PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh scored the final six points to escape with a 71-68 win over the Colgate men's basketball team Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center.
 
Colgate led 68-65 after two Tucker Richardson free throws with 1:24 left. The free throws came on the heels of a step-back jumper from Nelly Cummings, who helped carry the Raiders back in the game after trailing by as many as 11 in the second half, but the Raiders would not score again.  
 
Mouhamadou Gueye converted an and-one and suddenly it was tied 68-68. Cummings' 3-point attempt on the next possession was off the mark and Pitt quickly answered with a layup by John Hugley to reclaim the lead for good.
 
Cummings' final attempt from the base line was blocked and Pittsburgh held on, 71-68.
 
Cummings was Colgate's leading scorer with 17 points. Richardson scored 12 to go with five rebounds and five assists. Ryan Moffatt (11) and Jeff Woodward (10) were also in double-figures.
 
The game was 40 minutes of momentum swings. Colgate trailed by as many as eight in the first half after Pittsburgh jumped out to a 10-2 lead. The Raiders eventually settled in and used an 11-2 run keyed by hard-fought battles down low from Woodward and Keegan Records to lead 33-31 at the half.
 
Pittsburgh then scored 11 of the first 12 points of the second half and had its largest lead 47-36. A 3-pointer from Onyebuchi Ezeakudo made it 63-57 in favor of the home team with 5:37 left, and that's when Cummings helped bring the Raiders back with six straight points in an 11-2 run.
 
His latest step-back jumper right in front of the bench had the Raider fan section roaring with Colgate in front 66-64. Richardson's two free throws made it 68-65, but the Panthers scored the final six points and made the key plays down the stretch to stave off the comeback bid. 

Colgate, which was favored by three points, suffered its second three-point loss to an ACC opponent this season. The Raiders finish the non-conference slate 1-2 against the conference highlighted by their 100-85 win over Syracuse. 


 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel

"Hard-fought game for both teams. I have a lot of respect for Coach Capel and his career. For us – disappointing. Gut-wrenching. I didn't help us like I should be able to the last 60 seconds of the game. We didn't really end up getting any good looks. Credit to Pitt. They made the plays.
 
"I'm proud of our group. Our record isn't indicative of the team that we are. These games will help us a lot moving forward."

UP NEXT
Colgate is back on the court Sunday at noon when the Raiders take on St. John's in the second game of the Gotham Classic. The game is airing nationally on FS1.