ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Leading by as many as 20 points in the second half, Colgate withstood Navy's late surge to snap the Midshipmen's league-best seven-game winning streak with a 64-60 victory Saturday evening at Alumni Hall.
Colgate with the win became the first team in Patriot League history to win 17 conference games, besting the previous league record (16) first set by Bucknell in 2017-18 and then matched by the Raiders in 2021-22.
Colgate also ends the regular season with 11 road wins – tied for the most by any team in the country.
Keegan Records tied his career high with 25 points and added two blocked shots and nine rebounds including six boards on the offensive glass. Braeden Smith finished with 11 points and a game-high seven assists in his final audition to prove his case for the Patriot League's rookie honors. Sam Thomson pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds.
Colgate built a 20-point lead (49-29) after Oliver Lynch-Daniels swished a transition 3-pointer from the far wing with 14:03 left in regulation. That would be the only triple for Lynch-Daniels, who finished with five points – his fewest since Jan.18 at Holy Cross.
Navy needed a spark and that's exactly what they got from Patrick Dorsey. He scored 13 points in two separate 7-0 runs that turned into a 25-5 surge over five minutes of game time. Colgate hit a cold spell and suddenly Dorsey's final jumper made it 56-54 with 5:20 left.
Both teams traded empty possessions before Thomson drained a deep baseline jumper just inside the arc to make it a four-point game. Records' second-chance layup extended Colgate's lead to six points before a pair of 3-pointers from Daniel Deavers cut the lead back to two points.
Dribbling at a standstill near midcourt to wind the clock down, Smith stared down his defender before racing past him and driving to the basket. His step-back jumper rimmed out but Jeff Woodward was there for the put-back to make it a two-possession game with 17 seconds left.
Colgate forced two off-target shots before the buzzer, completing the wire-to-wire victory 64-60.
The Raiders shot 42.6 overall (26-61) and 45.5 percent (5-11) from behind the arc. Navy connected on 35.4 percent (23-65) and 36.4 percent from the perimeter (8-22). Colgate won the rebounding battle 45-35 and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points. Forty-four of Navy's 60 points came from their bench.
Colgate forced Navy to miss its first seven shots and built a 28-14 lead in the first half. Navy trimmed the deficit to nine when Tyler Nelson finished a driving layup with six seconds left. Smith took the inbound and ran the length of the court before being fouled on his way to the rim. He sank both free throws to send the Raiders to halftime with a 34-23 advantage.
Records scored six of Colgate's first eight points in the second half to help the Raiders' lead grow to 20 points (49-29) after Lynch-Daniels made his first triple at 14:03 of the frame.
Navy closed within two points but clutch shots down the stretch from Smith, Records, and Woodward staved off the Midshipmen, 64-60.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"We did a nice job to get the lead that we did. Our defense was locked in. Navy has been playing great and we knew they'd keep coming. Both teams stepped up with some big shots down the stretch and that's what we expect from these two teams. Fortunately, we made enough plays and found a way to get the win tonight."
"Setting this Patriot League record with 17 wins speaks to the players that we have in the program now and the guys we've had here in the past to establish the culture. To go 17-1 in any league is extraordinary. I'm really proud of the group for their accomplishment."
"Tucker said it best in the locker room – on to the next season. We have to win three more games at home. Our focus starts with the first one, Thursday at Cotterell Court."
NOTES
- Colgate's 11 road wins are tied with the College of Charleston for the most in the country. Both teams will end their regular seasons leading the nation.
- The Raiders win the league's regular season with the largest margin between first and second place in Patriot League history (six games).
- Colgate has now won nine consecutive games against Navy dating back to 2018-19.
- Keegan Records set his career-high 25 points last season at Alumni Hall, giving him 50 points in his last two games in Annapolis.
- Tucker Richardson moved one 3-pointer closer to the program record, now four away from passing Kyle Roemer '10 (267) for the most all-time.
- Colgate's 23 regular season wins tie the 2019-20 team for the most in program history.
UP NEXT
Colgate (23-8, 17-1 Patriot) now awaits its opponent for the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Raiders take on the winner of eighth-seeded Loyola and ninth-seeded Holy Cross next Thursday at Cotterell Court. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with ESPN+ carrying the live stream.
POSTSEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Playoff tickets are on sale for the quarterfinal round next Thursday, March 2, when the top-seeded Raiders open their title defense at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court. Quarterfinal tickets are priced at $14 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and children. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last, and can be purchased by visiting
colgate.universitytickets.com. Fans can call 315-228-4062 or visit the Reid Athletic Center Ticket Office between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
