WEST POINT, N.Y. – Braeden Smith scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half to help Colgate come back to beat Army 64-56 on Wednesday inside Christl Arena.
Colgate has now won back-to-back road games and is headed home 10-8 overall with a 4-1 Patriot League record. The Raiders were led by Smith, who scored 22 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a tough defensive battle.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"Winning conference games on the road is hard. Finding out shortly before tip that Keegan Records wasn't going to be able to go was a shock in so many ways. All this sudden we're without our warrior, our anchor, and a great teammate. We guided our way through the first half and really made some tough plays late in the second half. Rebounding was hard tonight.
"When we're on the road and not making some of those winning plays early on, to come up with them late in the game is significant. Braeden made some key plays that we've seen him make, but some of the other guys who stepped up made a big difference in the result. Finding ways to win on the road is a step for us in the right direction."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Smith scored all 12 points in a late 12-2 Colgate run that turned a 48-43 deficit into a 55-50 lead with 2:26 left in regulation. His personal run included eight unanswered points and the go-ahead layup off Jalen Cox's third steal of the game before the final media timeout.
Cox made two free throws to extend Colgate's lead to 59-50. Army knocked down a 3-pointer, forced a turnover on the full-court press, and connected on another 3-pointer in a quick sequence to make it interesting, 59-56, with 51 seconds remaining.
On Colgate's critical next possession, Chandler Baker swished an open 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down to put the game out of reach with 23 seconds remaining. Sam Thomson sank two late free throws to seal the win, 64-56.
Smith's 22 points led three Raiders in double figures. Nicolas Louis-Jacques finished with 12 points behind four 3-pointers and Baker had 10. Thomson added eight points, eight rebounds, a block, and two steals in the strong defensive effort.
Army led by as many as 10 points in the first half, 14-4, after Colgate started 0-for-9 from the field. The Raiders finally got into a rhythm, and back-to-back three-balls from Louis-Jacques capped a 12-0 run that gave Colgate its first lead, 16-14, with 5:04 to play.
Both teams traded the lead late in the low-scoring first half. Smith drained a 3-pointer on Colgate's final possession of the half to give the Raiders a 22-21 advantage at the break.
The Black Knights went on the first run of the second half and led by as many as seven points after a layup from Charlie Petersen made it 45-38 with 9:44 left in regulation. Colgate still trailed 50-47 when Smith began his 12-2 run that put the Raiders in front for good.
GAME NOTES
- Colgate has now won eight straight head-to-head games against Army.
- Braeden Smith recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season, finishing just shy of his career-high 25 points that he has matched twice this season.
- Chandler Baker's 10 points were his most since scoring a season-high 17 points against Vermont State Lyndon on Dec. 6.
- Jalen Cox's three steals and three blocked shots were both career-high marks.
UP NEXT
Colgate (10-8, 4-1 PL) returns home for two games in three days, starting Saturday with a 2 p.m. tip-off against Boston University. The Raiders host Lehigh on Monday night as part of a nationally-televised basketball doubleheader against Lehigh. The women host Lehigh at 4 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7 p.m. Both games will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
