HAMILTON – Nicolas Louis-Jacques scored a career-high 27 points with four 3-pointers but it wasn't enough in a 79-73 loss to Iona in the non-league finale Sunday afternoon at Cotterell Court. 

Louis-Jacques' 27 points came on 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-11 from behind the arc, marking the seventh time this season he has made at least three 3-pointers. Jeff Woodward in his first game since Nov. 18 led the team with 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. Jalen Cox finished with 16 points and four assists. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams started 7-for-10 from the field in a hot-shooting opening stanza. Parker Jones' trey in transition gave Colgate an 18-15 lead and that remained the Raiders' leading margin after a bounce pass from Woodward led to an easy basket for Louis-Jacques.
• Iona's full-court pressure continued to cause fits for Colgate to the tune of 11 first-half turnovers. The Gaels turned defense into offense with a late 6-0 run to open a 25-22 lead. 
• Louis-Jacques, who started 5-for-5 from the field and had 17 points in the first half, drained a triple from the corner to help Colgate close within one point 31-30, but Iona scored the final five points of the half to build its largest lead 36-32 at the intermission. 
• Colgate twice drew even in the second half. Back-to-back three-balls from Cox and Chandler Baker made it 45-45 before Louis-Jacques' tough layup in traffic tied the game one last time at 48-48 with 12:26 remaining. 
• Iona immediately shot back with five unanswered points to reclaim the lead for good. The Raiders twice more closed within one point, the last being after a pair of free throws from Cox made it 64-63 with 5:54 remaining, but the Raiders couldn't get the stop they needed on the defensive end.
• Two more free throws from Cox closed the gap to 74-71 with 44 seconds left, and Iona missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but the visitors grabbed the offensive rebound and Colgate never got another chance at a one-possession game. The Gaels closed out the victory from the foul line, 79-73. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Colgate (3-10) had a season-high 20 turnovers, which led to a 27-12 advantage for Iona in points off turnovers. The Gaels (4-8) dominated the glass with 15 of their 32 rebounds coming on the offensive end, leading to 63 shot attempts for the visitors to Colgate's 49. 
• The Raiders shot 57 percent in the second half and 54 percent for the game (26-49), including 10-of-21 from behind the arc. Iona shot 49.2 percent overall and 31.8 percent from long range.

UP NEXT
Following the holiday break Colgate opens its Patriot League title defense at home against Army on Thursday, Jan. 2, for a 7 p.m. tipoff at Cotterell Court.