HAMILTON – Colgate built an early lead and kept the throttle down to pull away from Loyola 92-73 in the Patriot League quarterfinals Thursday night at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders carry a seven-game winning streak into the Patriot League semifinals, where they will host fourth-seeded Army Sunday at 2 p.m. with a trip to the championship on the line.
Six Raiders scored in double figures for the first time this season, led by 19 from freshman Braeden Smith who was perfect (3-3) from behind the arc. Oliver Lynch-Daniels scored 15 points, Ryan Moffatt 14, Keegan Records 13, Jeff Woodward 12, and Tucker Richardson 11.
Smith, Moffatt, and Lynch-Daniels each made three triples, finishing a combined 9-for-14 from behind the arc. Richardson's double-double effort featured a career-high 11 assists with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
Colgate's first 12 points came from behind the arc and the Raiders blistered the nets starting 5-for-7 from downtown thanks to two 3s each from Moffatt and Lynch-Daniels. Smith's pull-up jumper jolted the Raiders out front 17-4 at the 14:30 mark.
Richardson found Woodward for a driving layup on Colgate's next possession to spark an 11-0 Raider run. Chandler Baker capped it off with a bucket in traffic and the Raiders established their largest lead of the half 28-6 lead eight minutes into the frame.
Colgate scored 51 points in the first half and nobody in the scoring column had more than 11. Lynch-Daniels led the way (11) on the strength of three triples, followed by Smith (10) and Richardson (7). A pull-up from Lynch-Daniels sent the Raiders to the locker room up 51-31.
Loyola scored the first eight points of the second half after back-to-back 3-pointers from Deon Perry and Jaylin Andrews made it 51-39 at the 18:14 mark. That was as close as the visitors would get.
Richardson, who was honored before the game with his Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, put Colgate back in front by 20-plus after a steal and coast-to-coast layup extended the lead to 66-45 with 13:47 left.
Back-to-back layups from Woodward, including the second one which came on a behind-the-back pass from Richardson, gave the Raiders their largest lead of the game at 87-62 with 3:22 left in regulation.
Nicolas Louis-Jacques capped the scoring with his second 3-pointer, and Colgate completed the wire-to-wire quarterfinal victory, 92-73.
Colgate shot 61 percent from the field (34-56), 50 percent from behind the arc (11-22), and 81 percent from the free throw line (13-16). In contrast, Loyola finished 49 percent from the field (30-61), 33 percent from the perimeter (7-21), and 67 percent from the foul line (6-9).
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Matt Langel
"You're always nervous when the opposition has played one game and broken that seal of the conference playoffs when we've been sitting for a bit. But we did get off to a great start. We got some great looks on the offensive end so our guys were able to play from there. We got some separation and were able to sustain that over the course of the game.
"These guys have learned how to play with one another and when they get clicking it's really fun to watch. We can win games in a lot of ways and we take what the defense gives us. It's nice for the fans when our guys play well, but now the first step is over and we've got to prepare for our next opponent."
NOTES
- Head Coach Matt Langel, already the winningest coach in program history, achieved his 200th career win at Colgate with Thursday's victory. This came on the same night he was recognized with his Patriot League Coach of the Year honor during pre-game.
- Tucker Richardson registered a career-high 11 assists en route to his third double-double of the season.
- Colgate has now won 29 consecutive home games against conference opponents – a winning streak that began early in the 2020-21 season.
UP NEXT
Top-seeded Colgate (24-8, 17-1 Patriot) hosts fourth-seeded Army (17-15, 10-8 Patriot) in the Patriot League semifinals on Sunday. Tip-off from Cotterell Court is 2 p.m., with the game televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The Black Knights defeated fifth-seeded Boston University 71-69 in overtime in their quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Sunday's Patriot League semifinal matchup are scheduled to go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. Stay tuned to ColgateAthletics.com for more information.
