LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell's Kimbal Mackenzie hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cement a 14-3 game-closing run as the first-place Bison dealt the Colgate men's basketball team a heartbreaking 65-64 defeat Monday night.
 
Colgate held a 10-point lead with under a minute remaining, but the Bison rallied all the way back to hand the Raiders just their second loss in the last eight games. Colgate still holds a one-game lead for second place in the Patriot League standings at 9-5. Bucknell is three games ahead in first place at 12-2.
 
Senior Jordan Robertson led Colgate with 11 points. Junior Dana Batt chipped in 10 points, while sophomore Will Rayman added 10 points and a career high-tying 11 rebounds.
 
Colgate held an early advantage just under five minutes into the game before a pair of Batt layups and a Rayman three-pointer helped the Raiders string together a 7-0 streak to stretch their lead to 15-7 at the 12:58 mark. Bucknell snapped the streak, but a layup from junior Sam Lindgren and an emphatic dunk from Robertson provided the backend of Colgate's 11-2 run that put the Raiders in front 19-9 10 minutes into the game.
 
Colgate didn't allow the Bison to get closer than eight for the rest of the first half. The Raiders led by as much as 13 following a Lindgren layup at the 1:58 mark that put the score at 29-16. A pair of Jordan Burns free throws capped off the term as the Raiders held Bucknell to its lowest first-half point total of the season and Colgate controlled a 31-20 lead heading into the locker room.
 
The Raiders scored the first two points of the second half, but Bucknell answered with the next six to pull within 33-26 at the first media timeout of the term. Batt responded with back-to-back clutch baskets before Rayman drilled a three-pointer to allow the Raiders to answer with a 7-0 streak and pull ahead 40-26 with 12:47 to play.
 
The Raider lead fluctuated between eight and 12 for the next few minutes until the Bison a 4-0 run to trim a 10-point deficit down to six at 52-46 with just over three minutes to play. Bucknell was within five at 54-49, but Rayman converted a four-point play that was followed by a Jordan Swopshire three-pointer to stretch Colgate's lead back to 10 at 61-51 with just under a minute to play.
 
The Bison then kicked off their game-closing run, answering with an 11-3 run in under 40 seconds to narrow the Raider advantage all the way down to two at 64-62 with 11.3 seconds on the clock. A controversial flagrant foul call put the Bison at the line to cap the streak and gave Bucknell the ball back with 11 seconds to play. The Bison moved the ball around before finding Mackenzie in the corner. The junior buried the corner three as time expired to hand the Raiders the heartbreaking 65-64 loss.
 
BOTTOM LINE

• Bucknell 65, Colgate 64

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• Colgate is now 14-11 on the season and 9-5 in the Patriot League. The Raiders sit in second place in the league standings and hold a one-game lead over third-place Boston University and Navy (8-6).
• First-place Bucknell is now 18-9 overall and 12-2 in league action.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Robertson's 11 points marked his fifth double-digit effort in the last eight games.
• Rayman's 11 boards matched his career high that was set on Dec. 2, 2017, at Binghamton.
• Rayman's 10 points marked his team-leading 19th double-digit effort of the season.
• Batt's 10 points were accompanied by seven rebounds.
• O'Brien dished a season-high seven assists with no turnovers. He entered the game ranked in the top 20 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• O'Brien added seven points, three rebounds and two steals in his strong effort.
• Burns returned from a two-game injury hiatus to tally nine points, three rebounds and two assists.
• Lindgren finished with a career-best seven points in 14 minutes of action. 

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• Colgate finished the game shooting 41.5 percent (22-for-53) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-for-19) from three-point range and 87.5 percent (14-for-16) from the free throw line.
• The Bison shot 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the floor, 25.0 percent (6-for-24) from downtown and 73.9 percent (17-for-23) from the charity stripe.
• The Raiders finished the game with a 32-31 rebound edge, but Bucknell scored 16 second-chance points off 10 offensive boards.
• The Bison had four players finish in double-figures, led by Zach Thomas' 18 points.

 
UP NEXT

• Colgate faces a quick turnaround as the Raiders prepare to host Lehigh Wednesday.
• Tipoff from Cotterell Court is set for 7 p.m.