HAMILTON – Jordan Burns poured in 23 points in the second half to help Colgate pull away from Bucknell 80-65 on Monday night in the first meeting between the two teams since last year's Patriot League Championship at Cotterell Court.
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After dropping a championship-record 35 points in last year's title game, Burns picked up right where he left off and again gave the Bison fits with a game-high 23 points on six made 3-pointers Monday night – all in the second half to lead four Raiders in double figures.
Will Rayman scored 19 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists for his second consecutive double-double.
Tucker Richardson tallied 16 points and splashed four 3-pointers, while
Nelly Cummings added 14 to lead the Colgate scoring.
Colgate (15-5, 6-1 Patriot) led 32-29 in a rather quiet first half, where both teams battled foul trouble. But Richardson drained a 3-pointer on the Raiders' first possession in the second half, a sign of things to come over the final 20 minutes.
The Raiders as a team knocked down 11 treys in the second half. Burns turned on the jets with three of those inside the first three minutes and Colgate was out front 46-39 with just over 15 minutes showing. Rayman splashed a trey on the next possession to push Colgate's lead to double digits.
Bucknell (8-12, 4-3 Patriot) clawed its way back to within four 49-45 on a pair of 3-pointers from Jimmy Sotos and Avi Toomer, but that was as close as the Bison would get. Burns drained two more treys to extend Colgate's lead to 60-52 midway through the term.
A 3-pointer from Rayman and inside layup from Cummings sparked a 5-0 spurt to put the Raiders back in front by double digits 67-56. Bucknell trimmed the deficit down to nine on two occasions, but went scoreless for over three minutes in an 8-0 Raider run.
Cummings and Burns netted a pair of 3-pointers during the run that put the Raiders in cruise control up 77-60 with just over two minutes left in regulation. Burns was fouled on a 3-pointer and sank all of his free throws en route to the Raiders' 80-65 victory.
The win was Colgate's third straight against Bucknell – all in Hamilton. The Raiders improved to 9-0 at home this season and extended their home winning streak to 16 dating back to last season.
Neither team could get into a rhythm offensively in the first half. Fouls hurt both teams, but the Bison used a 9-0 run to turn a 16-12 deficit into a 21-16 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Andrew Funk with 6:06 on the clock in the opening stanza.
Rayman scored six consecutive points on a trey and traditional three-point play before Cummings drove inside for a layup to tie the game at 24-24 three minutes later.
The two teams were deadlocked again at 29-29 late in the half, but Cummings converted the hoop and the harm with a three-point play in the final minute to give Colgate a 32-29 advantage at the intermission.
Colgate and Bucknell both splashed a pair of treys on their first two possessions of the second half. Burns caught absolute fire from there and finished the second half 6-of-8 from downtown to help the Raiders pull away for the 80-65 victory.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 80, Bucknell 65
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the first half:
"First and foremost, we battled a little bit of foul trouble in the first half. It took us a lot longer to find a rhythm of the game than it typically has. We saw a defense that was unique compared to other defenses that we have played and we did not adjust well. In doing that, the ball stopped moving, the player movement stopped, and we were not getting as many shots as we are used to and that built some frustration within the group.
On pulling away in the second half:
"In the second half, we obviously made some shots.
Jordan Burns made some shots that are just hard to describe. He just decided they were going in. At some point, you have to let him go and do his thing. Otherwise, we had some good ball movement, had some good drive and kicks, some drive and drop-offs, and worked to get the defense behind. To extend our lead, the defense helped us build momentum."
On finding different ways to win:
"Bucknell switched and brought a lot of help when
Rapolas Ivanauskas got the ball. A couple calls did not go his way, but his defense was really solid today. He helped his teammates in that regard, and it shows what type of team we can be. That is what we are focused on is being the best team we can be and finding ways to win regardless of the circumstances."
On the game atmosphere:
"The environment that has been created here has grown immeasurably. It started to build, especially within the community, when our team finished second in 2015. Getting back to the championship two years ago and winning it last year, the community has enjoyed the environment that has been created. Now that our students are on board, it makes a difference to have this kind of environment, and our guys are comfortable here for sure."
GAME NOTES
· Colgate is now 6-1 in Patriot League play for the first time since 1996-97, tying that team for the best seven-game start in program history.
· Burns paced the team in scoring for the seventh time this season.
· Rayman recorded his second straight and team-leading fifth double-double.
· He was perfect (3-of-3) from behind the arc for the second straight game after going 4-of-4 from long range on Saturday against Boston University.
· His five assists matched his career high from earlier this season at Green Bay.
· Richardson tied his season high with four made 3-pointers, finishing 4-of-6.
· Colgate's 80 points came from six players.
· The Raiders knocked down 14 treys, their 12th game with double-digit 3-pointers.
· Colgate shot a blistering 73.3% (11-of-15) from downtown in the second half.
UP NEXT
Colgate is back on the road Saturday to take on American for the second time this season. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 65-51 in the Patriot League opener on Jan. 2 in Hamilton. Tip-off from Bender Arena is 2 p.m., with the game being streamed live on PLN Network.
