BURLINGTON, Vt. – Colgate took the lead with an 11-0 run to start the second half and never let it go in its 77-71 victory over Vermont on Saturday at Patrick Gym.
COACH LANGEL COMMENTS
"There's probably not another program that we have a series with that is as accomplished as Vermont. They have a really good team, but they also have a culture, belief, and fanbase that makes it hard to win against – especially here. I'm immeasurably proud of our group. We had a great week of practice during a difficult time of year, coming down to the end of the semester. Hopefully this is a game we will hang our hat on and springboard us forward a little bit more as we continue to get better."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate started the second stanza red-hot from the field, connecting on five of its first seven shots to build a 42-32 lead after trailing by one point (32-31) at halftime.
Jeff Woodward's left-handed layup ignited the 11-0 burst capped off by a signature hook from Keegan Records, who finished with a season-high 22 points. Ryan Moffatt, who had three triples in the second half, canned five points during the momentum swing.
Vermont, which came in ranked No. 9 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll and is off to its best start since 1956-57, trimmed the margin to four points (48-44) on a layup by Sam Alamutu with 11:38 to go. That was as close as the Catamounts would get.
After Vermont cut it to a four-point game, Colgate countered with seven unanswered points to take its largest lead of the game sparked by Moffatt's second 3-pointer of the frame. Brady Cummins' contested layup extended the lead to 55-44 with 10:16 to go.
Big shots down the stretch prevented any extended run from the home team, and Braeden Smith was perfect (4-for-4) from the line in the final minute to preserve the win, 77-71.
Records' season-best 22 points came on 10-of-16 from the field to go with eight rebounds. Moffatt scored 16 points on an efficient 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
Smith scored 10 of his 15 in the second half, including a late dagger 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock. Cummins was also in double-figures with 11 points.
Colgate shot 53.6 percent from the field (30-56) and 53.3 percent from behind the arc (8-15). Vermont shot 50 percent overall (27-54) and 32 percent from three-point range (8-25).
Records scored Colgate's first 10 points in building an early 10-6 lead. There were 10 lead changes and three ties in the back-and-forth first half with both teams trading shots.
Colgate established its largest lead, 22-16, with 9:20 to go on the heels of a 3-pointer from Cummins sparking a 7-0 run. Records and Smith also scored in the run.
Vermont shot back with a 7-0 run of its own after a 3-pointer from Shamir Bogues brought the home team back in front, 23-22. From there, both teams went back and forth and Vermont's one-point lead continued to halftime, 32-31.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Colgate's first true road win of the season handed Vermont its first home loss since Dec. 20, 2022. The Catamounts came in having won 16 in a row and 34 of their last 35 at home over the past two-plus seasons.
- This is Colgate's first win over Vermont since 1994, and its first road win over the Catamounts since 1987.
- The Raiders complete the America East sweep with wins over Binghamton and Vermont.
UP NEXT
Colgate (6-4) is back on the road next weekend to face No. 20 Illinois at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 17. The game will air live on Big Ten Network.
