TAMPA, Fla. – Colgate got off to a hot start and held a tight lead at halftime, but South Florida used a strong second half to pull away for a 73-63 victory Friday night at the Yuengling Center.
Jordan Burns led the Raiders with 17 points – 14 of which came in the opening 20 minutes.
Rapolas Ivanauskas posted another double-digit scoring effort with 14 points and
Will Rayman added nine points. Ivanauskas and Rayman paced Colgate on the glass with seven boards apiece.
Tucker Richardson opened the scoring with a bucket inside the first minute but South Florida surged ahead 6-2 after a layup by David Collins with 15:02 left in the first. The Bulls held an early lead until Colgate heated up from long range, with a pair of treys from Burns and another from Rayman sparking the Raiders to a 15-13 lead.
Colgate continued its strong shooting through the middle stages of the half, knocking down 9-of-11 field goals to build a 25-19 lead with 7:40 showing. South Florida used a quick 8-0 scoring run to briefly take the lead until back-to-back triples from Burns pulled Colgate back in front 31-27 with 2:44 showing.
Richardson sank another three-ball with just over a minute left and Ivanauskas converted on a pair of free throws to lead the Raiders into intermission owning a 36-34 advantage.
Francisco Amiel capped an early second-half run with a three-pointer to give the Raiders a 46-40 lead, and the six-point advantage held (51-45) midway through the frame after Ivanauskas netted a trey of his own with 10:05 left.
The Bulls responded with eight unanswered points over a three-minute span to take their first lead of the second half, 53-51. A pair of free throws from Ivanauskas evened the contest back up at 53-53, but the Raiders were held to just one field goal over their next 12 shots and South Florida opened a 67-57 lead.
Colgate remained within striking distance after a turnaround jumper from Rayman made it an eight-point game at 69-61 with 1:20 left, but South Florida capitalized on its free-throw opportunities to prevail, 73-63.
BOTTOM LINE
• South Florida 73, Colgate 63
FOR THE RECORD
• Colgate dropped to 5-3 on the season and 2-3 away from home.
• South Florida improved to 6-2 and 4-1 inside the Yuengling Center.
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach
Matt Langel:
"South Florida played well. Early in the season they have found their identity under Coach Gregory as a group that really competes, forces turnovers, gets to the free throw line, and gets offensive rebounds.
"We did a good job keeping them off the glass but unfortunately our 20 turnovers led to 26 points and they got to the free throw line too often. I thought that some of our turnovers and quick shots early in possessions were uncharacteristic of the team we are trying to be, but South Florida surely deserves some of the credit for making that happen.
"The good news is there is not a lot of time to dwell on what could have been as we have just one day to prepare for a FGCU program that will certainly be looking to get back to their winning ways on their home court."
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Colgate led for over 23 minutes, while South Florida was in front for just 9:49.
• Burns finished 5-for-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to lead the Raiders.
• Colgate tied its season-high with five steals in the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
• The Raiders shot 39.2 percent (20-of-51) from the field and 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from beyond the arc.
• Colgate shot a season-low 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the free throw line.
• South Florida finished 46.8 percent (22-of-47) from the floor and 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from three-point range.
• The Raiders outrebounded South Florida, 32-30.
UP NEXT
• Colgate continues its season-long six-game road trip at Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.
• Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. from Fort Myers, Fla.
