WORCESTER, Mass. – Jordan Burns outscored Holy Cross 13-2 in overtime to lead Colgate past the Crusaders 74-63 on Saturday in the first of two games this weekend at the Hart Center.
Burns scored every point for the Raiders in overtime and finished the game with 21.
His deep 3-pointer from the wing on Colgate's first overtime possession got him going. That was the Raiders' first and only triple after halftime as Colgate was just 3-of-20 from downtown for the game.
He followed that up with two mid-range jumpers and then a layup stretched the personal run to 9-0. Holy Cross ended the drought on a layup from Gerrale Gates, who finished with a game-high 24 points. Burns iced it with four free throws to secure the 74-63 victory.
Burns' 21 points paced the Raiders offensively.
Keegan Records dominated inside with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks – all career-high marks – for his second double-double.
Tucker Richardson also posted a double-double behind 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Credit Holy Cross, which has now lost five in a row, for getting it to overtime after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half. Down 46-31 six minutes into the second half, Holy Cross went on to outscore the Raiders 30-15 over the final 14 minutes of regulation.
Despite the offensive struggles, Colgate was in front 61-55 after a layup by
Nelly Cummings with 3:39 left. Holy Cross scored the final six points, including a buzzer-beating layup from Gerrale Gates, to send the game to overtime at 61-61.
Burns wasted little time putting the game away. His 3-pointer from the wing gave the Raiders the lead for good.
Colgate (6-1 PL, 6-1 PL North) scored on its first six possessions of the game to race out to an early lead. Records had six of those points, while the defense kept Holy Cross off the board with an 0-for-5 start en route to an 11-0 advantage three minutes into the game.
Holy Cross (2-7 PL, 2-5 PL North) trimmed the margin to 16-15 on a 3-pointer from R.J. Johnson but then the Raiders shot back with six straight after a trey from
Jack Ferguson. The Crusaders strung together a quick 6-0 spurt to knot the score at 21-21 before Colgate answered with an 11-3 run to regain control.
Holy Cross finished the first half 1-of-13 and was scoreless over the last 6:20 before a last-second layup brought the margin to 36-26 at the break.
A similar script opened the second half with Colgate dominating down low thanks to Records. Two quick buckets for the sophomore big man and then a fadeaway jumper from
Nelly Cummings carried the Raiders to their largest lead of the game 46-31 at the first media timeout.
Colgate never trailed in the game, but saw its lead shrink throughout the second half before Holy Cross finally drew even in the final seconds. That's when Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Burns took over.
From the Source
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the game:
"It was good for our guys to get back out and play. Two full weeks without a game is hard. I was proud of how locked in we were to start. It was important that we got the early lead. Obviously it would've been nice to win in regulation but credit to Holy Cross for turning up the intensity, especially on the defensive side. We gutted out a big win tonight."
On the response in overtime:
"Especially since we lost the lead, our guys were disappointed and they didn't have great body language at the end of the game. We didn't talk about any strategies before overtime. We focused on resetting our minds and hearts and getting back to competing. We did that on both ends of the court in the final 5:00."
On finishing the series Sunday:
"We have to take what the defense gives us and be able to match the intensity. Obviously making shots on Sunday will be important. We have to be able to get the looks and step up and shoot it the way I know we can."
Key Stats of the Game
Colgate connected on 4-of-6 from the field in overtime, while holding Holy Cross to 1-of-6 and forcing three turnovers. The Raiders outscored the Crusaders 48-38 in the paint.
Notes
· The win is Colgate's fifth straight, marking its longest win streak in league play since capping the 2018-19 regular season with eight in a row.
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Jordan Burns moved into eighth all-time on the Colgate scoring chart with 1,521 points.
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Keegan Records' double-double was his second of the season.
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Tucker Richardson picked up his second collegiate double-double and first of 2021.
· Colgate has now won 10 in a row over Holy Cross – its longest win streak against any PL opponent.
· The overtime victory was Colgate's first since February 2019 at American.
Up Next
Colgate and Holy Cross conclude their weekend series on Sunday at 5 p.m. CBS Sports Network will carry the live coverage.
