BOSTON – For the seventh consecutive season, No. 1 Colgate advanced to the PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship Game after staging a second-half comeback against No. 5 Bucknell. The Raiders host No. 6 Lehigh, which overcame a deficit of its own in an overtime win against No. 2 Boston University. 
 
Top-seeded Colgate trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half against the fifth-seeded Bison but shot 58 percent (15-for-26) in the second half to surge ahead in the final three minutes of the game. Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Braeden Smith finished with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the Raiders.
 
The sixth-seeded Mountain Hawks trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half but used a career-high 30 points from freshman guard Cam Gillus, and 21 points from junior guard Tyler-Whitney-Sidney to register an 84-79 overtime victory over No. 2 Boston University.
 
Live coverage of the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship Game will begin at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Jason Knapp will handle play-by-play duties, while Mo Cassara will provide analysis. Westwood One will also carry a national radio broadcast of the championship game with Pat McCarthy and Kyle Macy on the call.
 
CLICK HERE for more information on the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship. To view the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Championship Digital Program, CLICK HERE.
 

DATE	MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP | ROUND | COVERAGE	RESULT/TIME  (all times ET)
Tuesday, March 5	No. 10 Loyola Maryland at No. 7 Navy | First Round | ESPN+	Navy, 64-48
Tuesday, March 5	No. 9 Holy Cross at No. 8 Army West Point | First Round | ESPN+	Holy Cross, 84-68
Thursday, March 7	No. 9 Holy Cross at No. 1 Colgate | Quarterfinals | ESPN+	Colgate, 81-64
Thursday, March 7	No. 7 Navy at No. 2 Boston University | Quarterfinals | ESPN+	Boston U., 70-61
Thursday, March 7	No. 6 Lehigh at No. 3 Lafayette | Quarterfinals | ESPN+	Lehigh, 76-61
Thursday, March 7	No. 5 Bucknell at No. 4 American | Quarterfinals | ESPN+	Bucknell, 80-57
Sunday, March 10	No. 5 Bucknell at No. 1 Colgate | Semifinals | CBSSN	Colgate, 68-65
Sunday, March 10	No. 6 Lehigh at No. 2 Boston University | Semifinals | CBSSN	Lehigh, 84-79 OT
Wednesday, March 13	No. 6 Lehigh at No. 1 Colgate | Championship Game | CBSSN	7 p.m.

 
Semifinal Round – Sunday, March 9 – Hosted by the Higher Seed
 
AT NO. 1 COLGATE RAIDERS (24-9, 16-2 PL) 68, NO. 5 BUCKNELL BISON (14-19, 10-8 PL) 65
Cotterell Court/Hamilton, N.Y.                                         2 p.m. (CBSSN)
BOX SCORE
HAMILTON, N.Y. – Freshman guard Jalen Cox and sophomore guard Braeden Smith scored consecutive baskets with less than three minutes remaining in the game to give the top-seeded Raiders their first lead of the game in a 68-65 comeback victory against No. 5 Bucknell at Cotterell Court.
*Smith, the Patriot League Player of the Year, scored a game-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Cox added 15 points, six boards, four assists and three steals to help the Raiders to advance to their seventh straight League title game.
*Colgate senior forward Jeff Woodward added nine points and seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
*Sophomore center Noah Williamson led Bucknell with 19 points and eight rebounds, helping the Bison lead by as many as 15 points in the first half before taking a 32-23 lead into the break.
*Senior guard Jack Forrest added 16 points, four rebounds and two assists, while junior guard Josh Bascoe chipped in 12 points for Bucknell.
RECAPS: BUCKNELL | COLGATE
 
NO. 5 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (14-17, 9-9 PL) 84, AT NO. 2 BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS (16-17, 10-8 PL) 79 (OT)
Case Gym/Boston, Mass.                                   4 p.m. (CBSSN)
BOX SCORE
BOSTON - Freshman guard Cam Gillus scored a career-high 30 points to help No. 6 Lehigh overcome an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 2 Boston University, 84-79 in overtime to advance to the Patriot League Championship Game for the first time since 2017.
*Gillus connected on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-8 from long distance, while scoring 18 points in the second half to engineer the Mountain Hawks’ comeback.
*Lehigh junior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored Lehigh’s final eight points in overtime to finish with 21 points.
*Junior guard Keith Higgins Jr. chipped in 11 points, and senior forward Burke Chebuhar pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Mountain Hawks.
*Senior forward Anthony Morales led BU with a career-high 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, including 7-of-12 from long range. He also had six boards and three blocked shots.
*Freshman guard Kyrone Alexander scored 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while senior guard Miles Brewster added nine points, eight rebounds and six assists.
RECAPS: LEHIGH | BOSTON UNIVERSITY
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.