Carole Harris had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Colgate in Wednesday night’s win over Boston University. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Raiders Race Past Boston U., 81-64
Double-Doubles from Harris, Reid Spark Initial Patriot League Victory
By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 15, 2014) Definition of a great first half? Allowing an opponent to score 48 second-half points and yet never being in danger of letting the game slip away.
Colgate welcomed its top starting lineup back to Cotterell Court and proceeded to put together one of its best opening halves of the season while waltzing past Boston University 81-64 Wednesday night. The Raiders led 35-16 at intermission and breezed to their first Patriot League victory.
“First time all year; first time we’ve had all 14 players,” Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort said. “And we had our starting five back. That was key.”
Colgate’s regular starting lineup of Lauryn Kobiela, Mariah Jones, Catherine Lewis, Kelly Reid and Carole Harris improved to 5-6 as a unit this season. The Raiders are 0-5 with their other starting combinations.
“We definitely were in sync today,” Harris said. “That starting lineup is really in sync, so it gets us going.”
Double-Trouble Down Low
Reid looked to be the missing link, as the junior forward posted a double-double in her true return to action after a four-game injury hiatus. The junior, who played 12 minutes Saturday at American, played 30 this night while scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
She also cleared the path for Harris to register her own double-double with 19 and 10.
“They play so well together and just feed off each other,” Hays Fort said. “Having Kelly in there to stabilize our defense let’s Carole kind of roam around a little bit. She can rebound and go for steals because she knows Kelly’s there.
“When Kelly’s not in, Carole has to be a little bit more of the anchor. It does really affect our defense, so it was nice to have everybody back.”
Five Raiders reached double figures, with Jones, Lewis and Missy Repoli scoring 11 points apiece. Colgate as a team set season highs for field-goal percentage (52.5), 3-pointers made (11) and assists (24).
It was the team’s first time shooting better than 50 percent from the field, thanks mainly to the 19-of-32 (59.4) effort in the second half. Clearly, the Raiders were finding the open look.
“We’re so much better when we can create shots for other players,” Hays Fort said. “When the ball gets stuck in one player’s hands, we struggle offensively.
“Tonight, it was about being a great teammate, making extra passes, creating for others – and we did a tremendous job of that, especially in the whole first half and the first part of the second.”
3-Point Barrage
There was some early drama. The lead changed hands four times in the opening six minutes before Reid hit a pair of free throws and then a layup that made it 9-5 Colgate with 13:51showing.
The Raiders led 13-11 with 9:03 to play in the half when they went on a 15-0 run over the next 5½ minutes to make it 28-11 before BU scored again at the 3:33 mark. Six different Colgate players lit the scoring lamp during this stretch, with Jones, Lewis and Repoli all connecting from downtown.
That dynamic shooting trio combined for 9-of-15 from 3-point distance as they race their way up the Colgate record charts. All three already are inside the program’s career top 10 in 3-pointers made: Jones is seventh with 97, Lewis eighth with 95 and Repoli 10th with 90.
Lewis, by the way, was playing her 100th game in a Colgate uniform.
Colgate coasted to a 35-16 halftime advantage. Not only was it the team’s best defensive effort in the first half all season – holding Drexel to 23 was the previous low – but it also was the team’s best defensive 20 minutes, period. The Raiders held Columbia to 18 in the second half of 72-44 triumph back on Dec. 7.
“We knew Boston was a good team, but the beauty of the Patriot League is everyone can compete on any given night,” Reid said. “We were going to have to bring our A-game if we were going to win, and we managed to do that.
“We came out with a lot of energy in the first half and it propelled us through the game.”
No Second-Half Snooze
Slow starts to the second half – a recent bugaboo – weren’t a Maroon problem this time around. Colgate scored the first eight points after the break and built its largest lead of the game at 43-16 with 18:12 remaining.
Kobiela hit a jumper and then Lewis and Jones buried threes – leaving the Boston University side shaking their collective heads.
“A drill we do every day in practice helps us work on getting it into the post and looking opposite for the guards – always looking to make the extra pass,” said Harris, who doubled her previous career high by dishing out six assists. “That’s a point of emphasis we always have.”
The Terriers scored 48 points in second period – their highest total for any half this season – yet never drew closer than 15 the rest of the way.
“We really wanted to make sure we didn’t let their shooters get clean shots, and we did a great job of that in the first half,” Hays Fort said. “We held them to one 3-pointer (1-of-10), and they made seven the other day against Lafayette in the first half.
“We also wanted to focus on their inside game. No. 22 (Rashidat Agboola) is a great player and she was named Preseason All-Patriot League. We knew we had to be all over them and not let them get any good quick shots. We switched it up a lot – man and zone – wanting to keep them on their toes a little bit.”
