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HAMILTON – A solid overall performance secured Colgate a 59-43 victory over American here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Raiders were strong on both sides of the ball. First they held the Eagles to just 14 points in the opening period, which was American's second-fewest points scored during the first half of play all year. Then Colgate finished the game allowing only 43 total points to the visitors. That number marked the Raiders' best defensive game of the season.

On offense, Colgate finished the afternoon shooting 51 percent from the floor, while making 8-of-16 shots from behind the arc. American shot 41 and 33 percent, respectively.
 
Austin Tillotson sparked a 20-2 run early in the game, which created a sizable gap between the teams. With it a one-point Raiders lead five minutes into the contest, Colgate drained back-to-back treys to make it 10-3. The Raiders then rattled off 14 points to the Eagles' two, extending their edge to 24-5. During that big run Tillotson hit three shots from downtown.
 
The Eagles pulled to within 24-10 with three minutes left in the first period but another 10-4 run to close out the half, including a tip-in by Tillotson with one second remaining, gave the Raiders a comfortable 20-point lead heading into the break.
 
Colgate pushed its advantage to the largest of the game at 54-29 after Luke Roh converted on a 3-point play with six minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the game.
 
The Raiders were then able to hold strong throughout the final minutes to secure the 16-point victory.
 
Tillotson led all players with 15 points from 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-5 makes from long-range. Matt McMullen added 14 points and chipped in three treys as well. Roh pulled down a game-high seven points, while McMullen also grabbed six of his own.
 
Sherman-Newsome handed out a game-best four helpers and accounted for one block and one steal.
 
Fans in Cotterell Court on Saturday also got to walk down memory lane as Colgate welcomed back members of the 1994-95 and 1995-96 Patriot League men's basketball championship teams during halftime. Members of those teams included Colgate's all-time leading scorer Tucker Neale '95 and 13-year NBA star Adonal Foyle '98.
 
The Raiders next have an 8 p.m. Wednesday night matchup at Boston University. That game is scheduled to be broadcast live on the American Sports Network.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 59, American 43
• The 16-point victory was Colgate's largest margin of defeat during conference play so far this season.
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improves to 11-14 overall and 8-4 during Patriot League play
• American dips to 13-11 and 6-6, respectively.
 
Facts & Figures
• Tillotson finished with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He added 3-for-4 makes from downtown as well.
• The junior also posted a game-high two steals.
• McMullen closed out the Raiders in double-figures with his 14 points. The senior went 5-for-8 from the floor, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 1-for-1 from the line.
• Ethan Jacobs and Roh chipped in nine points each, with Jacobs pulling down four boards and Roh a game-high seven.  
• Sherman-Newsome missed double-figures for the second-consecutive game, but managed to hand out a game-high four assists.   
• On the afternoon, Colgate shot 51.1 percent overall, while hitting 8-of-16 from long. They also added 5-of-7 makes from the charity stripe.
• The Raiders outrebounded the Eagles 29-22 and held the edge on steals at 7-3.  
• Both teams recorded 24 points from inside the paint, while Colgate posted 15 points off of American turnovers.
• The Raiders led for the entire game with there only being one tie score at 2-2.
• Colgate's largest lead of the game at 54-29 came with six minutes and 30 seconds remaining when Roh converted on a 3-point play.  
 
American's Numbers
• The Eagles saw Jesse Reed grab a team-high nine points, while Pee Wee Gardner posted eight points.
• John Schoof pulled down a team-high four boards in the contest as well.
• American finished shooting 41 percent from the floor and hit just four of their 12 attempts from behind the arc. They also made 7-of-13 from the free throw line.

Interesting Notes
• The Raiders 16-point victory was their largest margin of defeat in league play since a 74-60 win over Holy Cross way back on Jan. 7.
• Tillotson and McMullen continued their double-figure scoring streak with 15 and 14 points in the game, respectively. Tillotson's mark stands at four straight, while McMullen has reached that feat in the last three games.
• During conference play, the Raiders are shooting 51 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range.
• Colgate has a 8-4 conference mark, which is currently good enough for sole possession of first place. Bucknell, who went into the weekend tied with Colgate for the top spot does not play until Sunday afternoon. The Bison sit with an league record of 7-4 heading into their contest with Holy Cross.

How It Happened
• Colgate held the one-point lead five minutes into the contest after American's Kevin Panzer converted on one of his two free throw attempts.
• The Raiders then used a 20-2 run over nearly a 12-minute span to take a 24-5 edge behind Tillotson's nine points.
• American pulled to within 24-10 with under three minutes to play but the Raiders finished the half on a 10-4 run to take a 20-point advantage into the break.
• Colgate extended its lead to the largest of the game at 54-29 with six minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the contest after Roh finished off a 3-point play.
• The Raiders then held strong in the remaining minutes to secure the victory.
 
Records Watch
• Sherman-Newsome and Moore are still in the hunt for reaching 1,000 career points. Sherman-Newsome is 89 points shy, while Moore sits at 104 short.
• Tillotson recorded two assists in Saturday's game, which handed him 104 on the season. The junior is now just 29 helpers shy of matching his total from a season ago, which placed him third all-time in season-assists.
• And with his two helpers on Saturday, Roh's career assist total shifts to 310. He is now five assists shy of matching Alvin Reed '06 for fourth place all-time.
 
A Historic Celebration
• Saturday's contest also marked a welcome home for two of the most memorable and magical teams in Colgate Athletics history.
• The Raider family honored the 1995 and 1996 Patriot League championship men's basketball teams on the 20th anniversary of the first title-winning season during halftime of the contest.
• Colgate in those two seasons compiled a 20-6 Patriot League record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first two times in program history, while making back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance.
• Two notable members from those squads include 13-year NBA star Adonal Foyle and Colgate's all-time leading scorer Tucker Neale.
• Two more special guests that were in attendance during the ceremony were Joan and Danny Bruen. Joan's husband and Danny's father, head coach Jack Bruen, guided the Raiders to those two championship banners but died in 1997 at age 48 from cancer.

Up Next
• The Raiders head back on the road Wednesday when they travel to Boston U. for an 8 p.m. contest.   
• The Terriers play Monday night at Lafayette before hosting the Raiders on Wednesday.
• Boston U. currently sits with an 5-6 conference mark.
• The Raiders and Terriers will go head-to-head for their 41st all-time meeting. Boston U. holds the 24-16 record advantage.
• Colgate took the two teams earlier meeting on Cotterell Court, 62-53, behind Sherman-Newsome's game-high 19 points.
 
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