WEST POINT, N.Y. – In a game with 19 lead changes, Colgate closed the final two minutes on a 10-3 run to seal a 92-83 victory and weekend sweep over Army on Sunday night at Christl Arena.
With the win Colgate improved to 9-1 on the season, marking its best record through 10 Patriot League games in program history. The Raiders, who have now won eight in a row, also clinched the top seed in the Patriot League North division.
Colgate led by nine at the break but Army came out with a 15-5 run and led 66-61 midway through the second half.
Nelly Cummings, who was held in check for most of the night, nailed two big 3-pointers – his first to tie it at 66-66 and the second gave the Raiders the lead 73-71. He had just one point before the two big shots.
It was still a two-point game 82-80 with 1:58 left, but a 10-3 closing run sealed the deal.
Jordan Burns swished back-to-back jumpers and Cummings and
Jack Ferguson sank their free throws to complete the weekend sweep.
Burns scored 17 in the second half to lead four Raiders in double-figure scoring with a game-high 22. Ferguson posted 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds,
Tucker Richardson netted 16 points and grabbed eight boards, and
Jeff Woodward finished with 10 points and three blocks.
It was a game of runs early on. Army scored the first five before Colgate answered with the next 10.
Ryan Moffatt and Richardson keyed the Raider run with four points each and the two teams were squared away 10-10 at the first media timeout.
The game was tied again 20-all before Ferguson buried three triples, including two back-to-back, to spark a 13-2 Raider scoring spree. Woodward converted a left-handed layup and Richardson drove inside to extend Colgate's lead to 35-23.
Army ended its scoring drought with a 3-pointer from Josh Caldwell and then a Jalen Rucker layup cut the deficit down to 38-31. Richardson got it going from long range, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers in another quick surge that stretched the Raider lead to 44-31.
Four quick points for the Black Knights brought the deficit to nine and that would be the halftime margin after Ferguson sank a pair of free throws to give Colgate a 46-37 advantage at the intermission.
The tides were turned in the second half. Army's 15-5 run pulled the home team in front 52-51 at the 13-minute mark. Both sides traded blows with 12 lead changes over the next six minutes.
Army led by as many as five 66-61 but Colgate made more shots down the stretch. The Raiders connected on 59% of their field goal attempts over the final 20 minutes, including 72% (15-of-21) from inside the arc.
From the Source
Head Coach Matt Langel
On staying calm down the stretch:
"Our experience showed up late in the game. The group stayed together and we made some tough shots, Jordan [Burns] especially. We haven't had too many close games and you can't simulate these types of opportunities in practice. After we got the lead back, we definitely settled in and did a good job on both ends of the court to seal the win."
On clinching the Patriot League North:
"You don't get a banner for winning the north pod of the Patriot League. What we can control is to put our best foot forward against whoever they say we're going to play. In doing that, we really focus on how we play day-to-day and week-to-week. I'm extremely proud of the guys for being consistent and taking full advantage of their opportunities so far."
Notes
• Colgate at 9-1 has its best record through 10 League games in school history. The Raiders had 8-2 starts to League play in 1994-95 and 2019-20.
• Colgate's eight-game winning streak matches its longest since capping the regular season with eight straight wins in 2018-19. That streak ended at a program-record 11 in the NCAA tournament.
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Jordan Burns needs 14 assists to break the all-time career record of 484 held by Hasan Brown '94.
• Burns is also 15 points away from seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,577 career points.
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Jack Ferguson's nine rebounds eclipsed his previous career-high seven against Tennessee.
Up Next
Colgate returns home for a weekend series against Boston University. Both tip times from Cotterell Court are set for 1 p.m., with Saturday's game televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