Colgate limited Agboola to seven points and just three rebounds, well below her team-leading averages in both categories. The Terriers were led by Clodagh Scannell’s 15 points.
“It really stems from our defense, which was an overall team effort,” Reid said. “Mariah and Randyll were getting steals, our post defense was strong, so we were able to stop them on defense and convert on offense.”
“It really propelled us into the second half.”
Colgate’s remaining scoring came from Kobiela with nine, Randyll Butler with eight – including her second 3-pointer of the season – and Katie Curtis with the Raiders’ final bucket. Kobiela added eight assists.
Navy is Next
The Raiders won the rebound tussle 37-31, and the turnovers were nearly even at 18-17 BU. Colgate finished 31-of-59 from the floor for 52.5 percent, 11-of-21 from long distance for 52.4 percent, and 8-of-10 from the line. Boston University was 25-of-62 from the floor for 40.3 percent, 8-of-24 from three and 6-of-10 from the line.
“I wasn’t happy with the shots we gave up in the second half,” Hays Fort said. “But when you haven’t had a lot of success and then you are having success, it’s tough to play possession-by-possession. It’s hard to feel the need to gut it out when you look up at the scoreboard and you’re comfortably ahead.
“That’s something we’ve got to do better: not playing to the score. It shouldn’t matter if you’re up or down, you’ve got to play each possession like it’s the last.”
Colgate improved to 5-11 overall while snapping a six-game losing streak. The Raiders are 1-4 in the Patriot League and in a four-way tie for seventh place. Boston University is now 6-12 and 1-4.
Next for the Raiders is a trip to first-place Navy, which won in double-overtime Wednesday at Bucknell to improve to 13-3 and 5-0. Start time from Annapolis is 7 p.m.
“We’re going to a very tough Navy team Saturday,” Hays Fort said. “We’re a better team than 0-6 or 0-5 or 0-4, and we’re finally healthy. We talked about being fearless, committing to each other and controlling the things we can control.
“We just want to put ourselves in a good position going into the conference tournament and be fearless toward the outcome. It’s really important for our players to have a little bit of success right now.”
Ashlyne Rando made 31 saves in net for Colgate Tuesday night against Syracuse at Starr Rink. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Raiders Ready for ECAC Hockey Return
Colgate Drops 2-0 Decision to Syracuse in Final Nonconference Matchup
By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – Jan. 14, 2014) Colgate head coach Greg Fargo warns against reading too much into Tuesday’s final nonconference tuneup against Syracuse.
The Raiders lost 2-0 on a pair of second-period goals, but Fargo is convinced his squad is well prepared for the final 12-game push to the ECAC Hockey playoffs.
“We’re back into ECAC Hockey play for the last 12 games and I like it,” Fargo said. “These are important games and it’s going to be a sprint to the finish.
“We’re fighting tooth and nail to get into the playoffs, but every game means something and our team knows that.”
First up for Colgate are this weekend’s visits to Starr Rink by Harvard (12-2-2) and Dartmouth (4-12-1). The Raiders host the Crimson in a Friday night start at 7 o’clock, and then play the Big Green at 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon.
“Despite the result tonight, I do like how our team’s been playing here lately,” Fargo said. “We’re kind of coming into our own. We’re going to take a day off and then get back to work Thursday and be ready to go for this weekend.”
Two-Goal Strike
After a quiet first period, Syracuse scored twice in a 2-minute span of Tuesday’s second stanza to sweep the season series from Colgate and improve to 11-9-2 this season. Syracuse won the opener 2-1 back in late November.
The Orange goals this night came from Melissa Piacentini during a 5-on-3 advantage and Eleanor Haines at even strength.
Piacentini’s goal was the result of the puck deflecting off her shin pad in front of the net. Nicole Renault fired a shot from the right point and it hit Piacentini. The puck fluttered over the shoulder of Colgate goalie Ashlynne Rando like a field goal try and dropped inside the far post with 11:08 on the clock.
The next tally for Syracuse came exactly two minutes later. Haines collected a rebound off Rando above the crease and beat the outstretched glove of the Colgate netminder to make it 2-0. Sadie St. Germain and Laurence Porlier set up the play with two shots during a rush that Rando stopped, but Haines found a way to put the puck in the net.
Rando finished with 31 saves.
“She was pretty strong for us,” Fargo said of his sophomore. “I liked how she fought through some traffic in front to find the puck. To me that’s a sign of her being on her game.
“I know she’s coming off a couple of up-and-down games of late, but it was nice for her to get back and see the puck really well tonight. I’m happy for Ashlynne and, hopefully, she can keep going in that direction.”
Fast Start – Almost
Colgate had some near-misses but couldn’t slide the puck past Syracuse’s Jenesica Drinkwater, who stopped all 24 Raider shots.
