Colgate Postgame Quotes | Navy Postgame Quotes
 

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Colgate University closed out the first half on a 28-11 run to seize control of the Patriot League championship game and survived a furious Navy second half comeback for a 74-58 victory. The win was the second straight Patriot League championship for the Raiders and the third in the past four seasons.
 
The game started slowly with the Raiders holding a 4-2 lead after the first two minutes. The pace picked up quickly after that with Colgate ahead 8-7 at the 16:00 timeout. The game remained close with Colgate holding a 12-11 lead with 13:07 remaining. The Raiders went on an 8-2 run to take a 20-13 advantage following a Tucker Richardson three-ball that forced a Navy time out at the 10:19 mark. The timeout did little to stem the tide as the lead increased to double digits following a Ryan Moffatt 3-pointer for a 30-19 Raider advantage. A Moffatt reverse layup as time expired gave Colgate a 40-22 halftime edge.
 
Colgate, which entered the game leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage, drilled four trifectas to open the second half. Jack Ferguson nailed three-balls on the Raiders' first two possessions giving Colgate a 24-point edge. Following a Navy score, Nelly Cummings and Richardson followed.
 
Navy closed the gap to 58-44 with 8:08 remaining in the second stanza causing a Raider timeout. The Midshipmen closed to within 58-47 on a three by Sean Yoder at the 7:15 mark. A Jaylen Walker free throw followed by a John Carter, Jr., layup pulled the Midshipmen to within 58-50. Yoder made two free throws to pull Navy to within six points capping a 16-0 Navy run. Cummings stopped the skid with a driving layup on an assist from Jeff Woodward.
 
Woodward stretched the Raider lead to eight points with a layup, followed by two Richardson free throws for a 64-54 lead. Richardson found Woodward for a layup to stretch the advantage to 12. Two Ferguson free throws pushed the lead to 64-58. Cummings swished two free throws and Richardson made a layup on an assist from Ferguson capping a 14-3 run for the Raiders.
 
Ferguson who led the Raiders in scoring in all three tournament games had 17 points and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Cummings followed with 15 while Richardson and Woodward had a dozen each. Oliver Lynch-Daniels was the fifth Raider in double figures with 10. Richardson and Cummings were each named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Greg Summers led the Midshipmen with 18, while Tyler Nelson added 11 and Carter, Jr., dropped 10.
 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jack Ferguson was Colgate's leading scorer in all three postseason games on his way to MVP honors. He was joined by teammates Tucker Richardson and Nelly Cummings on the All-Tournament Team.

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel

"First, an awesome environment. From top down, the Colgate administration, our athletics department, our student body, our student-athletes, everybody that came out to support this group, not just tonight, but over the last couple of games in the tournament and throughout the season, it's a huge part of why we've been able to win so many games at home and go on this run and be champions. I think that is first and foremost. Second, I feel like the luckiest coach in the country. I basically coach a team that has zero issues. They come to work at the game every day, they are there for one another off of the court. It's truly a special, special group. You could see it in how they play the game. They've earned a lot of confidence in their careers. You have three guys here who have been through a lot of highs, but some pretty rough lows. And two of them decided to come back for the opportunity to sit here today. For me, to watch them grow up and to watch them be in this position is really fulfilling. It brings me great joy.

"I thought we played great. Our defense was locked in. We made it hard on the Naval Academy. They got some rebounds. Otherwise, it would have been a bigger lead early. And then they threw the kitchen sink at us. They played zone, they played zone pressure. We shot them out of them. And then they played a 6-6 and under game and really pressured and made it hard. I tell these guys, nothing worthwhile in life ever comes easy. It's kind of fitting that we gave up a little bit of the lead and Navy fought tooth and nail to get back in the game and these guys got back together and made the plays — I thought on defense more than anything to secure the win. I'm super proud and excited for the next step."

UP NEXT
Colgate (23-11, 16-2 Patriot) will await the NCAA Championship Tournament Selection Show Sunday evening to find out its first round opponent and site in the tournament. The selection show airs live on CBS starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday.