HAMILTON – Let the Madness begin.
Colgate (23-8, 14-4 Patriot) knocked down 16 3-pointers and pulled away in the second half for a convincing 91-65 victory over Army in the regular season finale here Saturday. The Raiders' 14 Patrirot League wins eclipse last year's total for the most in program history.
Will Rayman scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds,
Jordan Burns produced 11 points and dished 11 assists,
Tucker Richardson finished with 18 points on 4-of-7 from downtown, and
Nelly Cummings scored nine of his 11 points in the second half in a well-rounded Senior Day victory.
The Raiders rocked out to an early 12-2 start after back-to-back 3-pointers from Burns and
Milan Williams forced an Army timeout. Colgate maintained a double-digit lead until Army got going offensively, using a 13-2 run to grab a 25-23 lead on a pair of 3-pointers from Tommy Funk.
The lead swayed back in Colgate's favor for good when Burns forced a steal under the basket and Richardson rattled home a 3-ball on the next possession. That ignited a 15-2 burst with
Rapolas Ivanauskas finishing an and-one on the back end to push the Raider lead to 38-27.
A 3-pointer from Army's Lonnie Grayson cut the gap to eight down the stretch, but Rayman banked home a layup and Burns swished two free throws to extend the lead to double digits 42-30 at the break.
Army (15-14, 10-8 Patriot) never closed within 12 the rest of the game. Colgate blitzed out of the second half on a 7-2 spurt and then the 3s starting falling. Five of Colgate's next six baskets were from downtown, including back-to-back corner treys from
Jack Ferguson, to push the lead to a game-high 25 points 84-59 with just over five minutes left.
Zach Light fought his way inside for a basket and then
Keegan Records' first career 3-point attempt was nothing but net with just over a minute left to seal the 91-65 victory.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 91, Army 65
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On closing out the regular season with a win:
"It was a big game for us coming off a loss that the guys were disappointed about and heading into the part of the season where if you lose you're out. We needed to get back to playing the way we know we can. We got off to a great start and fumbled it a bit there a couple times, but from then on we were really locked in. In the second half, our defense was really good and it led to some chances on offense. We made a number of open shots in the second half and that really let the floodgates open."
On the 16 3-pointers and 23 assists:
"We are always going to try and take what the defense gives us. The most impressive part to me was 23 assists in the game on 33 made field goals. That really means you are moving the ball, sharing the ball, and getting open shots. The last quarter of the game, Army played a lot of zone and protected against drives, which led to some open shots with good ball movement. We are committed to taking what the defense gives us and when we do that we have proven we can be difficult to guard."
On the senior class:
"
Will Rayman and
Milan Williams, specifically, have been through a lot. Over the course of the last three years, what they have been able to go through is significant. They have done it the right way; they are the leaders and should be really proud as captains. I could not be more proud of those two, and obviously
Rapolas Ivanauskas has been a special part of our team over the last two years."
Looking ahead to the postseason:
"We talk to our guys about the season being three parts. You have the non-league schedule with tough opponents and road trips, but you are trying to get ready for the regular season. The hardest thing to do for any team in any conference is win a regular season championship. That is the second part of the season and now we enter the third part.
"For us, it is more than just the Patriot League tournament, but that comes first. If you have a bad night and things don't go your way, it can all come to an end. We have to concentrate on what we can control and that is our game plan, playing connected, and being locked in on the game at hand. It is one day at a time from here on out."
GAME NOTES
• Rayman's double-double was his league-leading 10th of the season.
• Burns' second point-assist double-double of the season gave him four for his career.
• His 11 assists were a season best and one off his career high.
• Burns' 11 points extended his double-figure scoring streak to 19 games.
• Colgate knocked down 11 3-pointers in the second half and shot 50% (16-of-32) from the perimeter for the game.
• The Raiders assisted on 23 of their 33 made field goals, their most assists in a league game this season.
• Colgate's 16 3-pointers were its most since Jan. 8 against Loyola (16).
• Seven different Raiders connected from downtown, including Williams and Records, who are now both 1-for-1 in their careers.
• All three seniors got the start on Senior Day. Williams added three points and two assists in his first career nod.
UP NEXT
Colgate turns its attention to the Patriot League tournament, which will stay in Hamilton for as long as the season continues. The top-seeded Raiders host a quarterfinal game on Thursday, with their opponent to be determined after Tuesday's first round results. Tipoff from Cotterell Court is 7 p.m., with Stadium and WKXZ 93.9 covering the live action.
