WORCESTER, Mass. – Will Rayman logged 25 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the last five games and Colgate charged back in the second half to defeat Holy Cross 73-64 on Saturday at the Hart Center.
Rayman's season-high 25 points came on 8-of-15 from the field. Five of his 12 rebounds were offensive, all in the second half, plus he drew 10 fouls and had zero turnovers. The Patriot League's leading rebounder finished with a double-double in the second half alone with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the charge.
Jordan Burns scored 17 points for his 11th consecutive game in double figures.
Jack Ferguson chipped in nine points on three 3-pointers and
Rapolas Ivanauskas had eight points and eight boards.
Colgate (17-6, 8-2 Patriot) trailed by seven at the half. The Crusaders scored on the first possession of the second half to open its largest lead of the game at 41-32, but the Raiders worked their way back with a trey from Burns sparking a 13-4 run and Rayman laid in a basket to tie things up 45-45.
Holy Cross (3-20, 2-8 Patriot) fed off the home momentum and shot right back with seven straight points. A 3-pointer from Connor Niego gave the Crusaders a 52-45 advantage eight minutes into the frame, but the Raiders' comeback was just getting started.
Ferguson buried a pair of triples to key an 11-2 run over the next 2:53 and Colgate reclaimed the lead 56-54. Austin Butler netted a trey on the other end to give the home team a brief 57-56 lead, but Rayman took over inside from here. He hauled in two huge offensive boards that led to four free throws and then drained a 3-pointer as Colgate pulled away for good.
Burns swished his fourth 3-pointer to push the lead to 70-62 with just under three minutes to go and
Nelly Cummings finished the game from the free throw line to seal the 73-64 final.
The win was Colgate's sixth straight against Holy Cross, including its third in a row at the Hart Center. The Raiders avoid dropping back-to-back conference games for the first time in two years and remain atop the Patriot League standings.
Burns helped the Raiders overcome a sluggish start after Holy Cross jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and forced a Colgate timeout. Burns found Richardson for an underneath basket and then scored 10 straight points, including two treys, to tie the game at 14-14 at the 14-minute mark.
A 3-pointer from Matt Faw sparked a quick 5-0 Holy Cross run and the home team pulled ahead 21-17 at the midway point of the first half. The Crusaders were shooting 60% from the field late into the half, but Rayman converted a three-point play in a 5-0 run of his own to give Colgate a 30-27 advantage.
But Colgate's lead did not last. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Clayton Le Sann and Ryan Wade gave the Crusaders a 32-30 advantage and they closed the half on a 12-2 run to hold a 39-32 advantage at the intermission.
Holy Cross led for over 15 minutes in the first half and maintained its lead early into the second half before Colgate's late run proved to be too much en route to the 73-64 final.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 73, Holy Cross 64
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the game:
"Our team is in uncharted territory. We have positioned ourselves well at the halfway point. As coaches we all know the team that Holy Cross is and the program they are building is much better than their record. We did not play like we needed to today. Holy Cross was simply playing harder and better than us. In the second half, we picked up our defense and it led to some confidence. Finally some shots started to go down. We limited turnovers and got some good shots and enough were able to go in for us to close this game out."
On senior Will Rayman's play:
Will Rayman is playing like a man possessed in many ways. You only get 120-something games in your college career and his are running out. Without talking about it, he is playing like it. That is exactly what you want from a senior captain and leader. He is the guy you want shooting the ball when you need one. He drew 10 fouls himself today, stepped up and made foul shots, made a couple 3-pointers, he is just a warrior."
On handling adversity on the road:
"If games like this do not grab your attention, as coaches you are not really doing your job. When you are sitting where we are at this point in the season, opponents are going to be ready for us. As we head into the second half of league play, that is going to be a reality, especially on the road. We will take them one at a time and get ready this week for a talented Lehigh group that will be ready to go on Wednesday."
GAME NOTES
• Burns has reached double figures in 11 straight games dating back to the non-conference finale Dec. 22. That includes two 23-point showings in the last four games.
• Rayman's double-double was his seventh of the season and fourth in the last five games.
• He just missed a double-double Wednesday with 13 points and nine rebounds.
• His 25 points eclipsed his previous season-high 21 from Boston University Jan. 18.
• The senior over the last two weeks is averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds per game.
• That has included two season-high scoring totals and a new career-high rebounding mark.
• Richardson recorded a career-high three blocks in the win.
• Colgate held six-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Joe Pridgen to 10 points. He had scored 20 or more points in four straight games entering Saturday.
• After Holy Cross shot 53% in the first half, Colgate clamped down to hold the Crusaders to 25 points on 31% shooting in the second half.
UP NEXT
Colgate is back on the road Wednesday to take on Lehigh at 7 p.m.
