HAMILTON – Colgate scored 31 points in each half and rode another dominant defensive effort to beat Bucknell 62-50 for its 11th consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Keegan Records scored 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field and added three blocked shots. Ryan Moffatt finished with 11 points and seven boards, while Brady Cummins returned to double figures with 10 points. Braeden Smith dished seven assists and Jeff Woodward also blocked three shots.
Colgate limited Bucknell to 31 percent from the field (18-58). The Bison, who came in shooting north of 40 percent from the perimeter, were held to just 21 percent (5-24). The Raiders connected on 43 percent overall (23-54) but struggled from behind the arc as well finishing at 17 percent (3-18).
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"Our team has grown up a lot over the course of the conference season. We didn't shoot the ball well despite having a lot of open shots and it didn't crack our resolve. We executed Coach Montgomery's game plan really well. I was proud of our group for impacting the game on the defensive end. Jeff and Keegan played really well inside. When we have a crowd like that and we play defense like that, it makes us really hard to beat no matter what happens on offense.
"We have a short preparation period before playing Monday night on national television against a team that beat us earlier in the season. Every team that laces up before the year has a goal to win a regular season championship. The game will mean a lot. It's certainly a great chance for us to see what we can do in that environment and I hope our guys will be excited for the opportunity."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate got off to a slow start, making one of its first nine attempts allowing Bucknell to build an early 10-2 margin. Smith scored Colgate's first five points, including a three-point play that sparked a 10-2 response capped by a 3-pointer from Chandler Baker to tie the game at 12-12 early on.
The game was tied 18-18 when Moffatt stepped up from the wing and swished a 3-pointer to ignite a 15-2 burst that gave Colgate the lead for good late in the first half. After the slow start, Records scored six straight points to push the Raiders in front 27-18 with 4:28 left in the frame.
Colgate's defense held Bucknell to four points over the final 8:02 of the first half, including an 0-for-11 stretch from behind the arc. Brady Cummins scored the final four points of the half for the Raiders, who went into the locker room holding a 31-22 advantage.
A three-point play from Records extended Colgate's lead to 42-29 six minutes into the second half. Bucknell shot back with a 7-0 spurt after a 3-pointer from Brandon McCreesh cut the margin to 42-36 with 12:15 remaining in the regulation.
Jalen Cox picked up two assists on back-to-back inbound plays under the basket – first setting up a 3-pointer for Baker and then finding a driving Sam Thomson for a layup to put the back in double digits for good 47-36 with 10:27 left in regulation.
Colgate extended its lead to as many as 16 points after Records' layup made it 58-42 with 4:19 left in regulation. Bucknell was never closer than 11 the rest of the way and the Raiders secured their 11th consecutive victory, 62-50, moving one step closer to a regular season championship.
GAME NOTES
- Colgate's 11-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest streak nationally.
- The Raiders improved to 26-1 in February since 2020-21 with their 23rd consecutive home victory in the month dating back to the 2018-19 season.
- Colgate came in ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense (64.2) and has now held its last 10 opponents below that threshold.
- The Raiders can clinch their fifth consecutive Patriot League regular season title outright with a win Monday night at Lafayette.
UP NEXT
Colgate (19-8, 13-1 PL) hits the road for a nationally-televised rematch against Lafayette on Monday night. Tipoff from the Kirby Center is set for 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
