HAMILTON – Colgate capped the final four minutes on a 12-6 run to close out NIJT 80-75 on Wednesday in a back-and-forth season opener for both sides at Cotterell Court.
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Rapolas Ivanauskas led four Raiders in double figures with a game-high 24 points and the senior added eight rebounds in the win.
Will Rayman posted a double-double, dropping 18 and matching his career high with 12 rebounds.
Nelly Cummings in his debut finished 7-of-8 from the field on his way to 16 points.
Jordan Burns tallied 10 to go with a game-high six assists.
Colgate appeared to have the game well in hand after storming out of the second half on an 11-0 run to lead by as many as 19 at 55-36. Rayman splashed a pair of 3-pointers and Cummings and Ivanauskas added treys as the Raiders started the frame 4-of-4 from downtown.
But NJIT did not go away and the Highlanders, coming off a 22-win season, chipped away to the tune of a 30-11 run over the next eight minutes. Colgate cooled off from distance, going just 1-of-5 during that stretch while the visitors' Zach Cooks had eight of his 23 points during the spurt to tie the game 66-66.
Rayman knocked down a pair of free throws to halt a 9-0 streak for NJIT, but Shyquan Gibbs converted a three-point play to give the Highlanders their first lead since early in the first half 69-68 with 4:14 showing on the clock.
Cummings got a spectacular runner to fall before Ivanauskas turned the tides with a 3-pointer to push Colgate back in front 73-69 just over a minute later. That was the start of the final 12-6 run in which Colgate sank its last seven free throws to close out NJIT.
After NJIT scored the opening bucket, Colgate shot back with the next six points to jump out to an early 6-2 lead. The Highlanders responded with the next 10 points after a layup by Reilly Walsh pushed their advantage to 12-6 at the 14-minute mark.
Burns buried a pair of triples to start a 10-2 run and hand the Raiders a 25-20 lead midway through the half. Cooks cut the gap to 34-32 with a pair of free throws before Colgate closed out the half on a 7-0 run to carry a 41-32 lead into halftime.
The second half featured waves of runs for both teams before the Raiders locked up the victory down the stretch for their first season-opening victory since 2015.
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the win:
"It was good to be back out there. This was a nice win. You never complain about a win. It is much better to grow in victory than in defeat, but hopefully our guys are paying attention and understanding that we did not take care of all our details tonight.
"Our offense was good, as we expected, but how good we are as a team is dependent on how we do at the other end of the floor. That got away from us a bit in the second half. We can grow from this win."
On the pre-game banner ceremony:
"The crowd was fantastic tonight. Our fans were a big part of our success last season, and for them to be here to celebrate the banner ceremony, you could feel the energy. It was great for the fans and for our guys to share that experience tonight."
On the second-half runs:
"Our 3-point shooting is pretty good. We've got six guys who are really good 3-point shooters and five of them are on the floor at one time for the most part. We know that can be a dangerous weapon, but we cannot rely on that. That's where it fell down in the second half. The game can change in the blink of an eye, but we grinded out a win tonight."
Looking ahead to Clemson:
"At this point, we are just looking to get better and grow as a team every single day. Some of the focus of this group has to not be on the success we have had, but how hard we have to work to maximize our opportunities.
"Our guys will be excited about playing two ACC schools and an SEC school that played in the Final Four last year. That's what you dream of as a kid growing. We will have to play really well and be sharp on both ends of the floor to be competitive against teams of this caliber."
GAME NOTES
- Prior to the game, Langel was joined by President Brian W. Casey and Vice President and Director of Athletics Nicki Moore in lowering the banners in honor of last season's historic championship season.
- Colgate picked up its first season-opening victory since taking down George Mason 66-53 in 2015.
- The Raiders with the win avenged last year's 81-78 overtime loss to NJIT in Newark, New Jersey.
- Rayman matched his career high with 12 rebounds and recorded his first double-double since going for 23 and 12 at Army on Jan. 30 of last season.
- His double-double was Colgate's first since Ivanauskas registered 24 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola on Feb. 9 last year.
- With 18 points, Rayman moved into eighth place on Colgate's all-time scoring chart with 1,424 points.
- Two freshmen saw their first action in the season opener, with Ryan Moffatt and Keegan Records both seeing time.
- Richardson tied his career high with five free throws.
- Six different Raiders recorded a steal in the victory.
UP NEXT
Colgate opens a tough road stretch against three straight Power Five opponents on Sunday at Clemson. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
