OPENING TIP
Lafayette hosts Colgate this evening, seeking a 2023-24 series sweep of the Raiders, as each program closes in on the end of the regular season. Jason Knapp and Mo Cassara will call the nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network.

The Maroon and White shot 48.9 percent from the field and hit 13-of-27 from long distance to down American, 68-62, on Saturday afternoon. The Leopards maintained a hold on second place in the Patriot League standings with the key victory.

Previously in the series, Mark Butler led four Leopards in double figures to help Lafayette quiet Colgate, 69-64, on Jan. 10. He shot a team-high 14 points while Justin Vander Baan added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. The victory ended the Raiders' six-game series streak and handed Colgate its first Patriot League loss on Cotterell Court since Jan. 3, 2021. 

The 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship will begin with first round games on Tuesday, March 5. Each game in the first two rounds will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

Next up, Lafayette hosts Lehigh on Saturday for Senior Day and the 1998-99 Patriot League championship team reunion. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. in Kirby Sports Center.

THE MATCHUP
Colgate finished the 2022-23 season with a 26-9 (17-1 PL) overall record, progressing to the conference championship. The Raiders earned the No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament, subsequently falling to No. 5 Texas, 81-61, in Des Moines, Iowa on March 16, 2023.

Since 2018-19, the Raiders have clinched four Patriot League regular-season championships, the program's first four 20-win seasons, four conference tournament titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. 

Head coach Matt Langel, in his 13th season at the helm, is the only coach in Patriot League men's basketball history to earn four Coach of the Year awards. The Raiders currently pace the conference standings with a 19-8 (13-1 PL) record amidst an 11-game win streak.

FAMILIAR FOES
Lafayette has played 495 games against current Patriot League members. In conference play, the Leopards are 213-282 in the regular season and 25-29 in the Patriot League Tournament.

1K FOR KJ
Senior forward Kyle Jenkins is closing in on 1,000 points as a Leopard with 990 career points. He will need to average at least 2.5 points through the remaining four regular-season games. The Higganum, Conn. native would become the 49th Leopard to reach the grand plateau at Lafayette.

BIG BLOCKER
Junior center Justin Vander Baan blocked 31 shots (1.1 per game) last season, good for fifth in the conference. 

He has already surpassed his season block total from 2022-23 this winter (averaging 2.22 per game). The Northbridge, Mass. native continues to sit atop the Patriot League leaderboard and ranks 11th in the country for his 60 stops. As a program, Lafayette currently ranks first in the conference in blocks per game with 4.3.

In just two years wearing the Maroon and White, Vander Baan has quickly climbed the program ranks for career blocks. He is sixth with 97 stops.

SONDBERG FROM DEEP
Senior guard Eric Sondberg is ranked fourth in the conference with 57 total 3-point field goals. The Davidsonville, Md. native recorded a season-high six 3-pointers on Dec. 5 at Columbia on 13 attempts.

IT WOULD BE OUR HONOR 
Lafayette College has been chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the 2024 vice presidential debate on Sept. 25, the first time the College has been chosen as the site for this tradition in American politics. 

The debate will be held inside Kirby Sports Center while being broadcast live across the U.S. and worldwide. It promises to be an educational opportunity for Lafayette students and the wider community to engage in America's democratic process. Additional details, such as new planning committees and a map of campus closures can be found on the newly released debate website: debate.lafayette.edu.

SAME STARTERS
The Maroon and White have used the same starting lineup for 24 contests this season: guards Devin Hines, Eric Sondberg and Mark Butler, forward Kyle Jenkins and center Justin Vander Baan. The trio of change-ups appeared against Richmond (Dec. 30), Bucknell (Jan. 20) and Loyola Md. (Jan. 24) with Ryan Pettit in for Hines at guard.

A DYNAMIC DUO
Justin Vander Baan and Mark Butler were named the Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Jan. 15. Vander Baan averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots in the two-game stretch while Butler averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the week. Butler, a Philadelphia, Pa. native picked up his second-straight collegiate award on Monday after averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds to help the Leopards improve to 6-0 in League play.

HISTORY MATCHED
 The 70-44 win at Loyola Md. on Jan. 24 pushed the Leopards to a program record-tying 7-0 conference start for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
Mark Butler led four Leopards in double figures to help Lafayette quiet Colgate, 69-64, on Jan. 10. He shot a team-high 14 points while Justin Vander Baan added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore Ryan Pettit cleaned up with 12 points and delivered two crucial three-pointers in the second half. The Jan. 10 victory shut down the Raiders' six-game series streak and handed Colgate its first Patriot League loss on Cotterell Court since Jan. 3, 2021. 

LEOPARDS CALLED GAME
Ryan Pettit hit a crucial 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining during the Jan. 17 contest at Holy Cross to keep a late advantage that allowed Lafayette its fifth-straight Patriot League victory. The sophomore guard connected on four-of-six from the field, including 3-of-4 from long distance, to go with five rebounds off of the bench.

On Jan. 20 against Bucknell, Lafayette had possession of the ball and was down by three, 64-61, with eight seconds 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. The three-ball from Sondberg near the Leopards' bench tied the game at 64-64 with four seconds left for an eventual overtime victory.

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best on Dec. 6 in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 98 percent GSR overall for the second straight year based on the 19 sports measured while 17 Leopard teams, including men's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent.

RECENT RENOVATIONS
Kirby Sports Center, the Leopards' home arena, has seen major upgrades over the past fall semester. A state-of-the art Daktronics control and video display system can now be seen above center court, showcasing exciting promotional team videos and updated branding to enhance the fan experience. By featuring Daktronics' latest version of Show and Venus Control Suite, it allows Lafayette to expand on in-game presentations. Lafayette fans may order birthday video board messages for display during the remaining home basketball games at tinyurl.com/yslx5esh.

THE PORTAL
One student-athlete made his way to College Hill after playing two seasons for Eastern Michigan. Luka Savicevic is a 6-3 junior point guard from Skopje, North Macedonia. At EMU, he totaled 83 points, 41 assists, 40 rebounds and 12 steals in two seasons and was named to the Academic All-MAC team following his final season with the Eagles.

On the flipside, the Leopards will watch last year's Third Team All-Patriot League guard CJ Fulton play for the College of Charleston and second leading scorer Josh Rivera play for Fordham.

FRESH MEAT
Lafayette brings five first-year student-athletes aboard this season in Mark Butler, Joshua Wyche, Luke Rasmussen, Mike Bednostin and Andrew Phillips. All incoming players have seen the court during multiple games so far.

Butler is a four-year varsity point guard out of Philadelphia, Pa., who attended William Penn Charter School. While starting in all games of his rookie campaign, he has the highest scoring average out of all the Lafayette underclassmen. His career-high 20 points came in double overtime at Lehigh on Jan. 10.

Wyche is a three-year varsity guard/forward from Philadelphia, Pa., who attended Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School. He has seen consistent second-half minutes against each opponent.

Rasmussen, a 6-7 guard, is a Haverford, Pa. native who lists three years of basketball experience at the Hill School and the Haverford School. He averages over 15 minutes per game, most notably 27 at Columbia, this season.

Bednostin, who attended Trinity High School and Crestwood Prep, stands in as a 6-11 center from Dillsburg, Pa./Kyiv, Ukraine. He tallied his first collegiate points in the home-opening victory versus Wilkes on Nov. 19.