BUFFALO, N.Y. – The final stretch of a 40-minute back-and-forth battle didn't go Colgate's way and the Raiders dropped an 88-87 opener to Buffalo Monday night at Alumni Arena.
In a game with 26 lead changes, neither team led by more than four points for the final 11 minutes. Buffalo led 79-76 with 2:33 left when Chandler Baker and Braeden Smith – two new Raiders in the back court – connected from inside the arc to push Colgate in front once more.
Colgate's final lead came with 1:09 left when Tucker Richardson banked a contested layup in the lane to make it 82-81. Buffalo scored on consecutive possessions after a three-point miss and the Raiders never recovered. Richardson swished a 3-pointer with one second left to bring the game final, 88-87.
Richardson led the Raiders in double figures with 23 points, plus he dished out eight assists. Smith finished with 20 points on 6-of-8 from the field to go with seven rebounds and three assists, while Ryan Moffatt was also in double-figures with 15 points, including nine in the first half. Baker (9) and Keegan Records (8) keyed some big possessions down the stretch as well.
The Raiders got off to a hot start after Moffatt connected on a three-ball and Jeff Woodward converted a three-point play to stretch Colgate's lead to 10-5. Colgate shot 63 percent in the half but the Bulls took 10 more shots in large part due to 11 first-half turnovers.
Baker and Smith keyed some big shots late in the half, contributing to a 10-2 run to close out the half. Smith finished his first half 4-for-4 from the field, Moffatt led the Raiders with nine points, and Colgate held a 41-38 edge at the intermission.
Buffalo quickly started the half with a 5-2 spurt to tie the game at 43-43. Richardson set up Records for a two-handed slam in a 6-0 surge to build Colgate's lead to 54-47 – its largest margin of the night – and that was the story of the second half.
From that point on – for nearly 11 minutes – neither team led by more than four points until the final possession. Both teams traded key possessions, but unfortunately, the Bulls made one more play down the stretch and held on for the 88-87 victory.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"For this program, there is never solace in losing. I'm sure everyone who played in the game, and certainly I feel the same, knows they could have done one thing differently and that would have affected the result. Credit to Buffalo, their players for making timely plays, and to Coach Whitesell for a plan on both ends that made the game a challenge for us.
"Far too many turnovers to win a game on the road against another program that has significant expectations and experience competing for championships. Plenty of signs of good things from our group, but again, too many free points off turnovers and other controllable mistakes to get the result we wanted."
UP NEXT
Colgate is right back on the road Thursday for an Ivy League matchup at Brown at 7 p.m.
