The Colgate men’s basketball team broke a four-game losing streak in an exciting win over the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday in Annapolis. The game ended in a 59-57 decision after junior guard Mitch Rolls sunk a buzzer-beater to boost Colgate above the competition.

Rolls ultimately scored 13 points in the game and posted three assists as well as two rebounds to lead the Raiders. Senior guard Mike Venezia experienced a personal victory of his own when he became the 29th Raider to score 1,000 career points with 11 in the Navy game. Coming up third in the stat book was senior forward Sterling Melville who ended the game with seven points and three assists to his name.

The game kicked off with Colgate leading after a 13-7 run with three back-to-back Venezia three-pointers put the Raiders on top. Navy responded quickly and tied the game at 15 with 9:49 remaining in the first half, but the Raiders were determined to keep the lead and charged ahead with a 12-6 run of their own. Ultimately, Colgate was able to se­cure a 29-25 lead by intermission.

The second half kicked off and the Colgate team was caught on its heels. Navy tore up the Raider lead, scoring on a 9-4 run to pull ahead 34-33 with 15:48 left in the half. When the Raiders woke up, they answered back with a 9-0 run including a shot from outside the three-point line and Colgate was back on top. The men in maroon held onto the lead until the last seconds of the game when a layup from a Navy player promised to rob the Raiders of a well-deserved win.

Just as soon as the Midshipmen pulled ahead, however, Colgate took control. They handed the ball to Rolls who shot a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the competition and ‘Gate left the court victorious.

Only one game remains before the beginning of the Patriot League playoffs. Colgate will face off against Holy Cross this Saturday at 4 p.m. at home.

Contact Emma Barge at

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