HAMILTON – Colgate scored 11 unanswered points over the final 1:50 of regulation to erase a six-point deficit and beat Holy Cross 79-74 Wednesday evening at Cotterell Court.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Raiders trailed 74-68 when a flagrant foul on Holy Cross gave Colgate two free throws and possession. Sam Wright converted both at the line, and Josh Ahayere followed with his third 3-pointer of the night to pull the Raiders within one, 74-73, with 1:45 remaining.
After Holy Cross missed two free throws, Cox was fouled on a drive and calmly knocked down both attempts to give Colgate its first lead since halftime, 75-74, with 29 seconds remaining.
The Crusaders had one last chance, but Tyler Boston missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 13 seconds left, allowing Colgate to seal the win at the free-throw line.
Cox scored six of his 16 points during the closing surge and finished with eight assists. Ahayere matched his career high with 15 points, Andrew Alekseyenko added 14, Wright scored 11 and Ben Tweedy chipped in 10 as five Raiders reached double figures.
Colgate's 35-33 halftime lead was quickly erased when Holy Cross opened the second half on a 7-0 run after a 3-pointer from Joe Nugent put the visitors in front 40-35.
Back-to-back buckets from Kyle Carlesimo and Alekseyenko helped Colgate close within two points, 49-47, but a 3-pointer from Boston and a three-point play from Chuck Hare extended the Holy Cross margin back to 57-49 midway through the final frame.
Carlesimo and Ahayere cashed in from downtown to help bring Colgate within one, 67-66, with 5:11 to go but Holy Cross once again had an answer and rebuilt a 74-68 lead with 2:45 to go.
That's when the Raiders flipped the script, scoring the game's final 11 points ignited by Ahayere's third and final trifecta of the night.
Colgate led for most of the first half after a 15-0 burst right out of the gates opened a 17-9 lead after Ayomi Odetoyinbo's tip-in layup at the 12:29 mark. Alekseyenko scored five points in the surge, including a trifecta in transition from the wing.
DeAndre Williams provided good minutes for Holy Cross, scoring five unanswered points to bring the Crusaders back within one point, 21-20, before Ahayere and Wright dropped in back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Colgate's lead to 27-20 with 7:02 showing.
Holy Cross used a 6-0 run to eventually tie the game 33-33 on a 3-pointer from Aidan Richard. Alekseyenko, who led the team with nine points at the break, sank a tough jumper in the final seconds to give Colgate a 35-33 lead at the intermission.
Despite trailing by as many as nine with eight minutes left, Colgate found a way down the stretch – using offense and defense to pull off another comeback.
NOTES
- Colgate has won 21 consecutive games against Holy Cross dating back to 2018.
- Ahayere matched his career-high scoring effort, which he produced twice during the Northern Classic in Laval, Quebec. His three 3-pointers also tied his career high.
- Colgate with the win improved to a season-high four games over .500.
- The Raiders have been either tied or leading in the second half in all but two games this season with the only outliers at No. 14 Illinois and No. 23 Florida.
- Colgate has won each of its last two games despite leading in the second half for a total of four minutes.
- The Raiders have comebacks of 11 points (American), 10 points (Boston U), and now nine points (Holy Cross) at home during Patriot League play.
UP NEXT
Colgate (13-9, 7-2 Patriot) heads to Bethlehem, Pa., for a rematch against Lehigh Saturday at 2 p.m. The Raiders dropped a last-second heartbreaker to the Mountain Hawks, 78-77, at Cotterell Court on Jan. 10.
