HAMILTON – Colgate opened its 2021 postseason run with a gritty 77-69 win over defending champion Boston University on Saturday in a Patriot League quarterfinals showdown at Cotterell Court.
Colgate stays home and will host Bucknell on Wednesday in the semifinals. Tipoff from Cotterell Court is 7:30 p.m., with CBS Sports Network carrying the live coverage.
The 2020 Patriot League championship rematch was back-and-forth from the start. Neither team led by double-digits until Colgate was in front 75-65 with 44 seconds left.
The Raiders finished 25% (5-of-20) from the perimeter and 62% (24-of-39) from the free throw line, but those two spots came up big down the stretch.
Jack Ferguson buried a late tripe to make it a nine-point game and
Nelly Cummings went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to close it out in the final minute.
Jordan Burns,
Tucker Richardson, and Ferguson scored 16 points apiece to lead Colgate' scoring contingent.
Keegan Records added 11 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in the win.
Colgate (12-1) led by eight at the half but Boston U erased the deficit with an 8-0 spurt to start the second half. Back-to-back buckets from Javante McCoy – who led the Terriers with 27 points – tied the game at 34-34 three minutes into the second stanza.
The two teams traded buckets over the next four minutes until a three-point play from Ferguson sparked a quick 5-0 run.
Ryan Moffatt sank two free throws to push the Raider lead to 46-40 at the 14:00 mark.
Boston U (7-11) once more closed the gap to three at 50-47 midway through the frame, but that was as close as the visitors would get. Colgate kept the Terriers an arm's length away over the final 10 minutes, eventually pulling in front by 10 at 75-65 with 44 seconds left.
The Raiders connected on four of their last five shots from the field and Cummings was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minute to close out the Terriers, 77-69.
It was more of the same in the first half. Boston U had an early 11-7 lead, but the Raiders shot back with a 10-2 scoring run, keyed by a Ferguson trey, to open a 17-13 advantage. It was tied at 20s and 22s until Records highlighted another 10-2 Raider spurt with one of three Colgate slam dunks.
Sam Thomson – who had one of those slams and scored six big points off the bench – finished a layup on the final possession of the half and the Raiders carried a 34-26 lead into the intermission.
Colgate withstood Boston U's early surge in the second half and made timely shots down the stretch to advance in the 2021 Patriot League tournament.
From the Sources
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the win:
"I was really proud of the group for sticking together and gutting this one out. We were off for two weeks while Boston U has been competing like crazy. We didn't shoot the ball from the free throw line or from 3-point range quite like we're accustomed to, but that's going to happen. The team was terrific in the adversity that we have faced in the last few weeks. We had a number of key performances today, but our bench was huge. We managed the game really well and at the end of the day our defense came up big down the stretch."
On staying home for the postseason:
"This is certainly where we'd like to be. We're excited to play here again and it will be refreshing to prepare for a team outside of our division with different personnel. We haven't played Bucknell, but we did prepare for them a couple times and it just never came to fruition. I know the coaches will be well prepared. Bucknell is a very talented team. We look forward to getting our rest and preparing for Wednesday night."
Notes
• Colgate's 11-game win streak is the fourth-longest in the country and tied for the longest run in program history. The 2018-19 team carried an 11-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament.
• The Raiders advance to the Patriot League semifinals for the fourth consecutive year and have a chance to become the first team in League history to make four straight trips to the title game.
• Colgate improved to 10-0 this season when leading at halftime.
•
Tucker Richardson has scored at least 16 points in three of the last four games.
•
Ryan Moffatt tied his career high with seven rebounds.
• Colgate's bench outscored Boston U's reserves 24-2, led by 16 from
Jack Ferguson.
Up Next
Colgate hosts Bucknell on Wednesday night in the Patriot League semifinals. Tipoff from Cotterell is 7:30 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. Wednesday's winner advances to the Patriot League championship on Sunday, March 14. Top-seeded Navy was upset by Loyola in Saturday's quarterfinal round, meaning the Raiders would host the title game should they advance.
