Colgate’s class sees Raiders down Mountain Hawks

A STRONG first half from the Colgate Raiders has seen the New York-based side prove too good for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the NCAA Division I clash on Monday.

The Raiders have enjoyed a slightly more positive start to the competition than their opponents, and punished a disappointing beginning to the match from the Mountain Hawks to take a double-digit lead into the main break, and never looked back from there.

Colgate fired in the opening stages of the game, looking fluid in its offensive sets and picking apart the Lehigh defence with strong ball movement and attacking play. Often the Mountain Hawks were exposed going downhill and found themselves on the back foot. By the time the first half wrapped, the Raiders had pumped out 43 points, 12 more than the opposition and looked in the box seat to take home the victory. Although the second half was a much tighter affair as Lehigh clamped up on the defensive end a bit, Colgate was still too good for the opposition and cruised home to a 76-60 triumph.

The victors were led by an imposing offensive performance from Braeden Smith, with the guard leading the match in scoring. Despite standing at just six foot, Smith stood taller in impact than anything, using his inside scoring and mid-range damage to end the match with 24 points (8/13 FG, 7/7 FT). Also impressing for the Raiders were Oliver Lynch-Daniels (14 points, 6/9 FG) and Tucker Richardson (11 points).

On the flip side, Evan Taylor was the standout for the Mountain Hawks, with the lengthy guard ending the match with 19 points (a team-high figure) and six rebounds. At six-foot-six, he has proven to be a tough matchup in the past and his ability to score the rock came to the forefront again. Tyler Whitney-Sidney had 13 points for Lehigh as well while Keith Higgins Jr. added 12 of his own.

The Raiders have now improved to a record of above .500 on the season thanks to Monday’s triumph, sitting at 8-7 on the year. If they can continue to execute on the offensive end as they did in the first half, that win tally should improve further. In contrast, the Mountain Hawks have slumped to 5-8 on the season, and are yet to defeat an opponent in their division. Defence should be a point of emphasis in the coming weeks given it was the biggest factor in the loss to Colgate.

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