Paige Kriftcher tallied a team-high 13 points for Colgate, but the Raiders dropped a 70-62 decision to Lehigh Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 19, 2013) Just when Colgate was counting on familiar surroundings to jump-start its Patriot League fortunes, Lehigh put on a size and shooting display en route to a 70-62 conference win here Saturday.
The Raiders suffered their second home loss of the season – and first since theNovember opener – when Lehigh opened an early lead and didn’t let up.
“I was surprised about our first five or six minutes of basketball, about our unforced turnovers in those first five or six minutes,” Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort said. “Initially we had some great defensive rotations, but then one person would forget and they would get an easy shot.”
And Lehigh was making Colgate pay for just the tiniest of lapses. The Mountain Hawks shot 59 percent from the field in the first half and outrebounded Colgate 22-8 in those opening 20 minutes, building a 38-22 advantage that was never challenged.
Junior guard Hilary Weaver and freshman forward Kerry Kinek paced the winners with 18 points apiece, with Weaver connecting on 5-of-7 attempts from 3-point distance after a 4-of-4 first half. Weaver entered the game having made just 10 threes all season.
“They made a lot of shots, and we struggle when that happens and we can’t get out in transition,” Hays Fort said. “They took us out of what we wanted to do.”
Hays Fort also noted the absence of center Lulu Brase, out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Brase’s presence would have been welcomed Saturday.
“They are a big team and it would have helped to have Lulu in there,” Hays Fort said. “The Kinek kid, there’s a reason she’s been freshman of the week so many times (three). She’s a really good player and she made some tough shots. But it would have been nice to have Lulu back today.”
Defensive Out of the Break
Colgate held Lehigh scoreless for more than five minutes to begin the second half, slicing the lead nearly in half to 38-29. Mariah Jones converted a layup to start, and then Catherine Lewis and Kelly Reid added buckets during the 7-0 run.
But the visitors regained control and pushed the margin to as many as 19 points on three different occasions before Colgate managed another late flurry to trim the final margin back into single digits.
“We got it to nine and it’s like we took a deep breath,” Hays Fort said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, guys, we’re still getting our tails kicked.’
“But maybe it’s still a case of changing the culture, about expecting to win but then going out and earning it. Expect to win but earn the right to win, the right to compete.”
The Raiders, now 6-11 overall and 0-3 in Patriot League play, had four players in double figures led by Paige Kriftcher. The freshman scored a season-high 13 points, while Lewis added 12, Reid 11 and Jhazmine Lynch 10 for her sixth straight game in double figures.
“I’m just trying to contribute in whatever way I can, whether it’s defense or offense, just whatever the team needs,” Kriftcher said. “However I can help is what I want to do.”
Freshman Making Inroads
Kriftcher played a season-high 21 minutes and was 4-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-6 from downtown. The Long Island freshman leads the team in 3-point percentage at 36.8, but she also converted a pair of driving bank-shots Saturday that can only add to her arsenal.
“I’m trying to work on that more at practice,” she said. “Going against Jhazmine and Mariah in practice is huge because there are very few guards in the Patriot League who are as quick and athletic as them.”
Rebounding went Lehigh’s way by a 42-26 margin, matching Colgate’s largest deficit of the season from the loss at Connecticut. The Mountain Hawks finished at 49 percent (28-of-57) from the field to Colgate’s 38 percent (21-of-55).
The Raiders were just 4-of-21 from the 3-point stripe but did make 16 of their 19 free throw attempts. Colgate is up to 71.5 percent from the line for the season.
Individually, Lynch led the Raiders in three categories – rebounds (five), assists (four) and steals (three).
“We just need to keep learning from games like today,” Kriftcher said. “We showed we can really pick it up at any time and had a great second half. We just need to do it for it all 40 minutes.
“Obviously, we showed we have the potential to play great. We just need to start with that energy in the beginning.”
Lehigh, 10-8 and 2-1, also had 10 points from Katie O’Reilly.
Colgate’s next chance comes Wednesday at Army in a 7 p.m. start. The Black Knights are 13-4 overall and 2-0 in league play heading into Sunday’s home showdown against Navy.
“We don’t have any easy ones left, but we’re getting there – slowly but surely,” Hays Fort said.
Lehigh 70, Colgate 62
Lehigh (10-8, 2-1): Hilary Weaver 18, Lindsay Hoskins 9, Katie O’Reilly 10, Becky Guman 3, Kerry Kinek 18, Alexandra 2, Sarah Williams 6, Elizabeth Sharlow 4. Totals: 28-8-70.
Colgate (6-11, 0-3): Lauryn Kobiela 6, Mariah Jones 6, Catherine Lewis 12, Kelly Reid 11, Jhazmine Lynch 10, Paige Kriftcher 13, Josie Stockill 2, Carole Harris 2. Totals: 21-16-62.
3-Point Field Goals: Lehigh 6 (Weaver 5, Guman); Colgate 4 (Lewis 2, Kriftcher 2).
Halftime: Lehigh 38-22.