HAMILTON, N.Y. - Lafayette men's basketball used
Josh Rivera's first career double-double to battle Colgate to the final minutes before dropping a 69-57 final on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Rivera knocked down 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a game that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes. Rivera was 10-of-19 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, and added a pair of blocks. Senior
Leo O'Boyle and junior
Kyle Jenkins followed with 11 and eight points, respectively.
The Leopards held their own with the Raiders to start the game, with Rivera's bucket plus a foul for a 5-4 lead at 17:46. Colgate's Ryan Moffatt put up back-to-back 3-pointers to fuel an 11-2 run down to the 14-minute mark, leading 15-7. The Raiders held the advantage thereafter with a score of 25-16, only interrupted by a
Justin Vander Baan 3-pointer and a jumper from
CJ Fulton at 9:38.
Lafayette picked up a 13-2 run by 4:37 thanks to eight points from Rivera. The New Brunswick, N.J. native, aided by O'Boyle and Jenkins, gave the Lafayette its second lead of the game at 29-27.
The Leopards went into the locker room, leading 34-33 due to a Rivera 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in the half.
The opening of the second half saw competitive back-and-forth play. Four points from
TJ Berger set up the Maroon and White for a 9-8 stretch to 10:12 with a 52-50 lead. Colgate responded with six straight points, four on free throws, to tie the game 55-55 just under the six-minute mark.
Colgate seized the momentum with a 14-2 run over the final five minutes that was kicked off by a trio of layups from Moffatt. That spurt, along with limiting the Leopards' 3-point shooting, was enough for the hosts to close out the 69-57 final. The Raiders only allowed Lafayette a 6-for-24 outcome from beyond the arc this afternoon.
The Leopards host Navy on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tip-off at Kirby Sports Center.
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter
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