Colgate Rallies From Down 15 To Collect A Road Win At Navy

By: Ethan Hennessy

Annapolis Maryland

Ryan Moffat scored the first eight points for Colgate. The game had a fast pace feel from the onset. Both teams had reach double digits less than five minutes into the game. However the pace slowed up a bit. Navy shot 54.5% from three in the first half and had a commanding 30-15 lead at the 7:34 mark. Colgate though who has a roster and coaching staff filled with players who possess championship experience did not let the circumstances deter them. The Raiders spend the remainder of the first half slicing that Navy lead in half. 38-31 was the score when we entered halftime. At the beginning of the second half Colgate big man Jeff Woodward was visibly absent from the bench. When he did emerge from the locker-room he was in street clothes and had a large bandage over his right eye. He got poked in the eye in the first half and after the game Colgate head coach Matt Langel explained it was the same eye he had gotten cut just below in a recent game against Cornell.

Colgate did not miss the presence of their center as it took the Raiders just two minutes and twenty eight seconds to finish closing the remainder of the Navy lead overtake the Midshipmen on the scoreboard. Navy coach Ed DeChellis commented “I thought we played a really good first sixteen minutes and the game was lost in the last four of the first half and the next four of the second half.”

Mac MacDonald has taken on a bigger role for Navy this season. Coach DeChellis said “We need him to score the ball. I thought offensively he did a really nice job in the first half.” Colgate did what they needed to do offensively to maintain the lead and come away with the 80-72 win. Braeden Smith finished the game with 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. His teammate Ryan Moffatt had 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, and was a perfect four for four from three.

For Navy Austin Benigni had 14 points and eight assists. Mac MacDonald recorded 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Colgate returns home to Cotterell Court for a rematch of the 2023 Patriot League title game when they take on Lafayette who is 2-0 in conference. Up next for Navy after starting with two conference home games the Mids will embark on a two game roadtrip visiting Holy Cross on Wednesday and Lafayette on Saturday.

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