HAMILTON – The Colgate Raiders are heading back to the Patriot League championship.
Five players scored in double figures and Colgate scorched Bucknell 105-75 in the Patriot League semifinals on Wednesday night at Cotterell Court.
Colgate with the win becomes the first team in Patriot League history to reach four consecutive championship games. And for the third straight year, the title game runs through Hamilton.
Colgate hosts Loyola at noon on Sunday with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line.
The Raiders set two more records in Wednesday's win. Their 105 points were the most scored in Patriot League tournament history – in any round – besting their own record of 104 against Army in the first round in 1997.
Colgate's 12th straight win is the longest win streak in program history, eclipsing the 2018-19 team's 11 straight wins, which carried the Raiders to their first title in 23 years.
Keegan Records paced the Raiders in scoring with a career-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds. Jordan Burns finished with 18 points and seven assists.
Nelly Cummings and Jack Ferguson scored 14 and 12, respectively, while Tucker Richardson was all over the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Records was the story early. Colgate's junior center scored on five of his first six shot attempts – all before the first media timeout – and had 11 points as Colgate bolted to a 20-13 advantage with 13:45 showing.
After that media break, the Raiders really turned up the heat.
Cummings drove for a layup and then Ferguson and Cummings knocked down consecutive 3-pointers. Ferguson swished a second-chance trey followed by a driving layup to cap an 18-3 Colgate run that made it 38-16 with 9 minutes left before half.
The Bison on a couple of occasions narrowed the margin under 20 but when Richardson banked home a 30-footer as the halftime buzzer sounded, Colgate led 58-35.
That was Colgate's largest first-half scoring total since the Raiders led 59-37 at Green Bay back on Nov. 26, 2019, on their way to a 99-81 victory.
Colgate to start the second half scored the first 10 points and the Raiders were well on their way to the Patriot League final. They led by as many as 31 in the frame and got some big boosts from the bench to keep the game out of reach.
Alex Capitano scored seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Oliver Lynch-Daniels added five points and five rebounds. Along with Ferguson's 12, Colgate's bench outscored Bucknell's reserves 33-22.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the win:
"Tonight's game obviously went really well. Our guys were disciplined in their approach. We protected the paint and we kept them off the free throw line, which was really important. Bucknell didn't have the best shooting night and that led to some transition points for us. I'm really proud of the group top to bottom with how they've stayed focused and we're excited for the opportunity at hand."
On a fourth straight Patriot League championship appearance:
"Being back in the championship is certainly rewarding for our guys. We deserve the chance to play for a championship. It's what they've been determined to do. Every game we have played, we have played with that mentality. The points and records don't really matter. That was just the identity of tonight's game. To be back in the championship for these seniors for their fourth year in a row is a really significant accomplishment. I know we're excited, deservingly so, for Sunday afternoon."
NOTES
• Colgate is the first team in League history to reach four straight League championship games.
• Bucknell (three times), Colgate (twice), Holy Cross (twice), Lafayette and American all made it to three straight, but never four.
• Wednesday marks the fifth time Colgate has scored 100 points in 117 meetings against Bucknell.
• Colgate's 105 points were the most scored in a game in the Langel era.
• The previous-high 101 was matched in the season opener against Army.
• Five Raiders scored in double figures for the first time since Feb. 13 at Army.
• The Raiders' 41 field goals made tied their season-best from Jan. 2 against the Black Knights.
UP NEXT
Colgate hosts Loyola on Sunday at noon in the Patriot League championship. CBS Sports Network is carrying the live coverage. The winner earns the League's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
