NCAA INTERACTIVE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 15 Colgate's hot outside-shooting kept them within striking distance of No. 2 Tennessee, but the Raiders could not overcome the Volunteers' presence in the paint in a 77-70 loss during the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon at Nationwide Arena.
Colgate connected on 15-of-29 from 3-point range for the game and used a 14-3 run in the second half to take a 52-50 lead. Patriot League Tournament MVP Jordan Burns scored a game-high 32 points by shooting 12-of-20 from the field, including 8-of-13 from long distance. Junior forward Will Rayman finished with 10 points and five rebounds while Patriot League Rookie of the Year Tucker Richardson added 10 points and four assists.
Tennessee outscored the Raiders, 38-20, in the paint, with senior guard Admiral Schofield leading four Volunteers in double figures with 19 points.
The Patriot League Champion Raiders, who played in their first NCAA Tournament game since 1996, conclude the season with a program-best 24-11 record. The Volunteers snapped Colgate’s 11-game winning streak that began on Feb. 4 at Lehigh. It was the fifth-longest winning streak in NCAA DI entering the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND (SOUTH REGION)
NO. 2 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (30-5) 77, NO. 15 COLGATE RAIDERS (24-11) 70
Nationwide Arena/Columbus, Ohio 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS/Westwood One)
BOX SCORE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 15 Colgate outscored No. 2 Tennessee in the second half, 40-35, but fell short of an upset bid, in a 77-70 loss to the Volunteers in the South Region first round.
*Sophomore guard Jordan Burns spurred Colgate’s offense with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range. Including the Patriot League Championship Game, Burns has scored 67 points in his last two games.
*The 32-point performance from Burns is the most points Tennessee has allowed to an individual player this season.
*Junior forward Will Rayman finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds. Freshman guard Tucker Richardson scored 10 points, going 2-for-4 from 3-point range and shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
*Junior forward Rapolas Ivanauskas, the Patriot League Player of the Year, did not play in the second half and was slowed during the first half with an eye injury. He finished with three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in 16 minutes of action.
*Colgate trailed Tennessee, 42-30, at halftime with Burns leading the way with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long distance. Senior center Dana Batt chipped in eight points in the first half.
*The Raiders were outscored 26-10 in the paint in the first half while allowing 10 points off turnovers to the Volunteers.
*During an early second-half run, Burns connected on a pair of 3-pointers and senior guard Francisco Amiel made one to bring the Raiders within one point, 48-47, with 13:21 remaining in the game.
*Colgate took its first lead of the game, 49-48, on a pair of free throws from Richardson at the 12:09 mark in the second half. He made a 3-pointer 32 seconds later to give Colgate its largest lead, 52-50.
*The Volunteers regained the lead and extended it to as many as five points three times, but Burns and Richardson had answers to bring Colgate back within one score.
*The Volunteers’ senior guard Admiral Schofield scored eight of his 19 points, including two 3-pointers in the final 96 seconds to seal the victory for Tennessee.
FOR MORE INFORMATION READ THE COLGATE MEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP
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The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.