BASKETBALL GAME CENTRAL

THIS WEEKEND
Sat., Feb. 25 - vs. Holy Cross 4 p.m. ET (Cotterell Court)

The Colgate University men's basketball team will host its regular season finale against Holy Cross on Saturday, Feb. 25. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. at Cotterell Court and will be televised live on Time Warner Cable Sports.

THE SERIES WITH HOLY CROSS
This will be the 72nd meeting between Colgate and Holy Cross with the Crusaders leading the all-time series 52-19. Holy Cross won the first match-up this season 76-60 at the Hart Center. 

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Matt McMullen scored a career-high 14 points but it wasn't enough as the Colgate men's basketball team fell to Lafayette 84-67 Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. With the loss the Raiders clinched the seventh seed in the Patriot League Tournament.

McMullen finished the game 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from downtown, to lead the Raiders, while classmate Luke Roh finished with a team-high eight rebounds and four assists, to go along with six points. Junior Mitch Rolls and sophomore Pat Moore scored nine points apiece, while senior Mike Venezia pitched in eight.

Lafayette shot 56 percent (28-50) from the floor, including 55 percent (18-33) from downtown, while holding Colgate to 44 percent (25-57) overall and 47 percent (9-19) from deep. Colgate did win the battle on the boards 32-27 and only committed nine turnovers in the loss.

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS (14-13, 8-5 PL)
Suddenly the hottest team in the Patriot League, Holy Cross clinched a home game in the quarterfinals of the League Tournament with an 82-51 win over Army on Wednesday at the Hart Center.

The Crusaders won their fifth straight game, and sixth in the last seven outings to seal their spot as a host in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 29. Holy Cross can finish as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the field. 

Holy Cross never trailed in the game, building a 10-point lead just over five minutes into the contest. A 10-0 run gave the Crusaders a 29-10 lead with 6:43 left in the first half, and they led 40-21 at the half. The lead stayed over 15 points for the entire second half, with Holy Cross closing on a 27-12 run for the 31-point victory.

THE SENIOR CIRCUIT
Colgate seniors Yaw Gyawu, Sterling Melville, Nick Pascale and Mike Venezia have combined for 45 percent of the Raiders scoring this season along with 37 percent of the total rebounds. Through their careers the 2012 senior class has amassed a total of 3,303 points and 1,412 rebounds.

ROLLS SHARING THE ROCK
Colgate junior guard Mitch Rolls recently entered the top-10 all-time at Colgate with 272 assists. Rolls has distributed 66 helpers this season and is averaging 2.4 per game, which ranks 12th in the Patriot League. Rolls is currently tied for fifth all-time with Josh Farrell '87 (272). Hassan Brown '94 holds the school record with 484 assists.

VENEZIA KEEPS RAINING THREES
Colgate senior Mike Venezia has made a total of 193 three-pointers in his career which is fourth all-time at Colgate. Former teammate Kyle Roemer '10 holds the school record with 267.

LANGEL INDUCTED INTO SOUTH JERSEY HALL OF FAME
Colgate University men's basketball head coach Matt Langel was recently inducted into the Al Carino Basketball Club of South Jersey's Hall of Fame on Sunday, Feb. 12. The club's 30th annual induction ceremonies were held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Langel, the 20th head coach at Colgate, was an outstanding player at Moorestown High School, where he was a three-year starter for the Quakers and one of the top players in South Jersey during his playing days. The 1996 graduate was named to the Courier-Post All-South Jersey team and finished his career with 1,497 points, the second highest total in Moorestown history.

UP NEXT
Colgate will begin Patriot League Tournament play as the No. 7 seed when it visits No. 2 Lehigh on Wednesday, Feb. 29. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Stabler Arena and will be streamed live on Patriot League All-Access.