Box Score

HANOVER, N.H. – The Colgate men's basketball team shot 52-percent from the floor to earn a 78-62 win over Dartmouth Saturday night.

“Anytime your team shoots such a good percentage from the field, a coach is happy because it typically means you are getting high percentage shots,” head coach Matt Langel said.

“When we made some open threes early, I was slightly concerned we would stray from the game plan of playing inside out and working hard to break down their defense. I give our guys credit however for continuing to work together and getting the open man the ball at the right time. We got to the FT (free throw) line as well and stepped up to put away some easy baskets. The result was balanced scoring with four guys in double figures and Pat Moore with nine.”

Colgate (6-10) did in fact see four players hit double-digits in scoring with Murphy Burnatowski leading the way with 21 points. Luke Roh (15 points), Mitch Rolls (12 points), and Brandon James (10 points) chipped in as well. Roh was also a powerhouse on the boards grabbing eight rebounds to lead the team.

Shooting 50-percent in the first half and 56-percent in the second, the Raiders held the lead the remainder of the game after Burnatowski broke an 11-11 tie with a bomb from behind the arc. He was a perfect 2-of-2 from downtown and 5-of-7 overall, earning him his sixth 20-point game this year.

“Obviously, the guys feel good about going into Patriot League play in good rhythm,” Langel added. “Our guys have been working hard to improve as a group since returning from break and are seeing some of the results in recent games. We look forward to a full preparation for the significant challenges the beginning of Patriot League play will bring.”

Dartmouth (2-10) was led by Jvonte Brooks, who scored 18 in the game. Tyler Melville (11 points) and Malik Gill (10 points) added to the Big Green scoring. Brooks also tied Roh with eight rebounds to lead Dartmouth on the boards.

Midway through the first half the Raiders hit three 3-pointers in a matter of two minutes to increase their lead to 20-13. Colgate continued to showcase their scoring ability converting on a fastbreak opportunity. Damon Sherman-Newsome intercepted the ball at mid-court, finding Rolls who was open to his left.  Rolls threw a quick pass to James who dunked it home, adding another two points. From that point on it was all Colgate, as the Raiders hit a total of eight 3-pointers throughout the first 20 minutes.

The half ended with a fade-away tray by Roh as the buzzer sounded for halftime giving the Raiders the 40-24 advantage on the scoreboard. The second half started the way the first half finished with Colgate grabbing the first five points to extend its lead.

At the 9:41 mark in the second half Burnatowski stole the ball underneath the basket and quickly threw an outlet pass to Roh at mid-court. After taking a couple dribbles Roh drove to the basket making the layup. He converted on the three-point play after he was fouled going up for the layup.

Colgate earned another three-point play with less than two minutes to go in the game. Sherman-Newsome posted up down low, received the ball and worked his way to the bucket. He, like Roh before him, would finish out the play from the foul line to increase the Raiders lead to 19. Throughout the second half Colgate made 18-of-23 from the charity stripe securing easy points down the stretch.

The Raiders have a week off in preparation for Patriot League play, which starts on Saturday against American. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip on Cotterell Court. The Eagles have the edge on the all-time series 23-4.