HAMILTON – Colgate knocked down 14 triples, saw five players score in double figures, assisted on 24 of 35 made baskets, and carried hot shooting to an 88-64 victory over Navy on Saturday afternoon in front of a buzzing crowd at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders connected on nearly 60 percent from the field (35-60) with an identical clip from behind the arc (14-24). Keegan Records paced the scoring with 17 points along with eight rebounds. Braeden Smith had 14 points and five assists. Brady Cummins finished with 12 points on four made treys for the second consecutive game. Ryan Moffatt and Jeff Woodward each added 10 points.
COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS
"We got off to a great start. Really locked in on defense. We were obviously making shots but we were also getting great shots. The game got a bit physical and they got to the foul line and just broke the rhythm of the game. We allowed that to affect us and we talked about it at halftime. The group went right back out there and divided it into four-minute rounds. We won just about every second-half round. Guys really stepped up. Everyone who played in the game impacted the game in a positive way.
"Good game for us to finish off a homestand before we head back on the road next week. I could just keep going on and on, but I'm excited about this group and the chance for the team that we're starting to show that we can be. The connection is starting to happen. The team that plays the best over the course of this month heads into the end of the season playing the best. That's where our focus is."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate led from start to finish. Early three-balls from Cummins, Jalen Cox, and Moffatt allowed Colgate to establish an early 13-4 lead. The Raiders started 6-of-7 from behind the arc after Smith nailed two and Parker Jones canned another to stretch the lead to 22-7 with 11:39 remaining.
Colgate had everything working on both ends of the floor. Cox intercepted a pass on the perimeter and raced in for a one-handed flush before Records scored four unanswered to push the lead to 36-18 with 5:06 remaining in the first stanza.
Navy controlled the final stages of the first half. The Midshipmen were 8-for-8 from the free throw line over the final four minutes to trim the deficit to 41-33 at the intermission. Chandler Baker's three-point shot at the buzzer was a little deep, bouncing off the back of the rim.
The Mids cut the margin down to 43-38 a minute into the second half, and had two possessions to close the gap even more but a turnover and a blocked shot led to another Colgate 3-point blitz – three straight treys from Cummins, Moffatt, and Smith put the lead into double digits, 52-40, with 15:34 showing.
Colgate kept the throttle down from there. The Midshipmen twice closed the gap to nine points, but Colgate countered first with a triple from Cummins and second with a 7-0 run – capped off by a three-point play from Jeff Woodward – to extend Colgate's lead to 67-51.
Records later had seven points in a 14-2 burst that put the game out of reach with Colgate in front, 84-59. Baskets from Kyle Carlesimo and Sam Wright sealed off the regular-season sweep of Navy, 88-64.
GAME NOTES
- Since 2020-21, Colgate owns the nation's best D-I record in February (22-1). Gonzaga is next at 21-2, followed by Vermont (19-2) and San Diego State (19-3).
- The Raiders have won 21 straight home games in the month of February dating back to 2019.
- Jalen Cox led the team with six assists for the second consecutive game.
- Jeff Woodward's five blocked shots were a career-high.
- Colgate's 10 total blocked shots were a season high. The program record for single-game blocked shots is 15, with 12 of those from Adonal Foyle against Navy on Feb. 5, 1997.
- The Raiders improved to 8-2 at Cotterell Court this season.
- Colgate's 9-1 record in Patriot League play is its second-best through 10 games in program history, only behind last year's team that started 11-0.
UP NEXT
Colgate (15-8, 9-1 PL) hits the road for two games next week, starting Wednesday at Boston University. Tip-off from Case Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m. The Raiders head to Baltimore, Md., next Saturday to face Loyola at 5 p.m. Both road contests next week can be streamed live on ESPN+.
