HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Colgate limited Cornell to 36 percent shooting and used a 21-6 second half run to knock off the Big Red 72-61 on Thursday evening at Cotterell Court. The Raiders evened their record at 1-1 by winning its home opener, while the Big Red slipped to 1-2.
Junior
Matt Morgan scored a game-high 23 points and added five rebounds and five assists to pace three double figure scorers. Junior
Jack Gordon had 11 points and senior
Wil Bathurst notched 10 to go along with five rebounds, while junior
Stone Gettings scored nine points with six boards. Junior Steven Julian had seven rebounds to lead the Big Red. Cornell turned the ball over 16 times and struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-of-27 3-pointers (19 percent).
Jordan Burns had 14 points to lead a balanced Colgate attack that had four in double figures.Jack Ferguson and Jordan Swopshire had 12 points apiece and Sean O'Brien had 11 to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. The Raiders shot 42 percent from the floor after halftime and outrebounded the visitors 45-43 for the game to claim its second straight win in the series.
Cornell cut what had been a 10-point deficit to 40-36 with 15:40 remaining after consecutive three-point plays by Morgan, but the Raiders responded with a run of their own. A 3-pointer by O'Briend and consecutive baskets by Burns pushed the lead back into double figures. Colgate never took its foot off the throttle, extending the advantage to 19 points and staying the double figures for most of the final 11 minutes.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, but a 12-2 run late allowed the Raiders to bring a 32-25 edge into the locker room.
Notes to Know
• Junior
Matt Morgan's 23 points vaulted him from 23rd to 20th on the school's career scoring list, ending the game with 1,079 points.
• Morgan also jumped from eighth to sixth on the school's career 3-point field goal list, ending the contest with 164.
• Morgan posted the first game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists since
Stone Gettings last season against Penn.
• Junior
Jack Gordon was into double figures in scoring for the second consecutive game.
• Senior
Wil Bathurst registered a season-best 10 points and five rebounds.
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Next Up
• The Big Red visits UMass Lowell on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. in Lowell, Mass.
• After winning each of the last two contests between the programs, the River Hawks lead the all-time series 2-1.
• UMass Lowell won last year's meeting, 98-96, in overtime despite 28 points and a game-tying basket at the regulation buzzer by
Robert Hatter.