HAMILTON – Jordan Burns put 30 points on the board and Colgate got the bounce-back win it needed with an 87-74 defeat of Monmouth here Friday night.
 
Burns went for 19 points in the second half to spark the Raiders to a 53-39 scoring edge after intermission. Rapolas Ivanauskas added 22 points and 10 rebounds to post his second Colgate double-double in as many games, and Will Rayman added 15 points.
 
This game was tight for the first 28 minutes.
 
Colgate led just 56-55 with 12:19 remaining after Monmouth's Deion Hammond sank two free throws to cap a 9-3 Hawks run. To that point, there has been eight ties and six lead changes.
 
But the Raiders found another gear, scoring the next 13 points over a 2½-minute window to make it 69-55 with 9:38 showing. Burns sparked the onslaught with a 3-pointer and Tucker Richardson capped it with back-to-back treys.
 
Colgate finished 13-of-29 from downtown.
 
The Raiders pushed the lead to 17 points on three occasions, the last time being 82-65 with 3:32 remaining. Monmouth narrowed the gap to 83-74 but could draw no closer.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 87, Monmouth 74
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate evened its record at 1-1
• Monmouth dropped to 0-2
 
Stats of the Game
• Burns' previous scoring high was 27 points last year against American.
• His five 3-pointers and nine free throws made tonight also were personal bests.
• Colgate's last 30-point game was 34 by Rayman at Lafayette to start the 2016-17 Patriot League season.
• The Raiders won their home opener for the third year in a row.
• Colgate leads the series against Monmouth 4-1.
 
From the Source
• Head Coach Matt Langel (On pulling away in the second half) "It took us a long time to adjust to how aggressive and physical and the intensity they guarded with, and we weren't able to exploit the mistakes they were making. When we finally slowed down and played our game, we got some open shots and we made them. We got some rebounds and were able to extend the lead – in part because our defense paid attention to our details and we got out in transition."
 
(On Burns) "His second half was really good because he was making the reads. In the first half, he was trying to score, score, score instead of what the defense gave us. He managed the game pretty well and didn't turn it over, and we need him to be that guy."
 
(On Ivanauskas) "He's a talented guy. There's a reason he was as highly recruited as he was coming out of high school. He's working a lot of rust off – he hasn't been able to play in games for a couple of years. But he's got great size and good body control and great touch. He's a valuable weapon for us who gives us some versatility."
 
Listen to the rest of Coach Langel's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Cotterell Court was 359.
 
Up Next
• Colgate has a quick turnaround, taking on Cornell Sunday afternoon.
• The Big Red are 2-0 for the first time in nine years after knocking off Binghamton and SUNY Canton in the early going.
• Start time from Ithaca is 2 p.m.