HAMILTON – Vermont matched its season high with 12 made 3-pointers and thwarted Colgate's late surge to hold on 73-72 Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Colgate outscored Vermont 50-22 in the paint but the difference was the three-point shooting. The Catamounts finished 12-for-29 (41.4%) to the Raiders' 3-for-13 (23.1%), their fewest made three-point baskets at Cotterell Court since January 2019 in a 57-47 win over Lafayette.
The loss snaps Colgate's 15-game winning streak at home.
It was a defensive battle early with neither team gaining separation. Tucker Richardson, Keegan Records, and Chandler Baker each scored four early points. Baker's trifecta gave the Raiders a 12-9 edge before Vermont's Finn Sullivan sank three free throws to knot it up at 12-12.
Vermont had the first true run with a 7-0 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from Aaron Deloney to give the visitors a 16-12 lead. Colgate shot back with a 6-0 streak and led 22-19 after back-to-back driving layups by Baker.
The Catamounts pulled in front for good with a 10-0 run, finished by a 3-pointer from Kam Gibson. Braeden Smith made two free throws to bring the Raiders within 37-30 at the half.
After 11 lead changes in the first half, there were no breakthroughs in the final 20. Colgate got within one point on multiple occasions, but could never get the stop it needed. Seemingly every time the Raiders were within striking distance, Vermont answered with a big shot.
Records scored six of Colgate's first seven points coming out of the break and the Raiders trailed 41-37 five minutes into the second. After missing their first three attempts from behind the arc, Vermont connected on its next two to build its largest lead 49-39.
The Catamounts still led by 10 (56-46) when the Raiders made a charge. Sam Thomson scored four points in a 10-3 run, completed by a hook shot from Records, to close within 59-58 with 5:22 to go. Sullivan answered with another Vermont 3-pointer – the story of the second half.
The Raiders were within 66-65 when Matt Veretto made a 3-pointer on Vermont's next possession. Richardson had a chance to tie it at the free throw line but he missed the second attempt and Veretto put the visitors in front 71-68 with a second-chance layup with 27 ticks left.
Oliver Lynch-Daniels swished a 3-pointer, his first of the game, to make it a one-point game yet again 73-72 with four seconds left. But the Catamounts found an open player on the inbound and ran out the clock to hold on for the one-point decision.
Records led the Raiders with 22 points, his second 20-point game of the season, to go with a season-high three blocked shots. Richardson finished with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals. Thomson and Baker each added eight points.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"This was two championship programs playing against each other today. That's Vermont's expectation every year and they played to it. Robin Duncan is just a winner. He had a terrific statistical performance, plus they got huge contributions from several other players.
"Sometimes games come down to one team making a couple more plays and they made their shots when they mattered. We were able to take advantage inside because they were limiting our 3s, but they just made a few too many shots for us to overcome.
"We will take a little break here while these guys work through their exams. Over the last number of practices, the team worked hard to improve as a unit, and I'm proud of their efforts. We didn't get the result we wanted today but we'll have to continue that mindset in preparation for Cornell."
UP NEXT
Colgate (6-6) plays its final non-conference game Thursday, Dec. 22, when Cornell (7-2) comes to town for a 2 p.m. tip-off at Cotterell Court.
