Hamilton, NY — Senior guard Mark Linebaugh scored 15 points to lead Colgate to a come-from-behind 60-57 upset win over Bucknell in a Patriot League game Sunday at Cotterell Court.
Colgate (14-13 overall, 6-8 in the Patriot League) has assured itself three straight non-losing seasons for the first time since 1993-96. Bucknell is 13-14 overall and 9-5 in the league. The Raiders’ victory snapped a two-game losing streak on their home floor against Bucknell.
Linebaugh received scoring help from junior Andrew Zidar with 13 points and Howard Blue with 10. Zidar was the leading rebounder with seven, while Blue, Josh Humphrey and Alvin Reed had five each.
Chris McNaughton, the only Bison in double figures, led Bucknell with 19 points and six rebounds. Charles Lee and Kevin Bettencourt had nine points apiece.
Colgate trailed by 10 points, 46-36, with 10:05 remaining in the game before going on a 20-2 run to open a 56-48 advantage with 2:37 left. Zidar had nine points during the run, while Blue and Linebaugh added each.
After Bucknell scored a field goal to stop the Raider run, the Bison didn’t score a field goal until McNaughton’s tip at the buzzer covering a span of .
In the first half, Bucknell erased a two-point Colgate lead with an 11-2 run for a 23-16 advantage with remaining. The Bison extended their lead to nine points at halftime, 27-18.
GAME NOTES: This was only the fourth time this season in 15 opportunities that Colgate has rallied from a halftime deficit for victory ‘ Linebaugh has been in double figures 11 straight games.