HAMILTON – All five of Colgate's starters scored in double figures and the Raiders led from start to finish in an 83-70 victory over Lehigh on Thursday night in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals at Cotterell Court.
With the win, Colgate advances to its third consecutive Patriot League Tournament semifinal appearance. The Raiders will take on fifth-seeded Lafayette on Sunday in a 2 p.m. showdown at Cotterell Court.
Rapolas Ivanauskas led Colgate's scoring contingent with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field.
Nelly Cummings scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half,
Jordan Burns posted 16 points with eight assists,
Will Rayman finished with 13 points, and
Tucker Richardson 11.
Rayman and Richardson led the Raiders on the glass with nine rebounds apiece.
Colgate (24-8) roared out to an early 11-2 lead after Rayman rattled home a 3-ball and Ivanauskas finished a two-handed slam six minutes into the game. The 3-pointers were falling early, with Richardson (2), Rayman, and Burns all connecting in a 12-2 run to push the lead to 24-13.
The lead remained in double digits 35-24 after Ivanauskas converted the hoop and the harm with just under four minutes remaining in the half. But James Karnik had a layup and then a steal as Lehigh (11-21) shot back with seven straight points to bring the visitors back to 35-31.
Rayman ended the short drought with a layup before forcing a turnover and Cummings raced in for a nifty up-and-under in the final seconds to carry the lead to 41-31 at the intermission.
Colgate extended its lead to as many as 17 at 72-55 in the second half after
Keegan Records converted a three-point play with 6:18 showing on the clock. But Jordan Cohen, who scored 18 points in the second half for Lehigh, netted a pair of 3-pointers and the Mountain Hawks snatched the momentum with a 15-4 run to trim the margin down to 76-70 with 1:44 left.
Needing a big shot, Burns dialed up the play of the game. Handling the ball near center court to run the shot clock down, Burns pushed forward before leaving a behind-the-back pass to Ivanauskas on the wing. Ivanauskas then rifled a quick pass to Cummings in the corner, who stuck a triple to ignite the Cotterell crowd.
Cummings' 3-pointer sparked a 7-0 run to close the game out. Richardson and Cummings went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute and the Raiders pulled away for the 83-70 victory.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 83, Lehigh 70
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the win and advancing to the semifinals:
"It was a great team win for us tonight and a great first step in the Patriot League Tournament. The crowd was terrific and energized our guys throughout the game. Despite great efforts from a Lehigh team playing their best basketball of the season, our guys worked incredibly hard in the defensive end and really shared the ball on offense. Having five guys score in double figures was fitting as our identity through the season has been the open guy getting the shots."
Looking ahead to Lafayette:
"It was good to get this first step completed in the fashion we did and now our focus can turn toward a Lafayette team that did what no one else has this season by beating us twice. We have not played Lafayette in quite some time, but they are well coached and they are really hard to guard. It is one of those games where if your offense is not clicking or if you are not paying attention to details on the defensive end, they can be a dangerous team."
GAME NOTES
•
Matt Langel moved into second place all-time in career coaching wins at Colgate with 138.
• Emmett Davis (1999-2011) is Colgate's winningest head coach with 165 victories.
• Langel (Coach of the Year) and Rayman (Defensive Player of the Year) were presented with their postseason awards before the game.
• Colgate has matched last year's win total (24) for the most in program history.
• This was Colgate's first postseason win over Lehigh since 1998.
• The Raiders have advanced to the Patriot League semifinals in three consecutive seasons.
• Ivanauskas posted his first 20-point game since Jan. 29 against Lafayette.
• Burns reached double figures for the 20th straight game. His eight assists came on the heels of a season-high 11 against Army last Saturday.
UP NEXT
Colgate hosts fifth-seeded Lafayette on Sunday at 2 p.m. with a trip to the Patriot League championship on the line. The Leopards beat fourth-seeded Army 73-68 on Thursday to advance. Lafayette won both regular season meetings and handed the Raiders their only home loss back on Jan. 29, 80-78. Sunday's game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
