights opened up the score using a small 8-4 run to take a 40-32 edge into the break.
 
After seeing Army increase its lead to 52-40 just five minutes into the second half, Colgate answered with a 13-4 rally to cut the deficit down to 56-53 with 11:11 remaining in the game.
 
Unfortunately, the Black Knights followed with a 16-3 run of their own over a seven-minute span to create a 72-56 gap between the teams. 
 
Colgate was never able to recover.
 
Austin Tillotson posted a team-high 16 points and continued his double-figure scoring streak, which now stands at 14 straight. The senior also notched a career-high in rebounds, leading the team with eight. He closed out his line with a game-high eight helpers and is now just 13 shy of tying Colgate's all-time season assists record.
 
Hitting twin figures as well was Jordan Robertson and Tom Rivard. Robertson went 4-for-6 from the floor, while Rivard finished at 4-of-8.
 
On the night, the Raiders' shot 47.2 percent on 25-of-53 attempts. Both teams drained 10 from behind-the-arc, but a key difference in the game was offensive rebounding. The Black Knights tallied 14 points on second chance opportunities to Colgate's 2, thanks in part to Army's 10-2 edge on the offensive glass.
 
The Raiders have some time to recover, as they don't play again until Saturday. Colgate hosts first-place Bucknell in a 2 p.m. tilt on Cotterell Court. That contest marks the Raiders' Alzheimer's Awareness Game. Fans are encouraged to wear purple in support of the cause. Live stats and video will be available at the start.
 
Bottom Line
• Army 82, Colgate 72
 
Won-Lost Records
• Army improves to 14-11 overall with a 5-8 mark in the Patriot League.
• Colgate drops to 11-13 and 7-6, respectively.   
 
Facts & Figures
• Tillotson led the team in scoring for the 11th time this season. The senior tallied 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the floor. He also added 6-of-9 makes at the charity stripe.
• The York, Pennsylvania, native grabbed a team and career-best eight rebounds in the game, while handing out a game-high eight helpers. He currently holds 126 season assists and is 14 away from setting Colgate's all-time record.
• Robertson earned double-figure scoring for the first since a win at Bucknell back on Jan. 16. He finished 4-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-4 from long range and 3-of-4 from the free throw line for his 13 points.
• Rivard closed out the Raider scorers with double-digits posting 10 points in the contest. He was second on the team in rebounding as well with six.  
• Jordan Swopshire and Sean O'Brien missed twin figures by one, grabbing nine points each on 3-of-5 shooting.
• Rookie Dana Batt matched his career-high for the fourth time this season with six points in the game.
• Colgate finished shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, converting on 25-of-53 attempts. The Raiders added 10-of-23 makes from downtown and 12-of-17 from the line.
• The Black Knights held the edge on points in the paint at 28-22, points off turnovers at 12-7 and second chance points at 14-2.
• Colgate's bench outscored Army's 22-17.
• The Raiders were in front for just 1:59. Army led for 33:17, while the game was tied for 4:44.
 
Army's Numbers
• Kevin Ferguson went for a career-high 24 points and added 12 rebounds. He was 8-for-13 from the floor, while also going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. He scored 18 of his final 24 points in the second half alone.
• Tanner Plomb and Kyle Wilson chipped in 18 and 13 points, respectively. They both went 3-of-7 from 3-point range as well.
• The Black Knights also saw Luke Morrison go 3-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-3 from long range to earn himself eight points.
• Larry Toomey handed out a team-high five helpers, while Ferguson and Kennedy Edwards tallied two blocks each.
• Army finished the night shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. The Black Knights added 10-of-25 makes from behind-the-arc, to go along with their 18-of-25 attempts at the line.
• The Black Knights drained nine 3-pointers in the opening period but were limited to just one in the second half of play.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Christl Arena was 486.
                                                                 
Next Up
• Colgate is finally back in the comfy confines of Cotterell Court on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tilt with Bucknell.
• The Bison host Lehigh on Wednesday before making the trip to Hamilton.  
• The all-time series with Bucknell stands at 62-43 in favor of the Bison. In the last meeting between these two programs, Colgate defeated Bucknell 84-73 in Sojka Pavilion.
• Saturday's contest will mark the Raiders' Alzheimer's Awareness Game. Fans are encouraged to wear purple in support of the cause.
• Live stats and video will be available at the start of that game.