HAMILTON, N.Y. – Colgate Men's Basketball is headed to its fifth consecutive Patriot League championship game and once again it will be in Hamilton after the Raiders knocked off fourth-seeded Lehigh 81-61 in the semifinals on Sunday at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders will face second-seeded Navy in the title game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Cotterell Court. The Midshipmen defeated third-seeded Boston University 85-80 in overtime to advance in the other semifinal game.
Jack Ferguson for the second consecutive game led the Raiders in scoring. After connecting on 7-of-8 from behind the arc in the quarterfinal game, the senior guard was 4-of-5 in this one on his way to 17 points. He finished with five rebounds and drew six personal fouls.
Tucker Richardson scored 16 points to go with six rebounds and four assists,
Keegan Records posted 12 points and five rebounds, and
Jeff Woodward had 11 points and led the team in rebounds (7), assists (5), steals (3), and blocked shots (3).
Sunday's Patriot League Tournament semifinal game was back-and-forth until Colgate blitzed in front with a 16-2 run midway through the first half. The Raiders' run was fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Richardson, and big inside buckets from Woodward,
Sam Thomson, and
Ryan Moffatt extended Colgate's lead to 21-9 with 10:18 showing on the clock.
It was Lehigh's turn to answer and it came from the perimeter. First it was Dominic Parolin and then Keith Higgins Jr., and the Mountain Hawks were back within 24-21 after Tyler Whitney-Sidney sank two free throws with 6:10 remaining in the frame.
Back-to-back buckets from Records sparked a 9-0 response from the Raiders, who stretched their lead to double digits for good after Ferguson faked the defender with a pump fake to his right and then swished a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 33-21 with 2:55 left in the half.
Nelly Cummings finished a spectacular and-one near the end of the half and Colgate raced into the locker room with a 38-26 advantage.
The Raiders kept the pedal down with seven of the first nine points in the second half. Records got it started down low before Moffatt drained a 3-pointer from the corner and suddenly Colgate led by 17 points at 45-28 just over two minutes into the second half.
Lehigh trimmed the margin to 11 points four times in the second half, but each time the Raiders had an answer. The latest response came from Woodward, who drove into the lane and drew a foul before sinking a free throw to make it 71-59 with 3:09 left.
Colgate's final 11 points came from the free throw line. The Raiders were a perfect 11-for-11, including two each from Ferguson and
Zach Light in the final minute, to seal the 81-61 victory.
The Raiders shot 49.2% (29-59) overall, 44.4% (8-18) from behind the arc, and 71.4% (15-21) from the free throw line in the win.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"This was a great environment again this afternoon. The fans were great and lifted our spirits. We respected Lehigh's offensive talents really well and we were locked in on the defensive end. To pull away in the later part of the first half and go in with the double digit lead was significant. We were able to see it through in the second half.
"One day at a time. We will have a couple days to prepare for a really good team here at home where we really like to play. College basketball is fragile. Anything can happen on any given day so that's what you want for your team when the season starts – to compete for a regular season championship and play in the conference tournament with a chance to go to the NCAA tournament. That's what our guys have worked so hard for over a long haul of time. I'm excited for them and look forward to the opportunity to play at home on Wednesday night."
UP NEXT
Colgate (22-11, 16-2 Patriot) carries a 14-game winning streak, tied for the longest win streak in program history, into Wednesday's Patriot League championship game against Navy. Tipoff from Cotterell Court is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game televised on CBS Sports Network. The winner earns the League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Wednesday's Patriot League championship game are set to go on sale online at 9 a.m. on Monday morning. Championship tickets are priced at $25 for adults and $10 for seniors and children. Fans can visit the
Colgate Athletics ticket website for more information.
