HAMILTON – Brady Cummins scored a career-high 19 points and Braeden Smith amassed a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-seeded Colgate to its fourth consecutive Patriot League championship with a 74-55 win over sixth seeded Lehigh at Cotterell Court. 

With the win the Raiders await word on Sunday from the NCAA Championship Tournament Committee as to their first-round opponent and site.

COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS

"It has been a special season. I have been a lucky coach because we have had a lot of special seasons. I never lose sight of the fragility of this whole thing, winning in the regular season, getting a chance to play at home, getting back to another championship game and winning. We don't take it for granted. We are really proud of what we were able to accomplish. 

"We played determined tonight. The semifinals game woke us up a little bit to how hard you have to play for every single moment you're out there and our guys did that. I thought we dominated the paint. We got into the paint off the bounce, we threw it inside. We got offensive rebounds. That put a lot of pressure on them. It gave Brady Cummins a chance to drive to the basket. We played with the energy that the crowd brought. I'm super proud of the group, of the season, of the game. It has been a great ride. I'm excited to keep getting to coach this group."

HOW IT HAPPENED

Colgate scored off the opening tip four seconds into the contest on a driving layup from Jalen Cox off an assist from Ryan Moffatt. Following a Keegan Records block of a Lehigh layup attempt, Cummins scored his first two points on a layup for a 4-0 lead with 34 ticks gone. 

Lehigh scored the next five points to take its only lead of the game. A Cummins layup let the Raiders retake the lead and began a 7-0 run. Lehigh broke the string with a bucket just before the 16:00 minute time out to shrink the lead to four points. It was as close as the Mountain Hawks would come for the remainder of the game.

Cummins made two free throws coming out of the time out giving him six points in the game's first 4:17. The Raider lead swelled to double digits with 13:45 left in the half as Records powered in a layup off the first of Smith's five assists in the game. Four straight Lehigh points cut the advantage to 17-11 before Colgate went on a 12-2 run pushing the margin to 16. 

A Cummins field goal with 1:46 left gave the Raiders their largest lead of the half at 45-23 before a Lehigh trifecta produced a 19-point Raider lead at the break.

There was no let-up in Colgate after the half. Lehigh scored the first point of the second half, and the Raiders answered, scoring 11 of the next 13 points for a 59-28 advantage just over five minutes into the stanza. 

The lead stayed in the 20's until Cummins gave Colgate a 30-point lead on a layup with just under four minutes remaining. Both teams substituted liberally over the final four minutes with Lehigh scoring the game's final 11 points.

The celebration was already on in Hamilton, with Colgate cruising to the 74-55 victory over Lehigh in securing its fourth consecutive Patriot League championship. 

Cummins' 19 points came on an impressive 8-of-9 clip from the field. Smith's 12 rebounds were a career-best effort. Colgate shot 55.6 percent from the field (30-54) and dominated on the boards with a 43-27 advantage in rebounds. 

GAME NOTES

• Colgate became the first team in Patriot League history to four-peat and now stands alone with the most conference titles (7) surpassing Holy Cross and Bucknell. 
• Head Coach Matt Langel in his 13th season has tied long-time Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon for the most Patriot League tournament wins (21). 
• Smith was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring 48 points and adding 27 rebounds and 15 assists in the three games. The accolade follows his being named the Patriot League Player of the Year. 
• Cummins, Records and Jeff Woodward were each named to the All-Tournament Team. 
• This is the seventh consecutive time the Raiders have advanced to the championship game, winning five, including the last four. Colgate has hosted the last six Patriot League championship games.
• The championship crowd of 1,533 was the largest of the season.

 UP NEXT
Colgate (25-9, 16-2 PL) carries a five-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The Raiders will learn their destination during the selection show on Sunday, March 17, which will air at 6 p.m. on CBS.