Nov. 25, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - The early surprise of the Patriot League men's basketball season continued on Tuesday, as Lafayette equaled last year's non-League win total by improving to 4-1 with an 86-82 win over Hartford at home. Navy also scored a victory, beating Towson, 87-70, in Annapolis behind a career-high 37 points from senior Chris Harris. It was the highest scoring total for a Patriot League player since the 2007-08 season.

Bucknell and Colgate fell in their games on Tuesday night. The Bison dropped a 73-59 final at Columbia, while the Raiders lost the last game of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, 69-60, to Milwaukee.

Lafayette (4-1) had six players score in double figures and jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead before holding on in the second half to knock off Hartford. The Leopards led by as many as 22 points in the first half, and notched their highest point total before the break, while giving up their lowest of the season, to take a 50-31 lead. Hartford got within two with 26 seconds left, but the Leopards hit their free throws down the stretch. Lafayette shot 61.4 percent from the field, had a 35-25 rebounding edge and recorded 15 assists on 27 baskets. Jared Mintz had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth-career double-double, while Darion Benbow had a career-high 15. Lafayette had six players in double figures for the first time since Nov. 28, 2007 vs. Penn.

Navy (2-3) got outstanding performances from two players to put together its best outing of the year in the 17-point win over Towson. Harris scored 37 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor and a 12-for-12 night at the line. The 37-point total matches the most for a Patriot League player since Navy's Greg Sprink scored that many in a triple-overtime loss to Bucknell in the 2008 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Harris has now made 33 consecutive free throws, one shy of Navy's school record. Two players scored 61 of Navy's points, as Jordan Sugars notched a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting while also pulling down eight rebounds. Navy was up by four at halftime and still held that advantage early in the second half before going on a 12-4 run to take control the rest of the way. Navy shot 52.8 percent from the field (28-of-53), and 88.0 percent from the line (22-of-25). The Mids held a 37-26 rebounding edge and dished out 21 assists, including a career-high nine from Romeo Garcia.

Bucknell (3-3) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, as Columbia hit 13-of-18 three-pointers to pull away for the 14-point win. Bucknell held a 51-43 lead with 10:14 left before Columbia closed the game with a 30-8 run. Patrick Behan led the Bison with 15 points, while Stephen Tyree scored 12. Colgate (0-4) concluded play at the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off with the loss to Milwaukee in a game played in Fort Worth, Texas. Kyle Roemer scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, but Milwaukee used an 11-2 run to pull away from a back-and-forth game midway through the second half.

Three teams close out the pre-Thanksgiving schedule on Wednesday, with two looking for their first win of the year. American will try to get in the win column when it finishes its five-game homestand against Manhattan, while Holy Cross attempts to do so in a tough test at UNLV. Lehigh goes for its third win in a row when it plays at St. Francis (Pa.).

The Patriot League will provide a brief synopsis and links to school recaps and box scores on the men's basketball page every night during non-League play, and continue the expanded recaps once League action begins. School recap and box score links are also available on the men's basketball composite schedule, where any live stat, audio and video links are provided prior to each contest.

The scores from Tuesday are listed below, with the links on each school name going to the institution's recap and box score from the contest.

at Lafayette 86, Hartford 82
at Navy 87, Towson 70
at Columbia 73, Bucknell 59
Milwaukee 69, Colgate 60 - Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (Fort Worth, Texas)