HAMILTON – Will Rayman drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation to lead the Colgate men's basketball team back from a 17-point second-half deficit in a 75-72 victory over Loyola on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Loyola held a 57-40 advantage five minutes into the second half, before the Raiders went on a resounding 23-0 scoring run over the next six minutes to steal all the momentum and claim a 63-57 lead on a 3-pointer from
Jack Ferguson.
The Greyhounds did not go away quietly and regained the lead 72-70 on a traditional three-point play from Andrew Kostecka with 34 seconds left.
Trailing by two, Colgate called two timeouts before drawing up the game-winning play.
Jordan Burns drove under the basket before lacing a pass to Rayman in the corner, where the junior captain swished a 3-pointer to give the Raiders a 73-72 lead with just 10 seconds left.
The Greyhounds raced down the court in hopes of a game-winning shot, but Kostecka was called for an offensive foul – his fifth of the game – to give the ball back to the Raiders and Cotterell Court erupted.
Rapolas Ivanauskas sank a pair of free throws to ice the game and give the Raiders the 75-72 victory.
Rayman and Ivanauskas both finished with 24 points to lead the Raiders. Ivanauskas also corralled 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season, while Burns dished out 12 assists in his first game back.
The two teams went back-and-forth early with three ties over the first eight minutes. A jumper from Ivanauskas knotted the game at 18-18 before Kostecka answered on the other end and Loyola never trailed again in the first half.
The Greyhounds scored the next six points after a jumper in the paint from Jaylin Andrews. A 3-pointer from Chuck Champion extended Loyola's lead to 29-22, before back-to-back layups from Rayman and
Malcolm Regisford cut the deficit to 29-28 with 6:46 left in the half.
Loyola went on a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to open a 46-30 lead. Ferguson grabbed an offensive rebound and quickly found Rayman in the corner for a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to go into the locker room with the Raiders trailing 48-35.
The Greyhounds stretched their lead to a game-high 17 points in the second half, but the Raiders caught fire down the stretch and sealed the 75-72 victory on Rayman's late 3-pointer.
BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 75, Loyola 72
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate is now 15-10 overall and 7-5 in the Patriot League with the win.
• Loyola moved to 8-17 on the season and 4-8 in league action after the loss.
• The Raiders improved to 9-1 at home and are five games over .500 for the first time this season.
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach Matt Langel:
Final thoughts: "Today certainly shows us that we are able to respond from adversity, but it also puts the spotlight on us that if we do not play well, we can get down to anybody. Defensively, we did not play well in the first half. We were giving up a lot of things that we had talked about. In the second half, we had to dig down deep. It was our guys' fortitude and Will's refusal to lose. That's what it takes to get back from a deficit like we did today."
On the final play: "I saved our timeouts for the end. Our first play did not work so we called another timeout. Jordan made an incredible pass in the corner and Will's 3-pointer at the end of the first half was just as big as his shot at the end of the second half."
Looking ahead: "We have to be all hands on deck, disciplined, and pay attention to details. Going on the road is hard and we have a chance to win three games in a row for the first time since November so if that's not motivating for us, I don't know what can be."
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Rayman finished with a career-high six 3-pointers on a perfect 6-of-6 showing from beyond the arc.
• His 24 points were also a season high.
• After registering 33 points at Lehigh on Monday, Ivanauskas finished with 24 on Saturday for his third straight game with 20-plus points.
• Ivanauskas drew a game-high nine fouls.
• Burns' 12 assists tied his career high.
• Colgate outscored Loyola 40-24 in the second half.
• After Loyola shot 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from the field in the first half, the Raiders held the Greyhounds to just 26.7 percent (8-of-30) in the second half.
• Colgate shot a season-high 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc in the win.
UP NEXT
• Colgate heads to Worcester, Mass., to take on Holy Cross next Wednesday, Feb. 13, with opening tip set for 7:30 p.m. from the Hart Center.
