The Colgate Raiders secured a thrilling 69-67 win against the University of Albany (UAlbany) in their opening game of the 2025 Northern Classic at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. The Raiders were led by Jalen Cox, who scored 17 points, and Sam Wright, who added 16 points. Kyle Carlesimo also played a crucial role, hitting five 3-pointers to fuel a strong second-half performance.
The game was closely contested, with UAlbany taking an early 13-6 lead. However, Colgate fought back, with Carlesimo hitting two 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run and give the Raiders their first lead of the game. The teams traded baskets throughout the first half, with UAlbany taking a 36-28 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Colgate’s offense picked up, and they managed to erase UAlbany’s nine-point lead. A 3-pointer by Josh Ahayere capped off an 11-2 run, giving the Raiders a 51-50 advantage with 12:16 remaining. The scoring slowed down for both teams, but Colgate maintained a slim lead. With under five minutes to go, Carlesimo hit a corner three to extend the lead to four, and Andrew Alekseyenko’s breakaway dunk made it 68-62.
In the final seconds, UAlbany narrowed the lead to 69-67, but strong defense from Ayomi Odetoyinbo on the buzzer-beating layup attempt secured the win for Colgate. The victory marked Colgate’s first win against UAlbany since 2013, extending their all-time lead in the series to 15-9. Despite struggling with free throw shooting, going 3-7 from the line, Colgate’s strong second-half performance and clutch plays down the stretch were enough to secure the win. The Raiders shot 47% from the field, including 37% from behind the arc, to overcome their free throw struggles and come out on top.