WORCESTER, Mass. – Keegan Records scored 17 points and Colgate led from start to finish in a 77-58 victory over Holy Cross on Wednesday night inside the Hart Center.
Records' 17 points led three Raiders in double figures. He added eight rebounds and finished 6-of-11 from the field and 1-for-1 from behind the arc. Braeden Smith scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, while Ryan Moffatt added 11 points and three steals. Jalen Cox (9) and Nicolas Louis-Jacques (8) combined for 17 points.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"This was a really good team performance. Winning conference games on the road is never easy to do. Coming off of a difficult result over the weekend – to battle the way we did with so many contributions – was great to see. Our depth helped us wear down the opposition. We stuck to our game plan and stuck to the things that were going to impact winning – moving the basketball and team defense. Really good performance."
"It's always important to win on the road because it gives you a chance to be regular season champions. Now that we've done that, our focus is on being the best version of ourselves. Now we go play a Lehigh team that has been playing very well over the last few weeks. It will be important for us to play well and head into the postseason on a high note."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brady Cummins banked home a pair of layups in a 6-0 Colgate run to start the game and the Raiders never faced a deficit throughout the game. Cox connected on a second-chance 3-pointer and Colgate's lead extended to 11-4 five minutes into the game.
Colgate saw good signs when Smith knocked down a fastbreak trey from the wing early in the game. That sparked a 10-0 Raider run, which also featured a scoop and score from Cox and the Raiders were running up 23-8 midway through the opening stanza.
Holy Cross shot just 30 percent in the first half but DeAndre Williams scored the final five points of the term for the Crusaders who cut Colgate's lead to 35-25 at the intermission.
Colgate's lead dwindled to 39-34 before the Raiders got it going again in the second half. Louis-Jacques, Records, and Smith canned treys in a 13-0 Raider response. Colgate was 3-for-3 from three-point land in the run and the lead ballooned to 56-36 with 12:30 left.
The Crusaders were never closer than 16 points the rest of the way, and Colgate's largest lead came on the heels of a two-handed slam from Cummins that pushed the margin to 70-48 with 4:45 to go.
Reserves played key minutes down the stretch. Kyle Carlesimo swished a late trey and Cooper Wright banked home a second-chance layup to help Colgate cruise to the 77-58 victory.
Colgate shot 53.4 percent overall (31-58), 42.1 percent from behind the arc (8-19), and 50 percent from the free throw line (7-14). The Raiders finished with 11 assists to just four turnovers in the balanced effort.
Holy Cross shot 39.3 percent from the field (24-61), 27.3 percent from the perimeter (6-22), and 44.4 percent from the foul line (4-9).
Colgate's bench outscored Holy Cross reserves 22-13. The Raiders held a slight edge in rebounds 37-34 and won the points off turnovers battle, 14-8.
GAME NOTES
- Keegan Records with 17 points eclipsed 1,400 for his career, becoming the fourth player in program history with 1,400 points and 800 rebounds.
- Colgate is now 8-0 on the road during Patriot League play with one regular season test remaining at Lehigh on Saturday.
- The Raiders' eight-game road winning streak is tied with St. Mary's for the longest nationally.
- Colgate completed the regular season sweep of Holy Cross to extend its head-to-head winning streak against the Crusaders to 17 games.
- Colgate improved to 15-2 in Patriot League play, marking the third consecutive year reaching at least 15 conference wins.
UP NEXT
Colgate (21-9, 15-2 PL) completes the regular season on Saturday at Lehigh. The game will tip at noon from Stabler Arena on CBS Sports Network.
POSTSEASON TICKET INFORMATION
- Playoff tickets are on sale for the quarterfinal round next Thursday, March 7, 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, and can be purchased by visiting colgate.universitytickets.com.
- Fans can call 315-228-4062 or visit the Reid Athletic Center Ticket Office on Tuesdays from 1-4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- The ticket office will respond to all inbound phone calls within one business day.
- Fans are encouraged to wear white in an effort to white out Cotterell Court. T-shirts will be given away while they last.
