HAMILTON, N.Y.  (11/9/07)—The Colgate University men’s basketball team had four players in double figures in a 63-60 season-opening victory over Monmouth College on Cotterell Court. Junior Kyle Roemer (Martinez, Calif.) and sophomore Willie Morse (State College, Pa.) led all Raiders with 15 points.

 

Senior Daniel Waddy (Tuscon, Ariz.) added 14 points, while senior Kendall Chones (Cleveland, Ohio) had 11. Junior Alex Woodhouse (Alexandria, Va.) and senior Peter Minchella (West Lafayette, Ind.) led the way on the glass with six rebounds apiece.

 

Monmouth’s Jhamar Youngblood led all scorers with 20 points and collected six rebounds. Whitney Coleman was the only other Hawk in double figures with 17 points as Monmouth shot 45.1 percent from the floor.

 

Colgate never trailed in the opening half, using an 11-4 run midway through the session to take its largest lead of the game at 29-18. Trailing by 11 with just three minutes remaining in the half, the Hawks went to work and chipped away at Colgate’s lead. Monmouth held the Raiders without a basket in the final three minutes as it cut the lead to just one point, 31-30, at the break.

 

The Hawks came out strong in the second stanza, going ahead by seven points, 42-35, in the opening five minutes. Monmouth built its lead to 48-40 before Colgate used a game-changing 14-3 lead to regain a 54-51 advantage with six minutes left to play.

 

It was a one or two possession game in the final six minutes with Colgate never trailing. A pair of free throws from Chones put Colgate in front by five at 60-55 with 1:58 on the clock, but the Hawks would not go away. They cut the lead to one point with 23 seconds left on the clock.

 

With Monmouth applying a stifling full-court press, Colgate turned the ball over to the Hawks with 18 seconds on the clock and a one-point lead 61-60. A strong Raider defensive effort forced a tough shot by Youngblood with Roemer getting perhaps the most important rebound of the game. Morse was fouled on the ensuing inbound pass and found the bottom of the net on both shots from the line to seal the 63-60.

 

Monmouth struggled from the charity stripe in the contest, shooting just 50 percent for the game and just 42.9 percent in the second half. Colgate shot 45.2 percent from the floor for the game, including 50 percent from long range. The Raiders hit 68 percent of their free throws and five of six in the final two minutes.

 

Colgate returns to action on Nov. 13 at Canisius at 7 p.m.