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HAMILTON – Colgate continued its hot long-range shooting and registered a 77-71 victory over Columbia here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Raiders finished 16-of-37 from beyond the 3-point arc to land one shy of their team record against a Division I opponent. Eight of those bombs came in the first 10 minutes to help Colgate build a 28-6 lead.
 
Colgate for the season keeps stair-stepping its way up the 3-point ladder. The Raiders opened the year with eight threes at Connecticut, made 11 in a win over Cornell, dropped 15 against both UMBC and Boston College and then swished 16 Saturday.
 
But in a game of runs, Columbia had its share of good fortune and kept things interested until the end. The Raiders led just 36-30 at intermission, bumped that margin back to 14 by the midway point of the second half, and then made enough free throws down the stretch to snap a six-game losing streak to the Lions.
 
Will Rayman led Colgate with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Sean O'Brien added 15 points, Jordan Swopshire 14, Dana Batt a career-high 12 and Francisco Amiel a season-high 10 as Colgate continued to spread the scoring wealth.
 
Columbia's Lukas Meisner paced all scorers with 18.

Bottom Line
Colgate 77, Columbia 71
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 3-2.
• Columbia is now 1-4.
 
Game of Runs
• The Raiders never trailed and the game's only tie was 2-2.
• After that, Colgate scored 18 straight on six 3-pointers to lead 20-2 with 12:31 showing on the first-half clock.
• The Raiders pushed it to 28-6 by the 10:01 mark for their largest lead of the game.
• It was still 34-15 Colgate after O'Brien's 3-pointer with 7:30 remaining when Columbia turned the tables.
• The Lions closed the half 15-2 and trailed just 36-30 at intermission. O'Brien's jumper at 1:06 was Colgate's only bucket over the final 7-plus minutes.
• In the second half, Meisner's 3-pointer pulled Columbia within 45-43 with 15:58 left.
• But the Raiders responded over the next 90 seconds with a pair of threes from Swopshire sandwiched around a Batt layup to make it 53-43.
• Colgate's largest lead of the second half came at 64-50 and 66-52, the latter on Amiel's layup with exactly 10 minutes to play.
• Columbia then answered with an 11-0 run over 2:27 and pulled within three at 66-63.
• But though the Raiders made just one of their final 11 attempts from the field, they were 9-of-12 at the line to maintain the lead.
• Batt was 4-of-4 at the stripe and converted the only made field goal in that closing stretch to record his career-high point total for the second consecutive game.
 
Facts & Figures
• Colgate is 3-2 through five games for the first time since a 98-86 win at Tulane back in 2013. That night, the Raiders knocked down 17 3-point field goals to set the team record against a Division I foe.
• Coupled with the Nov. 16 win over Cornell, Colgate completed a season sweep of Ivy League opponents for the first time since 2001-02. The Raiders that year posted wins over Cornell, Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth.
• Colgate from the field was exactly 13-of-29 in the first half and 13-of-29 in the second.
• The Raiders attempted their first free throw of the game with 5:04 remaining. Batt knocked down two and Colgate proceeded to go 9-of-12 from the line when it counted.
• For all the back and forth, the second half ended in a 41-41 draw.
• The Lions are 1-4 but have yet to play at home this season. Their next game is at Connecticut.
• Colgate's last win over Columbia was Nov. 28, 1998, in the consolation round of the Pepsi-Marist Classic in Poughkeepsie. The Raiders prevailed, 75-64.
 
From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Matt Langel: (On the game) "It was a great game and a great team effort. We've been working really hard on our defense. We took away some of their open looks and made them work."
 
(On Dana Batt) "I was really proud of him. He fought foul trouble and here's a guy who was playing a few minutes a game during his freshman and sophomore years and has really stepped up. He has been really terrific on a daily basis and I'm really proud of his effort. He scored some big buckets in the paint when they were helping out on our shooters and, obviously, 4-for-4 from the foul line."
 
• Colgate forward Will Rayman: (On his rebounding effort) "It's the thing I can do every game and that's go play hard and rebound. Our team has focused on rebounding."
 
(On beating Columbia) "It's great. Columbia is right around the corner from my house. I grew up watching them play and it's awesome to beat them today."
 
• Colgate guard Sean O'Brien: (On the 3-point shooting) "We were moving the ball really well in the beginning of the game. We know we have a good team and if we play the way can, we're not really worried about what the defense does. We're going to get our shots and we are going to make our shots when we get them."
 
(On his sparking assist-to-turnover ratio this season) "I'm the captain of this team and the team looks to me be a leader out there and take control when we need it. It's my responsibility to take care of the ball and get the team a good shot."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Cotterell Court was 418.
 
Up Next
• Colgate begins a four-game road tour of New York State with a Wednesday matchup at Albany.
• The Great Danes are 6-0 after Saturday's 78-62 win at Holy Cross. Albany plays Monday night at Monmouth.
• Start time from the Capital District is 7 p.m., with America East on ESPN3 carrying the livestream.