HAMILTON – Nelly Cummings scored a career-high 26 points and Colgate led from start to finish in a bounce-back 89-61 victory over Columbia on Monday night at Cotterell Court.
 
The Raiders scored the first eight points and never looked back. Cummings was nearly perfect at 8-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from behind the arc. He led five Raiders in double-figure scoring, with Jack Ferguson scoring 12, Ryan Moffatt and Tucker Richardson 11, and Keegan Records 10.  
 
Colgate was highly efficient, dishing out 23 assists on 31 made baskets. The Raiders shot 52% from the field and knocked down 18 3-pointers, finishing with a 58% clip from behind the arc. Defensively, Colgate forced 19 turnovers and racked up 12 steals while holding Columbia to just 39% from the field.
 
Ferguson buried a 3-pointer on Colgate's first possession, setting the tone for what would be a fast-paced first half. The Raiders bolted out to a 20-2 lead on the strength of a 7-of-12 start from the field. Cummings scored five points during the run, a sign of things to come for the senior guard.
 
Cummings started 5-for-5 from the field, including four 3-pointers, en route to 18 points in the first half. His second of back-to-back triples countered a modest 8-2 Lions' run that pulled the visitors within 25-17. Richardson added another trey and it was a quick 9-0 Raider spurt to carry the lead to 34-17.
 
Richardson and Cummings scored the final six points of the half and Colgate led 45-23 at the intermission. The Raiders shot 45% in the first half and knocked down eight 3-pointers.
 
Colgate's first four baskets of the second half were from the perimeter. Ferguson and Richardson went back-to-back and then Cummings and Moffatt splashed a pair to push the lead to 61-28.
 
Oliver Lynch-Daniels and Jeff Woodward led the Raider reserves with six points each. Solid minutes from Nicolas Louis-Jacques and Sam Thomson helped the Raiders cruise to the 89-61 victory.

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel

"As a coach what we're always looking for is for our team to play well for as close to 40 minutes as we possibly can. We've had some recent games where we've played well in significant stretches but not close enough to 40 minutes to come out on the winning end of games. That has been our emphasis. The guys deserved to get some validation tonight for the work that they've put in.
 
"You can't take anything for granted. Not in life and certainly not in college basketball. Every possession really matters. If your focus is on that and one another, then we have a chance. We just had to experience some adversity that will hopefully help us continue to get better.
 
"The rest of the non-league schedule starts with two really challenging games coming up in Pittsburgh and St. John's. We have our hands full but that's how we built the schedule. We've got a mature group that didn't experience non-league play last season, so now we get to play some high-level programs. When good teams play each other, the team that plays the best is going to win. That's where our focus will be in addition to finishing up well."

UP NEXT
Colgate hits the road for its final four non-conference games of the season. The stretch begins on Thursday at Pittsburgh, with opening tip-off set for 8 p.m. ET. The game will air nationally on ACC Network.