WORCESTER, Mass. – Keegan Records (25) and Tucker Richardson (24) combined for 49 points and Colgate set another program record with its 15th Patriot League win of the season Wednesday night with a 78-71 victory over Holy Cross.
 
Colgate's 15 Patriot League wins are the most in program history. The previous mark was 14 wins set in 2019-20. Only one Patriot League team has won 16 conference games in a season, and that was Bucknell in 2017-18. 

The Raiders led for most of the game though things were a little bumpy down the stretch. Colgate's 19-point lead dwindled down to three points, 62-59, when Gerrale Gates converted a three-point play with 7:17 left in regulation.
 
Oliver Lynch-Daniels swished a critical 3-pointer in response as part of a 5-0 spurt to put the Raiders in front 67-59 a minute later. It never got to one possession again and Colgate kept answering with big plays in the end to stave off Holy Cross' comeback bid.
 
Records tied his career highs in points (25) and rebounds (14) on his way to his second consecutive double-double. Richardson finished with a career-high 24 points and was nearly perfect (9-for-10) from the field.
 
Nelly Cummings dished out four assists and Richardson added three steals after matching his career high with four Monday night at American.
 
Colgate used a 4-for-5 start from the field and a 3-pointer from Richardson to race in front 14-9 after Jack Ferguson was fouled on a 3-pointer and sank all three free throws.
 
Holy Cross scored five straight points and a 3-pointer from Kyrell Luc tied things at 17-17. Colgate shot right back with seven in a row to take the lead for good, capped off by back-to-back treys from Lynch-Daniels and Richardson to open the lead to 25-17 at 9:57 of the first half.
 
From there, Colgate's defense hit another gear. The Raiders held Holy Cross scoreless for nearly seven minutes, forced three turnovers during the stretch, and closed the half on a 14-2 run over the final 7:28. Richardson netted a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Raiders led 43-29 at intermission.
 
Richardson hit another 3-pointer early in the second half between two layups from Records to give Colgate its largest lead, 50-31, less than two minutes into the frame.
 
Holy Cross nearly came all the way back but the Raiders withstood struggles from the free throw line and made some key plays late to hold off the Crusaders. 
 
The Raiders' win streak reaches 11 games, matching the 2018-19 team for the second longest win streak in program history. Colgate's run of 14 consecutive wins last year set the record.
 
Richardson's career-high effort made him the fifth player in program history to net more than 200 career 3-pointers.  

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
 
"Winning on the road is always a great challenge. We finished the first half and started the second very well but then Holy Cross fought back and we missed a number of free throws. We were 12-for-26, which is not characteristic of us at all.
 
"Had we shot better, the identity of the game would have been different. But we didn't, so to fight through and make big plays at both ends was really important. Obviously, Tucker and Keegan had monster games, but Nelly's basket and assist to Keegan late and Jack's basket late were critical plays from veteran guys to secure the win."
 
UP NEXT
Colgate (19-11, 15-2 Patriot) closes the regular season Saturday when the Raiders host Navy at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The team will honor its six seniors prior to tipoff. 

POSTSEASON TICKETS
Colgate men's basketball postseason tickets are now on sale for the quarterfinal round matchup next Thursday, March 3, at Cotterell Court. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last, by visiting colgate.universitytickets.com. Fans can also call 315-228-4062 or visit the Reid Athletic Center Ticket Office between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. There is a limit of four tickets per person for all contests.