ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Jordan Burns scored 14 points to help lead the Colgate men's basketball team back from a 12-point second-half deficit, but Navy reclaimed the momentum late and held on to defeat the Raiders 72-66 in the Patriot League opener Thursday night at Alumni Hall.
Rapolas Ivanauskas had four of Colgate's first six points and the Raiders were in front 6-5 before a 9-0 Navy run gave the home team the lead just over five minutes into the frame. George Kiernan led the Midshipmen with eight points and a block over that span.
Navy continued to hold a healthy lead until the Raiders used a late 7-0 scoring run to get back within five, 30-25, at the final media timeout of the half. Navy closed the half on a 7-0 run of its own, however, and took a 37-25 lead into the locker room.
Colgate wasted little time erasing the deficit, scoring the first 11 points of the second half and dropping five of its first six shots from beyond the arc en route to a 44-39 lead at the first media timeout. Burns and
Tucker Richardson each had two three-pointers, while
Will Rayman and Ivanauskas chipped in with one apiece as the Raiders took over momentum early in the second half.
A three-pointer from Hasan Abdullah put the Midshipmen back in front 50-49 and the two teams went back-and-forth through the middle stages of the second half.
Jack Ferguson hit a three-pointer for the 11th straight game just before the under-12 media timeout, and
Francisco Amiel sank another trey to spark a 6-0 Raider run to push Colgate's lead to 57-52 just over 11 minutes into the final period.
The Raiders held onto a tight lead until a three-pointer from Kiernan gave the Midshipmen a 61-59 lead. Another three-pointer from Abdullah pushed Navy's lead to five at 64-59 with five minutes left.
Colgate could never get close enough down the stretch and Navy sank eight of its final nine free throws to defeat the Raiders, 72-66.
BOTTOM LINE
• Navy 72, Colgate 66
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate is now 8-6 overall and 0-1 in Patriot League action.
• Navy improved to 4-8 on the season and 1-0 in league play.
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach
Matt Langel:
"First and foremost, credit to Navy. Abdullah played a great game. His stat line was terrific and he always impacts the game with his defense. He made big shots in the guts of the game when his team needed him the most. We fought hard to get the lead back after being down, but late in the game we didn't make the plays at either end and they did."
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Four Raiders finished in double-figures for the game, led by Burns with 14 points and he tied his season-high with eight assists.
• Rayman finished in double-digits for the 12th time this season with 12 points.
• Ivanauskas led the Raiders on the glass with eight boards.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Colgate shot 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the floor, finished 9-of-34 (26.5 percent) from beyond the arc, and went 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the free throw line.
• The Raiders shot 47.37 percent (9-of-19) from beyond the arc in the second half after going 0-for-15 in the first half.
• Navy finished 27-of-56 (48.2 percent) from the field, 9-of-20 (45 percent) from three-point range, and 9-of-10 (90 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Navy is just the third team to outrebound Colgate this season, winning the battle on the glass, 38-35.
UP NEXT
• Colgate returns home to Cotterell Court to take on American Sunday at 2 p.m.
