The Colgate Raiders travelled to American on Saturday looking to avenge a loss to the Eagles earlier in the season. The game was a thriller as each team consistently found leads and posted strong performances. Ultimately though, the Eagles came away with a hard-fought 70-55 win.

The first half went back and forth as both teams played smart basketball and shot the ball well. The

Eagles had an advantage in converting a higher percentage of their shots successfully; they converted 42.11 percent of their shots, while the Raiders converted

32.14 percent.

Despite American’s advantage on shots, the Raiders kept the game close and held leads with a strong defensive presence and banking some three-point shots of their own. The Raiders were also strong offensively with poised playmaking; they committed only four turnovers throughout the contest. They also distributed the ball well, dishing out 12 assists as a team.

The Raiders also saw a broad distribution of points as senior forward Brandon James led the team with 18 points on 54.5 percent shooting, including four three-pointers. Junior forward Murphy Burnatowski also contributed to the barrage with 11 points of his own. Senior guard Mitch Rolls and sophomore guard Luke Roh also contributed to a strong

offensive effort.

Defensively, Colgate was strong throughout the first half. The Raiders

limited the Eagles to minimal scoring opportunities and refused to let the Eagles have solid open looks. The Eagles scored only 25 points throughout the first half. Luke Roh once again led the Raiders’ defensive effort grabbing a team-high five defensive boards.

Going into the second half with the Eagles holding a one-point advantage, the Raiders looked to improve their shooting and maintain their strong defensive presence. However, the Eagles came out in dominating fashion, with improved shooting of their own and a strangling defense.

The Eagles improved to 50 percent shooting, including 44 percent from the arc giving them a solid advantage over the Raiders. The Eagles’s strong offensive output left five players scoring in double digits. Sophomore guard John Schoof led the Eagles with a monster performance highlighted by a game-high 24 points, including five three-pointers. Schoof currently ranks fourth in the country in making 50.9 percent of his

three-point attempts.

Eagles senior forward Stephen Lumpkins, senior guard Daniel Munoz, junior center Tony Wroblicky and first-year guard Jesse Reed also posted double

digit performances.

American’s inside presence during the second half provided the Eagles the defensive stops that they needed to contain the Raiders. Lumpkins and Wroblicky led the Eagles inside game with a combined 19 rebounds, 16 of which were defensive rebounds.

Colgate attempted to shut down the Eagles with a strong defense. However, the Eagles dominated with their strong points distribution. The Eagles also took advantage of some defensive lapses on the part of the Raiders, thereby giving American stronger scoring opportunities in the second half compared to the first half.

As the Raiders continued to go on intermittent scoring runs, the Eagles bested them with high-scoring runs of their own. Ultimately, the Raiders dropped the game

70-55. The Eagles’s high-octane offense in the second half gave them an advantage in the second half scoring 45 of their team points during the half.

The loss sends the Raiders to a 3-5 record in Patriot League play while the Eagles improve to 4-4. The Raiders will play home on Saturday at 2 p.m. to face first place Lehigh.

Contact Matt Washuta at

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