NCAAM Niagara outlasts Colgate in overtime

LEWISTON, N.Y. >> Jordan Burns swished a game-tying 3-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation and Colgate erased a late eight-point deficit before falling to Niagara 93-82 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.

Colgate (6- 4) trailed 78-70 with 1:53 left in regulation, but found another gear in the final minutes and closed on a 10-2 run to tie the game. Tucker Richardson scored the first seven points in the swing, with a trey from the corner making it 80-77 with just over a minute left.

Niagara (2-5) lofted an errant shot on its ensuing possession, opening the door for one more chance for the Raiders. Burns advanced the ball and let the clock wind down before burying the tying triple with just eight ticks left.

The Raiders charged a turnover on Niagara’s next possession and earned one last chance in regulation. Richardson heaved a half-court shot as the final horn went off, but it caromed off the rim and the score remained 80-80 at the end of regulation.

After being held without a field goal over the final 2:44 of regulation, Niagara hit on three straight in overtime, including a 3-pointer from Marcus Hammond in a 9-0 Purple Eagles run that put the game out of reach. Niagara outscored Colgate 13-2 in overtime.

Richardson shined for the Raiders and set career highs in

points (23), rebounds (11), and field goals made (10). Burns registered 16 points, Jack Ferguson had a season-high 12, and Will Rayman and Rapolas Ivanauskas both finished with 11.

“I want to give a lot of credit to Coach Paulus’ staff and their student-athletes. They have been in a tough situation with the coaching change at the time of the year that it happened. They didn’t have a great record coming in, but watching film, I told our guys this is a dangerous team because they are bought in, connected to one another, and getting better,” Colgate head coach Matt Langel said. “I amdisappointed for us and our group. We have had a number of close games like this and in all reality we have been fortunate to win a lot of those. It’s college basketball. It’s fragile. We can’t rely on shooting. When we’ve got a team down by as many as 16 in the first half, we have to manage the game better. I didn’t do a good enough job of helping our guyswith that. When you let the other team gain confidence, anything can happen.”

It was all Colgate early. Ivanauskas scored the first 10 points for the Raiders, who led by as many as 16 points in the first half. Rayman hit back-to-back treys during a 14-2 run that pushed the Raiders in front 24-8 midway through the opening frame.

The Raiders started 8-of11 from downtown, but fell into a cold spell after that and missed their last eight attempts of the half. Niagara, meanwhile, took advantage with a 14-2 run on three straight 3-pointers to trim the deficit to 42-39 at the break.

Niagara stayed hot from the field with a 4-of-5 start in the second half. A steal and dunk by Raheem Solomon handed the Purple

Eagles their first lead of the game 47-45. A jumper from Hammond extended their lead before Richardson snapped the drought with a trey from the wing to cut the deficit to 49-48 at the first media timeout of the second half.

Ferguson scored five of the next seven points forColgate, and a 3-pointer from the corner pulled the Raiders back in front 55-53. But back-to-back treys swayed the lead back in favor of the home team 66-62 with less than eight minutes left.

Niagara’s lead crept up to eight 78-70 down the stretch before Colgate staged its late comeback to send the game to overtime.