BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Damon Sherman-Newsome continued his impressive senior campaign recording a career-high 29 points to help lift Colgate men's basketball to its first victory of the season.
 
Colgate held on despite a strong Campbell attack in the final few minutes to register the 54-48 win here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Raiders were led by Sherman-Newsome, who posted his personal-best in points to go along with his season-high seven boards.
 
Austin Tillotson notched double-figures for the third-straight game after earning 10 points in the contest. He also added a game-high four assists and two steals. Luke Roh pulled down a season-high 10 boards, while Ethan Jacobs tallied nine points and two blocks. Matt McMullen earned a season-best in rebounds as well with eight.
 
In a game that featured five lead changes and six tie scores, the Raiders were able to hold onto the lead for 19 of the 40 minutes. 
 
Sherman-Newsome started the contest hitting five of the Raiders opening seven baskets to give him 12 quick points and to tie the game at 14-all.
 
Jacobs then added a trey at the 10:38 mark to hand Colgate its first lead of the half, at 17-16.
 
Heading into the break the Raiders trailed by one but a 10-4 rally in the opening five minutes of the second half created Colgate's largest lead of the game at seven. Jacobs topped that run with a massive dunk to make it 36-29.
 
The Camels would not let up however, taking back a one-point lead with under a minute and a half to play. Sherman-Newsome would answer with a layup on the opposite end of the court though to give the Raiders the advantage for good. In the final minute of play Sherman-Newsome accounted for eight of Colgate's ending nine points, including going five-of-six from the free throw line.

The Raiders are back on the court Monday night at James Madison. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 54, Campbell 48
 
Facts & Figures
• Sherman-Newsome continued his double-digit scoring streak, pushing it to six-straight games, dating back to March 1 of last season.
• The senior sociology major went 10-for-14 from the floor and 3-of-4 from downtown. He added 5-of-7 makes at the free throw line and a season-high seven boards.
• Tillotson added 4-of-9 makes from the floor to go along with his 2-of-4 attempts from long. The York, Pennsylvania, native also dished out a game-high four assists.
• Colgate shot 40 percent overall from the floor and 35.3 percent from behind the arc. The host team shot 36 and 30.8 percent, respectively.
• Colgate slightly won the rebounding battle by 36-34, and the Raiders also had another advantage at the free throw line (10-15 to 8-22).
• The Camels held the edge on points in the paint at 22-16 as well as scoring 13 points off of Raider turnovers compared to Colgate's eight.
• Campbell's Kyre Hamer recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. D.J. Mason posted 11 points and five boards to close out the Camel players in double-digits.  
 
Turning Point
• After the Camels had rallied back from a seven-point deficit five minutes into the second half, Mason gave them a one-point edge following two made free throws.
• Sherman-Newsome converted on an and-1, however, on the opposite end of the court creating a two-point lead for the Raiders. Colgate was able to tighten up its defensive pressure and hold the Camels to just two points in the final minute of play. That, along with 6-of-8 makes from the free throw line, ultimately secured the Raiders the victory.  
 
Interesting Notes
• Tillotson has now earned 24 double-digit scoring games in just his 33rd start for the Raiders. Posted double-figures in all of Colgate's games so far this season.
• Roh broke the 500-rebound barrier after pulling down 10 boards in the game. He now has 501 career rebounds.
• Sherman-Newsome beat his previous career-high, which came March 1 of last year, by one point.
• The Anchorage, Alaska, native accounted for 54 percent of the Raiders total scoring in Saturday's contest.
• Colgate held Campbell to just 48 points and only 18 field goals made, which were both a season-best for the Raiders.

From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Matt Langel: (On his team's first victory of the season) "Anytime you win on the road in college basketball you've got to feel good about your performance."
 
"We are thrilled with the way Damon's been playing. He's been a consistent guy for us early on this season. You can see that he's out-of-season preparation is really paying off. He's worked hard to get where he is right now and is our first ever 'Ace of Spades' award winner for his performance in today's game. 29 points on just 14 shots to go along with his seven rebounds, plus was able to step up and make some huge free throws down the stretch when we needed them, was huge for us."
 
"In all three contests so far this season, for us to be in games late where we are in the high 40's to low 50's is something that we aren't used to. We've had to really rely on our offense in the past but our defensive consistency is what has been there so far for us early in the season. It's something we'd like to continue and hope that our offense can improve as the season goes along."
• (On his team's ability to finish out a close game) "You turn to a lot of guys who've been focused on righting some of those wrongs, closing out games and finishing, all words we've talked about."
 
"Campbell hung tough and obviously didn't play their best game either and certainly didn't have their best shooting performance but for us to find a way to win and hang onto a lead late in the game was something we obviously feel good about."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Saturday's attendance was: 1,253.

Up Next
• Colgate has a quick turnaround as it heads to James Madison on Monday for a 7 p.m. tip.
• This away contest with the Dukes will be the Raiders second game of the Buckeye Classic.
• The Dukes are coming off an 82-60 victory over Longwood on Wednesday.
• This is the first matchup between these two teams.