(Hamilton, NY – Feb. 16, 2013) The Colgate men’s basketball team had a huge first half behind a stellar crown, which propelled them to a 64-60 win over the Mountain Hawks Saturday afternoon.
“We got off to a good start in the second half extending our lead back to 20 but they’re champions for a reason,” head coach Matt Langel said. “They have a lot of guys who have won a lot of games and you know they aren’t going to quit.
“They started to pressure us getting some steals and the honest answer is we just panicked a little bit. We weren’t strong with the ball, which gave them free points down on the other end. The game got even and I give credit to our seniors, who stepped up to make huge foul shots late in the game. It was a great team win when we really needed it.”
The Raiders held a 16-point advantage heading into halftime with a 41-25 lead over powerhouse Lehigh. Colgate shot 50 percent from the floor hitting 16 of their 32 shots in the first half, while the Mountain Hawks shot 34.5 percent. The Raiders also held the advantage on the boards in the first 20 minutes outrebounding Lehigh 21-14. Pat Moore led all scorers at the half with 12 points and was two of three from downtown. Colgate hit five of its eight 3-pointers in the first half, which added to their double digit lead.
“Any team can win on any given night,” Langel added. “It’s a great win and we hope we can build on it and learn from it as well. We go to West Point on Wednesday night and they really get after you defensively. I hope we learned our lesion that we need to be strong with the ball and making the defense pay. Hopefully we can continue to play well late in the season.”
Colgate (10-17, 4-6 PL) ended a four-game Mountain Hawks win streak and a five-game road winning streak. Murphy Burnatowski led the team with 19 points while Moore notched 17. Seniors Brandon James and Mitch Rolls both missed double figure scoring by one with nine points each. Sophomore Luke Roh also pulled down seven rebounds to lead the team.
“I thought we shared the ball,” Langel said. “We were locked in on the defensive end right from the start. We made their looks difficult early in the game and then we shared the ball offensively.”
The Raiders came out of the locker room ready to play shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting five of their 10 from downtown in the first 20 minutes. They slowed down in the second half for an overall shooting percentage of 40.7. They also went 8-of-21 overall from behind the arc for a 38.1 shooting percentage.
Lehigh (18-6, 8-2 PL) notched three players in double figures after Anthony D’Orazio and Gabe Knutson both scored 17 points. D’Orazio went 3-of-5 from downtown, grabbing Lehigh’s only makes from long range. Holden Greiner finished out the Mountain Hawks with double digit scoring adding 12. He also pulled down a game-high eight boards in the loss.
The Mountain Hawks shot 34.5 percent in the first half but followed that up by hitting 14 of their 33 shots in the second half for an overall shooting percentage of 38.7. Lehigh had a tough night from behind the arc knocking down only three of their 18 attempts. After being outscored in the first half 41-25, the Mountain Hawks responded outscoring the Raiders by 13 in the second, 35-23.
Lehigh made the first basket of the game off a Knutson dunk. However that would be the only time the Mountain Hawks would lead in the game. The Raiders utilized a 22-2 run to take the lead midway through the first. Moore grabbed 10 points during that stretch.
The Raiders held the Mountain Hawks scoreless for more than six minutes during that time until Mackey McKnight hit two free throws to end the drought. Colgate continued to convert offensively going on another big run with 4:04 remaining in the half. Lehigh would cut the Raider lead down to 16 after Knutson scored two layups in the paint. As the teams headed into the locker room the Raiders held the 41-25 advantage on the scoreboard.
Burnatowski hit a 3-pointer to start the second half extending the Raiders lead back up to 19, at 44-25. Colgate would create a 21-point advantage after Burnatowski hit another trey. Lehigh caught fire however going on an 18-0 run cutting the Raiders lead down to three, 52-49. The Mountain Hawks increased their defensive pressure during that time coming up with three steals for easy buckets.
With 3:04 remaining, D’Orazio drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 56 all. As the minutes ticked off the clock Lehigh was forced to foul the Raiders. Colgate would keep their composure by knocking down free throws late in the game. James and Rolls both hit all four of their shots from the charity stripe to secure the win.
“The fans today were terrific,” Langel noted. “I’d like to thank the athletic department and LGBTQ organizations for taking time, effort and energy to come and be a part of this day. I was honored to have them use our game as an opportunity to bring awareness to their cause. It was an absolute terrific fan base tonight and we’d love to keep that going.”
Colgate moves to 6-4 at home and 4-6 in the Patriot League. The Raiders travel to West Point, N.Y. on Wednesday for a rematch with the Black Knights. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip and can be watched live on Patriot League All-Access.
Colgate 64, Lehigh 60
Colgate (10-17, 4-6 PL): Murphy Burnatowski 19, John Brandenburg 4, Mitch Rolls 9, Damon Sherman-Newsome 2, Brandon James 9, Clayton Graham 4, Pat Moore 17.Totals: 22-8-64.
Lehigh (18-6, 8-2 PL): Anthony D’Orazio 17, Mackey McKnight 8, Corey Schaefer 4, Holden Creiner 12, Gabe Knutson 17, Justin Goldsborough 2 Totals: 24-3-60.
3-Point Field Goals: Colgate 8 (Burnatowski-3, Moore-3, Rolls, James); Lehigh 3 (D’Orazio-3).
Halftime: Colgate 41-25.
Photo by Bob Cornell