WILMINGTON, N.C. – Colgate used a 12-0 run in the second half to pull away from UNC Wilmington 72-59 on Wednesday night in its first game of the Seahawks' Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic at the Trask Coliseum.

Colgate got contributions up and down the lineup, led by 17 points apiece from Parker Jones and Brady Cummins. Sam Wright scored 11 of his 14 in a strong second half, finishing one point shy of his career high. Jones added nine rebounds, two blocked shots, and a steal in the balanced all-around effort. 

COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS

"It's been a trying start to the season. I'm appreciative for the leadership our guys have provided early in the season specific to how hard you have to work. This program has been built on process regardless of the outcome. The last few days have been all hands on deck to be in position to win the next game. On the road against a team that is off to a good start and has a lot of history and tradition, I'm proud of the group for finding a way tonight. It's important to recognize what we've accomplished here but we've got to flip the page quickly. We'll get to work immediately on App State and Sam Houston State." HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED

Colgate led 37-29 at intermission and got back-to-back treys from Jones on the first two possessions of the second half. UNCW raced on an 11-2 run and Colgate's lead dwindled to 52-49 with 10:50 remaining in the game but that was as close as the home team would get. 

Wright scored 11 of his 14 points in a dominant second half, including back-to-back layups in a 12-0 Raider responding surge that chewed five minutes of game time and took the life out of the Seahawks with Colgate holding its largest lead, 64-49, with 5:44 remaining. Jalen Cox and Nicolas Louis-Jacques sank two tough jumpers during the burst. 

The Raiders played sound basketball over the final five minutes, scoring late in possessions, limiting UNCW offensive opportunities, and staying aggressive on the glass to prevent a comeback attempt. Jones scored 10 of his career-high 17 in the second half to help Colgate pull away, 72-59. 

BIG FIRST HALF FROM BEHIND THE ARC

A big first half from the three-point line was ignited by two early treys from Jones and Cummins to fuel an early 8-2 lead. UNCW countered with an 11-0 spurt of its own, holding the Raiders scoreless for six minutes to build a 13-8 advantage at the 13:03 mark of the first half. 

Blake Forrest and Wright connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to stop the run, and that immediately led to an 11-0 countering response from the Raiders bookended by another trey from Cummins to give Colgate the lead 19-13 with 9:21 remaining in the opening stanza. 

Another three-point barrage gave Colgate its largest lead of the frame. Kyle Carlesimo, Louis-Jacques, and Chandler Baker all swished 3s before a Cox layup in transition put the Raiders in front 37-25 in the final minute of the first half. 

Colgate finished 9-of-17 from behind the arc in the first half with seven different Raiders connecting. UNCW hung in the game with 14 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second-chance points. The Seahawks scored the final four points – both second-chance layups – to trail 37-29 at the break. 

The Raiders completely turned the table in the second half, outrebounding UNCW 21-11 with 10 offensive boards to UNCW's four. Jones led the way with six rebounds in the final frame.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 

• Colgate shot 50 percent for the game (27-54) and finished with a 39.3 percent clip from behind the arc (11-28). The Raiders finished 7-of-9 from the free throw line for a 77.8 percent mark on Wednesday. 
• UNCW shot 34.4 percent from the field (21-61), 29.2 percent from behind the arc (7-24), and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (10-15). 
• Colgate outrebounded UNCW 21-11 in the second half to finish even with 36 for each team. The Seahawks finished with a slight edge in second-chance points 19-11 while points off turnovers were even at 15 apiece. Colgate turned the ball over 12 times to UNCW's 11. 

GAME NOTES
 

• Parker Jones' 17 points eclipsed his previous career-high 16 last season vs VTSU and his nine rebounds bested his previous career-high eight from earlier this season at Syracuse. 
• Sam Wright's 14 points finished one shy of his career-high 15 last season vs VTSU.
• Colgate has now made 24 three-point field goals in the last two games after connecting on 13 at Harvard and going for 11 against UNCW. 

UP NEXT
Colgate (2-4) continues action in the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic on Friday, taking on Appalachian State at 12 noon at UNC WIlmington's Trask Coliseum.