EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette College men's basketball team had its season end in heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night in Kirby Sports Center, dropping an 82-81 overtime decision to Bucknell in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament.
 
It was the third meeting between the two programs this season with all three games reaching overtime.
 
Senior Tyrone Perry led all scorers with 22 points, including five 3-point field goals, with four assists and two steals in his final career game on College Hill.
 
Lafayette jumped out to an early lead and grew its advantage to 13 points by the eight-minute mark of the first half after sophomore Kyle Jenkins connected on one of his three 3-pointers.
 
Jenkins finished the game with 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
 
The visitors were able to get within six points by the five-minute mark before sophomore Jon Brantley hit back-to-back triples for Lafayette to help stretch the lead back to nine by the break.
 
The Leopards were able to keep Bucknell at an arms-length for the majority of the second half before the Bison's Xander Rice hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 52-48 with just 10:16 to play. Perry answered with a triple of his own, but back-to-back Bucknell buckets made it a three-point game with nine minutes to play in regulation.
 
Bucknell took its first lead of the night after a pair of free throws with just under five minutes to play to make it 60-59 before the teams traded buckets down the stretch. Perry hit two crucial free throws with 24 seconds left before a Bucknell put-back tied the game with just four seconds left to force overtime.
 
There was no absence of scoring in the extra period as Bucknell hit back-to-back jumpers to open overtime before a Jenkins layup and Brantley 3-pointer sandwiched another Bison basket to make it 77-76 in favor of the visitors.
 
Perry connected on another triple on a second-chance opportunity to give Lafayette its first lead of overtime at 79-77 before Bucknell's Andrew Funk answered right back with a 3-pointer of his own to get the Bison the lead right back at 80-79 with 1:09 to play.
 
Funk led the Bison with 21 points and seven assists.
 
On the next Lafayette possession, Quinn was hit and went to the line where he made both with 20 seconds left to give Lafayette an 81-80 lead before Funk hit the game-winning layup out of a timeout for Bucknell.
 
Brantley came off the Lafayette bench to score 12 points after missing the last three games of the regular season with an injury while junior Leo O'Boyle added eight points before fouling out.
 
The Leopards opened the game hitting five of their first seven 3-point field goals to help grow the early lead. Jenkins and Brantley each hit their first three tries as the Leopards hit 14 on the night, tying the second most this season.
 
The loss marked the final game in the career of head coach Fran O'Hanlon who exits as the Lafayette College and Patriot League career leader in wins and games coached.  
 
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.