BALTIMORE – A strong team effort guided the Colgate men's basketball team to a dominant 68-47 win over Loyola here Sunday afternoon.
 
The Raiders got out to a  quick 12-0 lead and never looked back as the Colgate defense held Loyola to a season-low 47 points. With the win, Colgate completes the season sweep of the Greyhounds for the second-straight season.
 
Sophomore Will Rayman led the balanced Colgate scoring with 15 points. Senior Jordan Swopshire added 12, while first-year Jordan Burns chipped in 11.
 
Colgate started the game 5-for-5 from the field with baskets from four different Raiders to jump out to a quick 12-0 lead three minutes into the game and force an early Loyola timeout. The Greyhounds were within eight at 14-6, but six points from Rayman and a basket from senior Sean O'Brien helped Colgate answer with an 8-0 streak that worked the Raider lead to 22-6 with 9:52 to play.
 
Loyola wouldn't get closer than 13 the rest of the half as the Raider defense stepped up to keep the Greyhounds from converting a field goal for the final 5:55 of the opening term. A Burns three-pointer in the final seconds then sent Colgate into the locker room with a dominant 38-18 lead.
 
The Greyhounds scored eight of the second half's first 10 points to trim the Raider advantage down to 14 at 40-26 with 16:23 left on the clock. A layup from junior Sam Lindgren then sparked a 10-1 Raider run over the next five minutes to give Colgate its largest lead yet at 50-27.
 
The Raiders stayed ahead by at least 20 the rest of the way as Colgate continued its dominance and secured the 68-47 road win.
 
BOTTOM LINE

• Colgate 68, Loyola 47

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• The Raiders improve to 10-6 league play and 15-12 overall. Colgate remains tied with Navy for second place in the league standings, but holds any tiebreaker over the Mids since the Raiders swept the regular-season series.
• Loyola drops to 8-19 overall and 6-10 in league action.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Colgate has now won four-straight games against the Greyhounds.
• The Raiders move to 6-3 in league road games.
• Colgate and Navy are both 10-6 heading into the final two games of the regular season. The Raiders host Army and Holy Cross, while the Mids face Bucknell and Loyola.
• Rayman tallied his team-best 21st double-digit scoring game of the season. He finished 6-for-13 from the field and added four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
• Swopshire registered his 20th double-figure effort with his 12 points. The senior also registered four rebounds.
• Burns finished 3-for-7 from the field and added three points at the free throw line for his 11 points. The first-year also chipped in three rebounds and three assists.
• Six Raiders scored seven or more points in the full team effort.
• Junior Francisco Amiel dished a game-high five assists. 

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• The Raiders finished the game shooting 46.4 percent (26-for-56) from the field, highlighted by a 55.6 percent (15-for-27) first-half clip.
• Colgate was 90 percent (9-for-10) from the free throw line and 33.3 percent (7-for-21) from three-point range.
• The Raiders held Loyola to a dismal 30.8 percent (16-for-52) mark from the field and 13.3 percent (2-for-15) clip from three-point range. The Greyhounds were 72.2 percent (13-for-18) from the free throw line.
• Colgate limited Loyola's leading scorer Andre Walker to just four points. He entered the game averaging 16.3.
• The Raiders dished 14 assists with only six turnovers.
• Colgate scored 14 points off 12 Loyola turnovers.

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel

• "I'm really proud of the team. I'm proud of their focus, their togetherness and their confidence in themselves and their teammates. This might have been our best team win of the season. We had outstanding contributions from pretty much everyone who played today.
• "We did not turn the ball over and did not give up points in transition. We battled them pretty well on the glass with a thin front court. We got good shots and stepped up and made good plays for each other.
• "We have a chance to finish really strong heading into the final two games of the regular season. This is what we prepare all year for. Our veteran leadership has provided good focus and we'll look for that to continue in these final games."

 
UP NEXT

• Colgate returns home to Cotterell Court for its final two games of the regular season, looking to secure prime playoff positioning.
• The Raiders host Army Wednesday at 7 p.m. before welcoming Holy Cross on Senior Day Saturday at 2 p.m.