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HAMILTON – Colgate held a two-point halftime lead, but a strong second half led first-place Bucknell to a 63-51 win Monday night at Cotterell Court.
 
Bucknell entered the game with a season-long shooting percentage of 46.6 and the Raiders held the Bison to a mark of 37.7%. But Colgate wasn't able to get anything going offensively as the Raiders finished the game shooting a season-low 27.1 percent from the field.
 
Senior Sean O'Brien led Colgate with 14 points and seven rebounds. Classmate Jordan Swopshire was the only other Raider in double-figures with 11 points.
 
The Bison led 6-3 at the first media timeout, but five-straight points from senior Jordan Robertson sparked a 9-2 Colgate stretch that saw five Bucknell turnovers as the Raiders took a 12-8 lead at the 12:22 mark.
 
The Bison pulled within one at 12-11 before Colgate embarked on a 13-5 run over the next seven minutes. Swopshire and O'Brien each drained three-pointers during the streak while junior Malcolm Regisford added four points to put the Raiders in front 25-16 with just over four minutes left in the opening term.
 
The Bison closed the half on a 7-0 streak, however, as the Raiders were held scoreless for the final 4:28. Colgate still held a two-point lead heading into halftime at 25-23.
 
The Raiders clung to a one-point lead at 29-28 just under two minutes into the term, but Bucknell answered with a 22-5 run to take a 50-34 advantage with 9:01 to play.  
 
Colgate was never able to recover as the Bison had an answer for every Raider basket down the stretch and Bucknell walked away with the 63-51 win.
 
 BOTTOM LINE

• Bucknell 63, Colgate 51

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• The Raiders fall to 8-9 on the season and 3-3 in Patriot League play.
• Bucknell earns its fourth-straight win and improves to 11-8 overall and 5-1 in league action. The Bison and Boston University are tied for first place in the league standings.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• The Raider defense held the Bison to their lowest field goal percentage of Patriot League play.
• O'Brien tallied his ninth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
• Swopshire registered his 13th double-figure performance.
• Sophomore Will Rayman finished with eight points and five rebounds.

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• Colgate was 27.1 percent (16-for-59) from the field, 26.9 percent (7-for-26) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (12-for-18) from the free throw line.
• Bucknell finished 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the floor, 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from downtown and 85.0 percent (17-for-20) from the charity stripe.
• The Bison held a 48-33 rebound edge.
• Colgate forced 18 Bucknell turnovers.

 
UP NEXT

• The Raiders face a quick turnaround as Colgate gets back to action Wednesday at Lehigh.
• Tipoff from Bethlehem, Pa. is slated for 7 p.m. and free video will be available on the Patriot League Network.