HAMILTON, N.Y. (Interstat) — Colgate used a dominant first-half performance and a balanced scoring attack to pull away from Army for a 69-55 victory in a Patriot League men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Cotterell Court.

The Raiders, improving to 14-10 overall, built a 10-point halftime lead and never let the visiting Black Knights mount a serious challenge after the break. Army fell to 10-14.

The most critical stretch of the game came late in the first half, turning a tight contest into a comfortable Colgate lead. With just over three minutes remaining before halftime and Army trailing 24-22, the Raiders closed the period on a decisive 14-6 run. The surge was fueled by Andrew Alekseyenko, who scored eight points during the sequence, including a tip-in layup and a 3-pointer. Ben Tweedy capped the half with a 3-pointer at the 26-second mark, sending Colgate into the locker room with a 38-28 advantage and all the momentum.

Army never recovered from that closing burst. The Black Knights struggled offensively all night, shooting just 32.7% from the field and mustering only 14 points in the paint. Colgate, by contrast, was efficient inside, scoring 34 points in the paint and converting Army’s 12 turnovers into 18 points.

Jaxson Bell led all scorers with 18 points for Army, but it came on inefficient shooting. Andrew Alekseyenko paced Colgate with 14 points, four assists and a blocked shot in 27 minutes. Ben Tweedy added a team-high 16 points for the Raiders, while Sam Wright contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.

Colgate’s defense was particularly effective in limiting Army’s offensive rhythm, holding the Black Knights to an offensive rating of 85.2 points per 100 possessions. The Raiders also won the battle on the glass, securing 10 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points.

Army briefly showed signs of life early in the second half, but after a jumper by Bell cut the deficit to 44-38 with just over 15 minutes to play, Colgate responded with a 9-2 run to push its lead back to 13. The Raiders maintained a double-digit advantage for nearly the entire remainder of the game, leading by as many as 16 points.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Colgate, which also defeated Army 76-69 on Jan. 3. The Raiders now hold a half-game lead in the Patriot League standings.

Both teams return to conference play on Saturday. Army will host Lafayette, while Colgate travels to face Bucknell.