EASTON, Pa. – Colgate connected on 58 percent from the field (35-60) and made 15 3-pointers in thrashing Lafayette 90-67 on Saturday afternoon at the Kirby Sports Center. 

Nicolas Louis-Jacques anchored Colgate's hot-shooting with 21 points, his third 20-point game of the season, on 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Jeff Woodward continued his dominant run down low, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, in 25 minutes of playing time.

Colgate's 35 made goals and 15 made 3-pointers were both season-high marks. Jalen Cox (11) and Brady Cummins (10) gave Colgate four double-figure scorers, while Chandler Baker finished with nine points on a 3-of-4 shooting line from behind the arc – improving his three-point clip to .563 (9-16) in PL play. 

COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS

"Every round is important but getting off to great starts and closing out halves are critical on the road. It helps shape the identity of the game. I'm really proud of the group. We were locked in for most of the game. Our guys paid attention to the game plan and we were well prepared. We made shots on top of that, which can lead to a successful win. We're one-third of the way through regular season play now and we've positioned ourselves well. Quick turnaround to face Bucknell again on Monday. It's a big one for a lot of reasons but most importantly because it's the next one in front of us on our home court."

HOW IT HAPPENED

Colgate was red-hot from the jump, connecting on its first three attempts from long range. Cox, Cummins, and Louis-Jacques all drained 3-pointers in an 11-0 spurt to start the game. Cox turned a defensive steal into a runout and Colgate established an 18-5 lead six minutes into the game. 

Lafayette briefly closed within single-digits 31-22 when Colgate stormed on a 13-0 blitz, connecting on 3-for-3 from behind the arc and forcing four turnovers during the four-minute burst. Kyle Carlesimo started the surge with a trey, and Cummins capped it off with another to establish a 43-21 lead with 3:26 left in the half. 

Both teams traded shots from there, and another triple from Parker Jones helped Colgate hold a 51-30 lead at the intermission. Louis-Jacques scored five points in a quick 7-0 swing to start the second half, which gave the Raiders their largest lead of the game 64-37 four minutes into the second stanza.

After a red-hot 59 percent shooting clip in the first half, Colgate shot 57 percent in the second half to maintain its hefty lead to the finish line. Lafayette brought the deficit to 19 points, 66-47, when Baker capped a 7-0 response from the Raiders with his third trey of the game to stretch the lead back to 73-47 with 9:06 to go.

Lafayette cut the margin to 17 points on a 3-pointer from Justin Vander Baan with 5:01 left. Colgate countered with a 10-2 response, including two more treys from Louis-Jacques to give him 21 points in the game. Good minutes from the reserves down the stretch helped seal Colgate's fourth straight win, 90-67.

GAME NOTES

• Colgate's 15 3-pointers were its most in a Division I game since Feb. 15, 2023, when it made 15-of-27 attempts in a 93-86 Patriot League win over Army. 
• The Raiders are shooting 48 percent from behind the arc (38-80) over their last three games. Nicolas Louis-Jacques during that stretch 11 for his last 19 attempts (.579) from long range. 
• Behind another big performance, Jeff Woodward is averaging 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in Patriot League play. He's scored at least 16 points in four of the last five.
• Louis-Jacques with 21 points recorded his third 20-point showing of the season.  
• Jeff Woodward is 18 points away from becoming the 41st member of Colgate's 1,000-point club. 

UP NEXT
Colgate (8-11, 5-1 Patriot) and Bucknell (7-11, 3-2 Patriot) complete their regular season series Monday night with  a 7 p.m. tipoff from Cotterell Court. The Bison outlasted the Raiders 66-60 on Jan. 5 in Lewisburg. Monday's game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.