HAMILTON – One of those games you just had to witness in person.
Colgate came out on the winning end of another postseason thriller against Bucknell. The top-seeded Raiders willed their way from a 15-point deficit to knock off the feisty fifth-seeded Bison 68-65 in front of a tremendous crowd on Sunday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Colgate advances to the Patriot League championship against sixth-seeded Lehigh on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Braeden Smith came up with one big shot after another, finishing with a game-high 21 points – but it was his loose ball chase-down in the backcourt and called timeout in mid-air near the sideline that may have shined the brightest. He scored 17 of his 21 in the second half.
Jalen Cox scored 14 of his career-high 15 after halftime, including three consecutive treys – but it was his steal in the backcourt that led to a runout and blew the top off Cotterell Court with every fan on their feet as the Raiders took their first lead of the game 62-60 with 2:49 left in regulation. Colgate never trailed again.
Jeff Woodward finished with nine points – but it was two late offensive rebounds that may have made the difference. His first second-chance putback cut Colgate's deficit to three with 5:01 to go, and the second came after a missed front-end of a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds left in the game. That led to two free throws from Smith, who sealed the victory from the line and Colgate survived 68-65.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"Today there were some concerns whether or not we were going to find a way to win because we had as poor of a shooting performance as we've had in a long time. Bucknell changed defenses and got us out of rhythm. Normally we work really hard to get open shots and they were just giving them to us – and we weren't making them early on. We stuck to our game plan and I'm proud of our resolve.
"To be able to stay the course was tremendous. Our mental and physical toughness were both tested and we battled like crazy. Credit to Bucknell – they played extremely hard. I'm really proud of our group for their resolve and determination. Braeden was great down the stretch. Jeff's toughness got us over the hump. Jalen overcame his confidence – he made some shots in the second half and forced some critical turnovers – which was ultimately the difference in the game.
"Being at home, the crowd was terrific and made a huge impact on the game. The community has been outstanding and the students and student-athletes on campus were tremendous. Huge shoutout to the crowd. The energy was terrific and definitely helped our guys fight back."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bucknell did just about everything right for the majority of the game. Noah Williamson, coming off a 23-point game against American, scored the first 11 points for the Bison, who led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Colgate cut the margin to nine at halftime, trailing 32-23.
Colgate missed its first 15 attempts from behind the arc but then made five of its next six. Cox saw one fall a minute into the second half, and then in a flurry he had three triples along with one from Smith and Chandler Baker who helped the Raiders close within 44-42 with 12:55 to go.
Bucknell did not give an inch. The Raiders drew even twice and the Bison countered with triples both times – first Josh Bascoe near the halfcourt logo at the end of the shot clock and next a banked in pull-up from Jack Forrest – with the latter giving the visitors a 50-47 lead with 9:49 left.
The Bison were back up by five points 60-55 when Woodward came up with a loose ball and fought for a layup, which ignited a 9-0 Raider run highlighted by Cox's steal and runout that gave Colgate its first lead of the game, 62-60 with 2:49 to go.
Smith scored the final six points of the game for Colgate. None were bigger than his last two free throws with six seconds left that extended Colgate's lead to 68-65. Bucknell's last gasp saw Ruot Bijiek's three-point attempt fall short and Cotterell Court erupted with the Raiders holding on, 68-65.
Smith's 21 came on 6-of-16 shooting. He added eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Cox scored a career-high 15, including 14 in the second half, to go along with four assists and three steals. Woodward (9) and Baker (7) combined for 16 bench points.
Keegan Records scored six of his eight points in the first half but it was mostly Bucknell. Williamson scored the first 11 points for the Bison, who led 18-4 eight minutes into the game. The visitors led by as many as 15 (31-16) on the heels of two free throws from Elvin Edmonds IV with 3:06 left in the half.
Despite the struggles, Colgate scored the final five points of the half after a driving layup from Smith pulled the Raiders within 32-23 at the intermission.
The Raiders shot 41.8 percent overall (23-55) and 20 percent from behind the arc (5-25). All five made treys came in the second half with Colgate finishing 5-11 from the perimeter over the final 20 minutes. The Raiders were 60.7 percent from the free throw line (17-28).
Bucknell finished 38.2 percent overall (21-55), 31 percent from the three-point line (9-29), and 73.7 percent from the free throw line (14-19). The Bison outrebounded the Raiders 39-35 but Colgate's bench outscored Bucknell's reserves 22-16 and the Raiders outscored the Bison 34-24 in the paint.
GAME NOTES
- Colgate is headed to its seventh consecutive Patriot League championship game.
- The Raiders improved to 5-0 at home against Bucknell in the Patriot League tournament.
- These two teams have combined to win six of the last seven Patriot League championships and 11 of the last 12 regular season titles.
- This will be the sixth consecutive Patriot League championship played in Hamilton. Lehigh will be the sixth different opponent.
UP NEXT
Colgate (24-9, 16-2 PL) hosts Lehigh on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Patriot League championship game at Cotterell Court. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network with the winner clinching the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Championship tickets will go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m.
