WORCESTER, Mass. (2/21/2007)—Colgate University senior Jon Simon (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored a team-high 17 points, but it was not enough as the Raiders fell to first-place Holy Cross, 68-57, in Patriot League men’s basketball action at the Hart Center. Holy Cross senior Keith Simmons led all scorers with 18 points and a game-high seven rebounds on the Crusaders’ senior night.

 

Colgate falls to 9-18 overall and 4-9 in Patriot League play. The Crusaders remain atop the conference standings with a 21-8 overall record and 12-1 mark against conference foes.

 

Junior Kendall Chones (Cleveland, Ohio) added 14 points for the Raiders, while sophomore Trevaron Vinson (Grand Prairie, Texas) led the team on the glass with four boards.

 

The first half was a flurry of back and forth action as the teams traded leads four times and were tied on four different occasions. Colgate grabbed its first lead at 14-13 when Simon knocked down a three-pointer at the 11:58 mark.

 

The Crusaders and Raiders traded leads three more times over the next four minutes before Holy Cross got a pair of free throws from Tim Clifford to take a 19-18 advantage with 7:23 remaining in the half.

 

Colgate tied the score at 23-23, but Holy Cross took control of the final 4:25, going on a 10-1 run for a 33-24 lead at the break. Simmons had four points during that stretch for Holy Cross.

 

The Crusaders picked up in the second half right where they left off as they outscored Raiders 13-4 in the first 6:14 to stretch the lead to 18 points.  The Holy Cross defense continued to stifle the Colgate offense as it held the Raiders to just eight points in the first 8:32 of the second frame.

 

Colgate continued to try to battle its way back into the game, but Holy Cross always answered a Raiders bucket with a basket of its own. The Raiders finally were able to go on a run in the final 4:02, outscoring the Crusaders 11-2. However, it was too late as Holy Cross maintained its spot on top of the conference with the 11-point win.

 

Tim Clifford added 14 points for the Crusaders, while Alex Vander Baan and Torey Thomas both dropped in 11 points. Vander Baan also handed out five assists on the evening.

 

Colgate shot 51.2 percent for the game, including 61.9 percent in the second half, but was plagued by 21 turnovers. The Crusaders were 51 percent from the field and just 31.3 percent from long range. Holy Cross dominated the boards with a 32-20 advantage on the glass.

 

The Raiders close out the regular season on Feb. 24, hosting Navy at 2 p.m., at Cotterell Court. The game will be televised by Time Warner 26.