LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell's Paul Newman sank 1-of-2 free throws with 7.4 seconds left in regulation and that was enough to defeat the Raiders 71-70 on Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion.
 
Despite the loss, Colgate (22-8, 13-4), already having clinched the No. 1 seed, secured its first ever outright Patriot League regular season title with Boston University's overtime loss to Lehigh.
 
The one-point final margin did not seem too likely after Colgate sustained an 0-for-10 start from the field and trailed by 17 early in the second half. But then the Raiders started to make a championship-style comeback.
 
Jordan Burns – who scored a game-high 24 points – made shot after shot to get his team back in it and silence the crowd time and time again. Rapolas Ivanauskas had a posterizing dunk and Jack Ferguson buried a 3-pointer in a 10-0 run that had the Raiders buzzing in front 69-63 with 5:30 left.
 
But Bucknell (12-18, 8-9 Patriot) did not let this one slip away. The Raiders would come up empty on their last eight field goal attempts over the last 5:30. Bucknell scored seven straight points to go up 70-69, and it was a Burns free throw with 35 seconds left that tied the game at 70s.
 
The Bison soaked up as much of the shot clock as they could on their final possession before Newman was fouled driving to the basket with 7.4 seconds left. He sank his first free throw and missed the second, but it was enough. Burns' potential winning shot from the baseline fell short and Bucknell pulled off the upset, 71-70.
 
Burns led everybody with 24 points – his second straight game of 20-plus. Ferguson in his third start of the season scored 15 points and Will Rayman posted his league-leading ninth double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Raider scoring.
 
Colgate just could not buy a basket early, battling an 0-for-10 start from the field. Ivanauskas sank a free throw two minutes into the game, and then that was it until a Rayman layup at the 12:02 mark. Keegan Records played a big role defensively, with two big blocks leading to Rayman's layup to end the drought. 
 
The Raiders held their own defensively, forcing four turnovers and holding Bucknell to a 2-for-14 start from the field to keep it close. The Bison led 14-10 before Walter Ellis connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, with the latter a four-point play and sparking an 11-2 run to pull the home team in front 25-12.
 
Seven of Bucknell's 10 field goals made in the first half were from the perimeter. Bucknell led by as many as 16 with 1:43 to go in the first half, but Colgate scored seven of the final nine points in the half. Ferguson had five of those and the Raiders trailed 38-27 at the intermission. 
 
Rayman splashed a corner 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 38-30, but then Bucknell shot back with nine straight points to lead 47-30 after an Avi Toomer breakaway dun two minutes into the second half. 


Colgate battled all the way back from down 17 to take a late six-point lead with 5:30 left in regulation, but it did not stand and Bucknell did just enough to hold off the Raiders, 71-70.
 
BOTTOM LINE
Bucknell 71, Colgate 70
 
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the second-half comeback:
"Our guys are champions for a reason. They believe in themselves and their teammates, and our ability to find ways to win. We fought hard against a physical team that played well."
 
On the closing minutes:
"We didn't make enough open shots or free throws late or come up with one more stop on the defensive end. As a result, we are on the short end of tonight's outcome. With that being said, as we head into the last regular season game and the postseason, this type of game can certainly help us if we choose to learn and grow from it."
 
GAME NOTES
• No Colgate team has ever won the outright regular season championship before this year.
• The Raiders shared the title in 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, and 2018-19.
• Colgate can still set the program record for conference victories with a win Saturday.  
• Rayman with 12 points moved past Adonal Foyle for second all-time in career points scored (1,780). He is now second in career points scored and third in career rebounds (858). 
• Tucker Neale is the all-time leading scorer with 2,075 points, and he did it in 87 games.
• Burns' double-digit scoring streak extended to 18 with his second straight 20-point game.
• It marks his seventh game with at least 20 points this season.
 
UP NEXT
Colgate returns home for the regular season finale and Senior Day on Saturday against Army in a noon tipoff at Cotterell Court. The game will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network. The Raiders will be honoring their three seniors Will Rayman, Milan Williams, and Rapolas Ivanauskas before the game.