HAMILTON – Trailing by as many as 18 in the first half and down by five at halftime, Colgate willed its way in the second half to an 87-73 victory over Navy Thursday night at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders outscored the Midshipmen 50-31 in the second half, connecting on 65.4 percent from the field, forcing 10 turnovers and turning those into 22 points on the offensive end.
All of this on the same night Tucker Richardson etched his name in history as the program's all-time assist leader. The fifth-year senior passed Jordan Burns' record of 503, finishing with seven to give him 507 for his career. He also became the 10th player in program history to reach 1,500 points, joining Burns as the only two Raiders with 1,500 points and 500 assists.
Colgate couldn't have dug itself a bigger hole. After Keegan Records scored the first bucket, Navy raced out on a 20-0 run over six minutes. The Raiders were 0-for-10 from the field with four turnovers, while Patrick Dorsey put the visitors in front 20-2 with eight points during the run.
A driving layup by Oliver Lynch-Daniels ended the run. The score was 28-14 when the Raiders found their rhythm. Richardson sank a free throw, and Lynch-Daniels and Ryan Moffatt nailed two 3-pointers to carry a 9-0 run into a 28-22 deficit with 8:48 left on the clock.
After the rough start, Colgate kept chipping away to the tune of a 32-14 run and climbed all the way back to tie the game. Records rattled home a 3-ball before Jeff Woodward worked inside for a driving layup to draw even at 34-34 with 4:30 to go.
Navy's Tyler Nelson led the visitors with 12 points at the break, and he had another 3 down the stretch to give the Mids a 42-37 edge at halftime.
Colgate's second-half surge started with a 13-2 run. Braeden Smith sank two free throws to give the Raiders the lead for good 48-47 five minutes into the second. Richardson and Lynch-Daniels canned back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 56-50.
The Raiders had a run of four consecutive makes from behind the arc, including Chandler Baker's deep shot that pushed the lead to 77-59 with 6:50 to go. Colgate led by as many as 20 and put it on cruise control down the stretch to cap off its third consecutive win, 87-73.
Smith led five Raiders in double-figure scoring with 18 points to go with seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Records had 16 points, Richardson and Lynch-Daniels 12, and Baker 10.
Navy's Nelson, who had 12 points at the break, finished with 12 points for the night – which was still tied with Sean Yoder and Daniel Deaver for the team lead.
FROM THE SOURCES
Head Coach Matt Langel
"When you get off to a great start on the road like we have and then return home, you naturally build confidence that everything is going to go your way. I am proud that these Navy players serve our country because they fight like crazy on every single possession.
"We weren't ready and couldn't quite get going early but I was proud of the way we fought back in the first half. Then we came out even stronger in the second half and showed the team that we can be."
Tucker Richardson
"This was a great win tonight, especially having them get out to an early lead. To see us battle back, create a lead, and withstand their runs, this was a good learning opportunity for us tonight. Happy to get the win, but still a lot to work on.
"Passing Jordan Burns for the most assists in program history is a great achievement. He's obviously an incredible basketball player, and he broke the record in three and a half years. I'm still very proud of the record. Assists don't matter if guys aren't making shots so I've been really lucky to play with a lot of guys who can make shots. This is definitely a shared achievement."
NOTES
- Colgate is 3-0 in league play for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
- The Raiders extended their winning streak to 18 straight against conference opponents.
- Colgate improved to 56-7 at home since the start of the 2018-19 season.
UP NEXT
Colgate (9-7, 3-0 Patriot) is back on the road to face Army Monday night at 7 p.m. inside Christl Arena. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
