HAMILTON – 12 Raiders found the scoring column and Colgate used a balanced effort to pick up its third 40-point victory in five games, defeating Holy Cross 95-55 on Saturday at Cotterell Court.
The 40-point margin was Colgate's largest against Holy Cross, meaning the Raiders have set a record for their largest margin of victory against each of their first three opponents. The previous mark against the Crusaders was last year's 90-60 triumph on Feb. 23 at Cotterell Court.
It was a back-and-forth start with both teams finding inside buckets. Colgate turned on the jets midway through the first half and used a 9-0 spurt to open a 21-10 lead.
Jeff Woodward was the fourth Raider to score during the run when he capped it off with a driving layup.
As Colgate found its rhythm from the perimeter, the lead continued to grow.
Oliver Lynch-Daniels buried back-to-back treys and
David Maynard connected on three in a row to push the lead to 36-15. All five of those treys were second-chance points as the Raiders won the battle on the glass. Colgate knocked down nine triples in the first half and 14 assists were recorded on 17 field goals.
Nine different Raiders found the scoring chart in the opening 20:00. Six players had at least five points, led by Maynard with nine points on 3-of-3 from the perimeter. Holy Cross got eight points from Matt Faw and cut into the deficit late but Colgate was in control at the break 44-28.
Faw scored two quick buckets in the second half but then Holy Cross went silent for over five minutes while Colgate put the game to bed with a 17-2 run.
Ryan Moffatt and
Keegan Records keyed the run with six points apiece as Colgate started the frame 7-of-8 from the field. All seven of those field goals came in the paint and the Raiders raced out to a 65-34 lead.
The hard work down low opened things up outside, where
Jack Ferguson caught fire. He drained three straight treys and the lead reached 40 points 81-41 at the under-8 media timeout.
Zach Light led the reserves with five points down the stretch and the Raiders carried that to the finish line en route to the 40-point victory.
Moffatt paced five Raiders in double-figure scoring with 14 points. Colgate connected on 48% (36-of-75) from the field and 48.3% (14-of-29) from behind the arc. The Raiders' balanced production was a result of exceptional ball movement, as Colgate finished with 26 assists on 36 field goals.
From the Source
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the game:
"We are really concentrated on ourselves and being focused on both ends of the floor. We had a lull there to finish the first half and the guys responded well in the second half. Everyone who played in the game was focused on what we needed to do. We'll rest up and get our bodies ready to play Sunday afternoon. It will be a new game and that's the one that we'll have to try and win."
On the offensive rebounding:
"We have a deep frontcourt. Offensive rebounding was a huge part of the offense. We also did a great job of not giving up offensive rebounds. Certainly our size was something we wanted to take advantage of, and that's important for us."
On the balanced scoring:
"Because of the circumstances, we didn't have non-league games to establish a rotation. The balanced scoring is a testament to how hard everyone works in practice. That's why I am so excited about the team we have and the growth trajectory that we're on."
Key Stats of the Game
Colgate outscored Holy Cross 28-4 in second-chance points. The Raiders edged Holy Cross 19-8 in offensive rebounds and held a 46-30 overall advantage on the glass. Colgate's bench production outscored the Crusaders' reserves 47-16.
Notes
- Ryan Moffatt's 14 points were a career high.
- 11 of those points came in the second half on 5-of-7 from the field.
- Jack Ferguson led all scorers with 13 points in the second half.
- Jordan Burns paced the Raiders with a season-high eight assists.
- Oliver Lynch-Daniels posted 11 points, his most in a Raider uniform.
- The Raiders knocked down a season-high 14 3-pointers in the win.
- Colgate's 26 assists were a season best.
Up Next
Colgate and Holy Cross complete their weekend series at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Cotterell Court. ESPN+ will carry the livestream.
