WASHINGTON – Balanced scoring and stellar defense once again was the winning formula in Colgate's 73-54 victory over American on Saturday afternoon inside Bender Arena.
Jeff Woodward paced Colgate's fifth consecutive win with a career-high 16 points on 7-of-9 from the field. Chandler Baker made five 3-pointers en route to 15 points, Keegan Records added 14 points on 7-of-8 from the field, and Brady Cummins finished with 11 points.
Woodward and Records combined for 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"This might be the best we've played from start to finish. Everybody stepped up. American has two really good centers but our two big guys – Jeff and Keegan – took it personally. I couldn't be more proud of our defense. We clogged up the paint and limited some of their looks from the perimeter. On the road in a tough environment and they've proven to be one of the better teams in our league. For us to come down here and get the win on the road is great.
"We've traditionally been a team that relies on our offense to get some runs and gain separation. This team, with our size, length, and strength, has a chance to be really good defensively. Our guys are buying into that and it's something that can make a difference for us."
HOW IT HAPPENED
American scored the first seven points of the game. Colgate answered with eight unanswered and never trailed again after four points each from Cummins and Records.
Woodward converted two three-point plays with hard work in the paint and Baker netted a pair of 3-pointers to help Colgate build an early 20-15 lead. American cut its deficit to 23-20 on a 3-pointer from Matt Rogers with 5:30 remaining in the first stanza.
Woodward answered with a second-chance layup and Braeden Smith landed a step-back jumper to push the lead to 27-20. Parker Jones knocked in a triple to stretch Colgate's lead to double figures and that's where it stood at intermission with the Raiders in front, 34-24.
Records finished two tough layups in the paint to start the second half. Ryan Moffatt canned a triple in a 7-1 spurt that pushed Colgate in front 41-26 with 15:41 showing. The Eagles used a 9-0 run to close within nine, 44-35, but that was as close as they would get.
Baker couldn't miss in the second half. He knocked down three treys in about three minutes to give Colgate its largest lead of the game, 61-42, with 6:55 left in the contest.
American never found an answer for Woodward and Records, who combined for 30 points on 14-of-17 from the field. Colgate also was 6-for-9 from behind the arc in the second half, contributing to its 57.1 percent clip from the field over the final 20 minutes.
Cummins reached the double-digit plateau with the final points of the afternoon, a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock, to cap off the 73-54 victory.
The Raiders shot 52.6 percent overall and made 9-of-20 from behind the arc. American finished with a 38.5 percent clip from the field and 26.3 percent mark from three-point range.
Colgate's bench produced 34 points, outscoring American's reserves, 34-24. The Raiders outrebounded American 34-26 and each team traded 13 second-chance points.
GAME NOTES
- This is Colgate's fourth straight game holding its opponent under 60 points.
- Jeff Woodward's career-high 16 points eclipsed his previous-best 15 he set as a first-year against Boston University (2/21/20).
- Chandler Baker set a new career high with five made 3-pointers.
- Four different Raiders have led the team in scoring over the last four games.
- Colgate improved to 4-0 on the road during Patriot League play.
UP NEXT
Colgate (13-8, 7-1 PL) returns home for two games next week, starting Wednesday when the Raiders host Army at 7 p.m. Colgate stays at Cotterell Court to face Navy next Saturday, Feb. 3, for a nationally-televised game starting at noon on CBS Sports Network.
