EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette outlasted Bucknell in overtime, 75-72, on Saturday afternoon in Kirby Sports Center, earning a 6-0 record in the Patriot League slate for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Lafayette's top performances came through Mark Butler and Kyle Jenkins, posting 16 and 15 points, respectively. Butler dished out six assists while Jenkins stood tall under the basket, collecting eight rebounds to go with three steals.

The Bison jumped out to an early lead, 16-3, shooting 4-for-4 from beyond the arc by 16:09.

Lafayette made a 14-9 run to 5:51 in an attempt to close the gap, using six points from Butler, but still trailed 25-17.

Cold shooting hampered the Leopards for the remainder of the half, shooting 32.1 percent on 28 attempts from the floor overall. Bucknell held a 36-23 advantage going into the break.

In the second session, the Bison edged Lafayette with a 10-9 stretch by the 13-minute mark to stay out of reach for the moment, 46-32.

The Leopards found their fire shortly afterwards, creating a 14-2 run to shorten the deficit to two, 48-46, at 8:07. Lafayette shot 4-of-5 from the charity stripe and added a pair of 3-pointers by junior guard Luka Savicevic in the offensive burst.

Butler and Justin Vander Baan teamed up for four points on the board for a 50-50 tie at 5:51. Bucknell shot a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe in a 10-5 run to regain a 60-57 lead with two minutes on the clock.

Layups by Butler and Vander Baan, as well as a pair of missed free throws by the Bison's Elvin Edmonds, saw the Leopards with the ball and down by three, 64-61, with eight second left in regulation. 

Head coach Mike McGarvey called a timeout to draft one final regulation play, which was a perfectly executed 3-pointer by senior guard Eric Sondberg, assisted by Jenkins. The three-ball from Sondberg near the Leopards' bench tied the game at 64-64 with four seconds left.

Bucknell could not get off a shot and the game moved to overtime tied up at 64.

The Bison controlled the opening minutes of the the five-minute overtime period (8-6) for a 72-70 advantage. Lafayette changed the momentum when Luke Rasmussen drew a foul on a 3-point shot with 27 seconds left. The freshman guard sank all three attempts with ease, allowing Lafayette a 73-72 lead.

Vander Baan smothered Bucknell's two attempts at a comeback and helped Ryan Pettit make a steal with 10 seconds to play. Pettit was fouled down the court by the Bison and made both of his free throws to secure the game, 75-72.

Bucknell shot 41.3 percent from the field and had 14 points off of turnovers compared to Lafayette's nine. Noah Williamson led four Bison in double figures with a double-double on 23 points and 16 rebounds.

The Maroon and White recovered from the first half woes, shooting 42.9 percent from the field overall. Bucknell out-rebounded the hosts 44-31, including a 13-7 margin on the offensive glass. 

The Leopards travel to Loyola Md. on Wednesday with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on X @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.