Colgate pulls away for 10th straight win

HAMILTON » Colgate used a fast start and strong finish to pull away from Boston University 7863 and extend its winning streak to 10 games on Sunday at Cotterell Court.

Jordan Burns broke another program record in the process, becoming the all-time assists leader. His 485 career dimes surpasses Hasan Brown’s 484, which was a record that stood since 1994.

“This is a win that we needed and we’re glad we got it today against a very good Boston team,” Burns said. “I am grateful to Colgate for giving me a chance to be here. I am blessed to be in this position and glad that I’m able to do something special for this organization.”

Fittingly, Burns’ record-breaking assist came early in the second half when the Raiders put together one of their best terms of the season. They blistered the nets to the tune of 67% from the

field and outscored the Terriers 43-28 over the final 20 minutes to pull away from 35-all at the half.

Nelly Cummings sparked the Raiders early in the second stanza. He scored three quick points and assisted on a Burns 3-pointer as part of an 8-0 swing. Burns’ sixth and seventh assists came on back-to-back buckets for Keegan Records, including a twohanded slam for the record-tying helper.

Jack Ferguson and Oliver Lynch-daniels buried back-to-back triples and it was a 15-point lead in a flurry 59-44. Freshmen Sam Thomson and Jeff Woodward combined for nine straight Colgate points to extend the lead to a game-high 19 points at the 4:00 mark.

The gap never closed within 15 points down the stretch and Colgate sealed the four-game regular-season sweep of the Patriot League preseason favorites.

Burns paced four Raiders in double-figure scoring with 15 points to go with a team-best seven assists and six rebounds. Cummings scored 11 and Woodward and Records both finished with 10.

Colgate (11-1, 11-1 PL North) once again was red-hot out of the gates. Four different players found the scoring column on the first four possessions to catalyze an 11-5 advantage. Burns dished four early assists and knocked down the first 3-pointer of the game to get an early lead.

The Raiders were shooting over 60% for most of the half and used a 4-for-5 stretch to key a 12-2 run over 3:13. Ferguson and Lynch-daniels connected from downtown to pull the Raiders out front 33-20 with 5:33 left on the clock.

Boston University (58, 3-8 PL North) turned the tides late in the frame. Jack Hemphill scored five unanswered points to spark a 15-2 visitor run to close the half. After a Burns basket with 3:06 showing, Colgate missed its final four attempts and Jonas Harper converted a layup to send the game to halftime squared away at 35-35.

A dominant second half paved the way for Colgate’s 11th win in 12 tries this season.

“Our team has earned everything we have gotten this year,” Head Coach Matt Langel said. “The focus has to be the same as we start to close down the season. First and foremost, we have to be extremely responsible and do everything we can to stay safe and healthy. Second, we have to stay focused on the day-to-day and work hard to push one another. We want to be playing our best basketball as we head into March.”

Colgate is scheduled to take on Holy Cross next weekend for the final series of the regular season. Game times and locations are to be determined.