PHILADELPHIA – Braeden Smith scored 17 points and was perfect (7-for-7) from the field in Colgate's 92-58 victory over Hartford to close out the inaugural Cathedral Classic on Sunday afternoon at the Palestra.
Colgate shot 62 percent from the field while holding Hartford to a 37 percent clip in the well-rounded performance. The Raiders connected on 12-of-25 from behind the arc.
Smith's 17 points paced five Raiders in double figures, plus he added seven rebounds and six assists. He was 7-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Tucker Richardson scored 13 points, Jeff Woodward and Keegan Records 12, and Ryan Moffatt 11.
Colgate got off to a fast start in every game of the Cathedral Classic and Sunday was no different. The Raiders connected on their first three attempts from behind the arc, with 3-pointers from Smith, Moffatt, and Richardson fueling a 15-9 advantage.
Hartford's Briggs McClain answered with a trey for the Hawks, who briefly broke even at 15-15, but the Raiders countered with a 10-2 run to re-establish a comfortable lead. Back-to-back inside layups for Woodward and Richardson sparked the run, and Chandler Baker added a pull-up jumper to push Colgate's lead to 25-17 at the first-half midway point.
The Raiders were red-hot from the field and enjoyed a 6-from-7 run to stretch the lead to double-digits. Baker scored five consecutive points and Oliver Lynch-Daniels connected on two 3-pointers to help Colgate take a 46-30 lead at the intermission.
Colgate's offense kept rolling in the second half, pushing the lead to more than 20 points for most of the frame. Spreading the wealth, Woodward, Moffatt, Richardson, Records, and Smith all scored in a 14-0 run. Lynch-Daniels swiped an errant pass that led to a transition 3-pointer from Smith and the Raiders built a 76-45 cushion with 7:43 to go.
Late minutes from Nicolas Louis-Jacques and Alex Capitano sparked a 7-0 closing run and Colgate capped off the inaugural Cathedral Classic with a 92-58 victory.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"It was important for us to play well – on both ends. The group worked hard to do that today. We controlled the tempo and played Colgate Basketball on offense. Even though Briggs [McClain] had a good first half, on a short preparation and the third game in three days, our guys tried hard to be locked into the game plan on defense. It will be good to get a much-needed day of rest before we get back to work for an excellent Auburn team."
UP NEXT
Colgate (5-4) returns to action on Friday when the Raiders visit No. 13 Auburn for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. The game can be streamed live on SEC Network +.
