EASTON, Pa. – A strong start to both halves helped Colgate return to its winning ways with a 72-61 victory over Lafayette on Monday night inside Kirby Sports Center.
Jack Ferguson scored 19 points to lead four Raiders in double figures. He was 9-of-9 from the free throw line and added seven rebounds.
Tucker Richardson posted his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards.
Ryan Moffatt scored 13 and
Keegan Records 11.
For the second straight game Colgate shot better from 3-point range (45.5%) than from the field (40.7%). The Raiders made 10 3-pointers for the 11th time this season, led by three apiece from Ferguson and Richardson.
Colgate currently ranks 13th in the country in 3-point field goals per game (10.1) and 16th in 3-point field goal percentage (38.8%).
Richardson and Ferguson came out smoking hot and swished their first two 3-pointers to push the Raiders in front early.
Nelly Cummings also sank three free throws and Colgate started 6-for-12 from the field to build a 20-12 lead at the midway point of the half.
Lafayette (5-14, 2-6 Patriot) turned up the heat and hit a few 3-pointers of its own. Tyrone Perry connected from long range and CJ Fulton scored five points during a 10-3 Leopards' spurt to trim the deficit to 23-20.
Oliver Lynch-Daniels kept the Raiders in front with four straight points, and his step-back jumper in traffic capped a quick 6-0 Raider response and Colgate led 33-25 at the intermission.
Another strong start to the second half helped push the lead to double digits. Moffatt came out on fire with three 3-pointers and 11 points inside the first six minutes to carry the lead to 50-33.
Lafayette answered with a 7-0 run and then another 3-pointer from Jon Brantley pulled the Leopards within nine 54-45, which would be as close as they would get. Colgate countered with six of the next eight points off a 3-pointer from Records and three free throws from Ferguson.
The final eight minutes were back-and-forth, but Colgate rode its defense down the stretch and sank its free throws to seal the wire-to-wire 72-61 victory. Colgate shot 85.7% (18-of-21) from the foul line, its second-highest mark in a game this season. Ferguson was a perfect 9-for-9 after being fouled on three 3-point attempts.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"It's always important to start halves and finish halves well. Because we did that tonight, Lafayette had to play from behind. And they did that well. Neil Quinn is terrific and there are so many dangerous shooters around him that no lead felt safe.
"Winning on the road in league play is hard to do, so we always celebrate doing that. But not for too long as we have a short turnaround to get ready for a Bucknell team coming off a great win of their own on Sunday."
UP NEXT
Colgate (9-11, 5-2 Patriot) returns home for a quick turnaround against Bucknell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+.
