HAMILTON – Nicolas Louis-Jacques poured in 21 points and Colgate led from start to finish in its season-opening 95-62 victory over SUNY Canton on Tuesday night at Cotterell Court. 

Louis-Jacques' 21 points came on 7-of-10 from the field including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Jeff Woodward was perfect (8-for-8) from the field to match his career high with 17 points, and he added team-high outputs in rebounds (9) and assists (6). Brady Cummins reached double-figures with 11 points.

COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS

"We've got 14 guys in our program and 10 of them are in their first or second year of college. There's not a lot of experience in terms of competitive college basketball, let alone what it means to be a Colgate player. We were sluggish feeling out the game on defense but I'm happy with how we responded. All in all a good experience and we've got a few days before we go on the road to play our first Division I competition of the season. It's not so much about the opponent as it is about us, especially this time of year. There's a lot to figure out this time of year and to be honest I'm motivated to be part of it to see what this group can become. Our guys are anxious and excited for the opportunities ahead."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

• Nicolas Louis-Jacques scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, netting a pair of 3-pointers and knocking in a two-handed dunk, to get the Raiders going offensively. 
• Chandler Baker and Parker Jones canned back-to-back triples in an 8-2 burst that broke away from an 18-18 deadlock and gave Colgate the lead for good midway through the first half. 
• Jeff Woodward took over late in the first half. He scored nine consecutive points for Colgate and started 5-for-5 from the field to extend the lead to double-digits, 42-28. 
• Brady Cummins' driving layup with 1:23 left in the half gave Colgate its largest lead of the game, 48-30, and the Raiders went into the locker room holding a 48-32 advantage. 
• Colgate drew from the bench for large portions of the second half. Blake Forrest scored seven points and finished with a game-high +13 rating on 2-of-5 shooting from the field. 
• Sam Wright (6) and Chandler Baker (5) combined for 11 points during the final 20 minutes.
• Colgate took its largest lead of the game in the final minute of regulation when Josh Ahayere sank a free throw to make it 95-62, which proved to be the final score. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Colgate shot 52.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from behind the arc, and 70 percent from the free throw line. SUNY Canton shot 38.5 percent overall and 36.4 percent from long range.
• The Raiders finished with 20 assists against 12 turnovers and held a 42-25 advantage in rebounds, including 11 on the offensive glass. 

GAME NOTES

• Colgate starts 1-0 for the second straight season and fourth time in the last five years.
• Head Coach Matt Langel's record in season openers at Colgate improved to .500 at 7-7.
• Nicolas Louis-Jacques finished one point shy of his career high, tallying a team-best 21 points.
• Jeff Woodward matched his career high with 17 points on 8-of-8 from the field. He scored the same total last February at Loyola. 
• Prior to the game the Raiders unveiled their three banners to celebrate last year's Patriot League regular season championship, tournament title, and NCAA tournament appearance. 

UP NEXT
Colgate (1-0) heads to Philadelphia, Pa., to take on Drexel (1-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.