Rachel Walsh nearly scored in the first period for Colgate. She was battling in front of the cage and the puck came off the pads of Drinkwater and Walsh’s skate was there, but she pushed it wide.”
The Raiders fired 13 shots at Drinkwater in the final 20 minutes but couldn’t break through and dropped to 5-15-2 this season.
Colgate won the faceoff battle, 29-26, led by Walsh and Taylor Craig with 10 wins apiece. Walsh finished with five shots on goal, Cat Quirion had four, Miriam Drubel three and Craig, Melissa Kueber and Katie Case adding two apiece.
The Raiders were 0-of-5 on the power play to Syracuse’s 1-of-4.
“Depending on how you look at it, there are a lot of positives,” Fargo said. “We came off a game where we liked how we played Saturday at Penn State, and we felt like going into this game that would help us. We were coming off a game and they (Syracuse) had an extra day off.
“Sometimes when you have too much time off, you have a little bit of a feeling-out period at the start of a game. We wanted to jump right into it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the start we wanted.”
Fargo also welcomed the return to Starr Rink after playing away from home ice for 44 days.
“Everything’s a little bit different regardless of what rink you go into, whether it’s in or out of conference,” he said. “To sleep in our own bed, get up and skate on our own ice, it’s always a pleasure to be back in Starr Rink.
“With some important games coming up, we’ll take the home-ice advantage for sure.”
Colgate Competes With First-Place Boston U.
Burnatowski Nets Season-High 27 Points in 66-58 Loss
By Kat Castner
(Boston – Jan. 15, 2014) Colgate went back and forth with Boston University on Wednesday night in a game that featured six lead changes and eight ties, but eventually fell to the first-place Terriers 66-58 in this men’s basketball contest.
“Credit Boston University tonight, but I believe in our team,” Colgate head coach Matt Langel said. “We don’t have any wins in league which makes it tough but it’s a long conference season. It’s a full round robin format with 18 games and we have proven that we’ve been in every single one of our games so far, we just haven’t been able to do the little things to get over the hump. That’s where we are and it doesn’t make it any fun but we will continue to work at it and find a way to get these teams numbers later in the season.”
Despite holding a slight 27-25 lead at the half, the Raiders saw the Terriers fight back in the second 20 minutes to come from behind to earn the victory.
Colgate (6-10, 0-5 PL) received an impressive performance from senior Murphy Burnatowski, who posted a season-high 27 points in the contest. He went 11-of-20 from the floor and 5-of-10 from downtown to lead all scores. The Waterloo, Ont., native also added five rebounds on the night. Ethan Jacobs recorded five rebounds as well and chipped in eight points while Luke Roh led the Raiders on the boards and in assists with six and three, respectively.
Overall the Raiders shot 42 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range. Colgate outrebounded the Terriers 35-29 and 11-5 on the offensive board. The Raiders also added 10 points off of second chance opportunities.
Boston U. (12-6, 5-0 PL) shot 59 percent from the floor in the second half to come from behind and outscore the Raiders 41-31 in the second 20 minutes. Overall they make 24 of their 50 attempts for 48 percent shooting on the night.
The Terriers were led by Maurice Watson Jr., who registered a team-high 20 points in the game. He also led all players with six helpers and pulled down five boards. Dom Morris added 15 points to BU’s total while Nathan Dieudonne earned a game-high seven rebounds.
Morris hit the game’s first bucket but the Raiders answered with a 7-0 run to take the early lead at 7-2. Burnatowski had five of those points during that stretch.
After BU tied the game a few minutes later, the two teams took turns holding the lead until the Raiders again went on another 7-0 run. Throughout the run, Colgate keep the Terriers scoreless for five and a half minutes to take a six-point edge at 22-16 with less than seven to play in the half.
Morris ended BU’s drought with a layup but a good trey from Damon Sherman-Newsome gave the Raiders their biggest lead of the game at seven with 4:15 left in the first.
The Terriers would finish the half on a 7-2 run, however, to make it only a two-point Raider advantage heading into the break.
The second half started much like the first half ended — on a run.
BU extended its rally with two more buckets to open the second 20 minutes, taking its first lead since the 12:03 mark of the first half.
Colgate responded with five points of its own, though, to take back the lead at 32-30 with 18:13 remaining on the clock.
At the 14:09 mark and with the game tied at 39-39, BU went on a 12-4 run to create an eight-point margin between the teams, at 53-45. The Terriers hit three 3-pointers during that stretch.
The Raiders would rally back, however, getting the deficit down to two, twice, over the course of the next seven minutes to make it a 60-58 game with less than three minutes to play.
But unfortunately that would be as close as Colgate would get as they watched the Terriers score four of their final six points from the free throw line to earn the win.
Colgate is back on Cotterell Court on Saturday when it hosts Navy at 2 p.m. The Midshipmen currently hold an overall record of 7-9 and 2-3 in league play.