2008 Woodie Awards
Women's Basketball Edges Lafeyette In One Point Thriller
Alex Friedman
Issue date: 1/28/05 Section: Sports
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It wasn't as easy as it should have been, but the Raider women's basketball team finally got its first Patriot League win last weekend, outlasting Lafayette, 76-75. Returning to Hamilton for a four-game home stand, Colgate now has a chance to turn its early struggles around and get back to the business of defending last year's Patriot League crown.
The Raiders brought a three-game losing streak into the weekend and extended that skid to four consecutive defeats with a loss Friday night at Lehigh before the big win at Lafayette.
The Raiders opened their game at Lehigh poorly and never truly recovered. Four different players committed turnovers on Colgate's first five possessions, and the team failed to connect on a field goal until nearly five minutes into the contest.
Still, the Raiders trailed by a manageable 37-29 margin at halftime, before the Mountain Hawks opened up the second half of play with a quick 12-3 run. Lehigh never led by fewer than nine points for the remainder of the game, maintaining its advantage from start to finish en route to a 72-59 win.
Senior co-captain Emily Braseth paced the Raiders with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. With the team's starting guards, sophomore Molly Patterson and senior Ali Lipinski, struggling with injuries and turnovers, respectively, senior guard Chigozie Ozor came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points. Junior guard Meghan Curtin saw a season-high 28 minutes off the bench and turned in eight points and six rebounds. Junior point guard Megan Ballard swiped a season-best nine steals, eight of them in the second half.
However, turnovers proved Colgate's undoing. A season-worst 25 miscues gave Lehigh too many opportunities at the other end of the floor. The Mountain Hawks remained undefeated in league play, improving over the weekend to 5-0 in the Patriot League and 13-5 overall.
Sunday's match-up with Lafayette offered a slightly easier level of competition. The Leopards, last year's Patriot League cellar-dwellers, brought in an overall record of 3-14, although the team had one more league victory than the Raiders.
The Raiders brought a three-game losing streak into the weekend and extended that skid to four consecutive defeats with a loss Friday night at Lehigh before the big win at Lafayette.
The Raiders opened their game at Lehigh poorly and never truly recovered. Four different players committed turnovers on Colgate's first five possessions, and the team failed to connect on a field goal until nearly five minutes into the contest.
Still, the Raiders trailed by a manageable 37-29 margin at halftime, before the Mountain Hawks opened up the second half of play with a quick 12-3 run. Lehigh never led by fewer than nine points for the remainder of the game, maintaining its advantage from start to finish en route to a 72-59 win.
Senior co-captain Emily Braseth paced the Raiders with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. With the team's starting guards, sophomore Molly Patterson and senior Ali Lipinski, struggling with injuries and turnovers, respectively, senior guard Chigozie Ozor came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points. Junior guard Meghan Curtin saw a season-high 28 minutes off the bench and turned in eight points and six rebounds. Junior point guard Megan Ballard swiped a season-best nine steals, eight of them in the second half.
However, turnovers proved Colgate's undoing. A season-worst 25 miscues gave Lehigh too many opportunities at the other end of the floor. The Mountain Hawks remained undefeated in league play, improving over the weekend to 5-0 in the Patriot League and 13-5 overall.
Sunday's match-up with Lafayette offered a slightly easier level of competition. The Leopards, last year's Patriot League cellar-dwellers, brought in an overall record of 3-14, although the team had one more league victory than the Raiders.