HAMILTON – Colgate used a 16-0 first-half run to build a double-digit lead that never relinquished in a dominant 84-49 victory over Binghamton Wednesday night at Cotterell Court.
COACH LANGEL COMMENTS
"We've been talking a lot about being consistent in four-minute segments. We're not quite there yet. Today was a good step in the right direction after some good practices coming off of a hard stretch for us. It was good to see our guys make plays on both ends of the floor tonight.
"We were very productive when Braeden was on the court tonight. He made some tough shots, made his foul shots, and flew around on both ends. Five steals is impressive and his defensive play led to some offensive scoring opportunities."
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a back-and-forth start with six early lead changes, Colgate took the lead for good when Braeden Smith's 3-pointer moved the Raiders in front 17-15 with 11:08 left in the stanza. That 3-pointer ignited a 30-8 Raider surge over the remainder of the frame.
Smith, who scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half, collected 12 of them in Colgate's 16-0 burst that took four minutes off the clock. He had a three-point play and a four-point play before capping off the run with another triple to give the Raiders a 39-18 advantage.
Smith finished with 21 points, nine assists, five steals, and four rebounds. He was 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-3 from behind the arc, and 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the balanced effort. The sophomore finished with a +34 efficiency rating in the 35-point victory.
Colgate as a team shot 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. The Raiders set season-high outputs in field goals made (32), 3-pointers (12), assists (20), steals (10), and points (84) against the Bearcats, who were coming off a win over Army.
Colgate led 44-23 at the intermission and padded the margin after connecting on 10 of their first 12 attempts of the second half. Nicolas Louis-Jacques scored five points around a dunk from Jeff Woodward in an 11-0 streak that stretched the lead to 63-31 with 13:06 left.
Eleven different Raiders scored in the second half, led by eight points from Louis-Jacques. He and Brady Cummins drained a pair of 3-pointers, helping Colgate extend its lead to as many as 39 points (82-43) after back-to-back triples from Cummins and Kyle Carlesimo.
Ryan Moffatt scored Colgate's first six points of the game and he was the only Raider besides Smith to finish in double-figures (10). Keegan Records tallied nine points, followed by Louis-Jacques and Sam Thomson with eight each.
UP NEXT
Colgate (4-3) heads to Tucson, Ariz., for a matchup at No. 2 Arizona on Saturday. Tipoff from McKale Arena is set for 3 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network.
