HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/24/2007)—Colgate University outscored Navy 20-3 in the final 5:19 of the game, but came up just short in a 54-52 loss to the Midshipmen in the Colgate women’s basketball regular season finale. The Raiders held Navy without a field goal in the final 7:28 of the game as the Mids sunk 10-of-15 free throws to escape with the win.

 

Freshman TaHara Williams (Mason, Ohio) led the Raiders with 17 points, while Navy’s Carly Meyer had 17 point and six rebounds.

 

Colgate ends the regular season at 5-24 overall and 4-10 in Patriot League play, while Navy heads into the tournament 12-16 overall and 6-8 in league play. The Raiders will be the No. 8 seed in the upcoming tournament and will play top-seeded Bucknell on March 3.

 

Junior Shevorne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added nine points and six rebounds for the Raiders, while freshman Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.) had eight points. Sophomore Gretchen Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio) had a team-high seven boards.

 

It was all Mids for much of the second half as they built their lead to as many as 20 points. Colgate got a free throw from Martin to make it an eight-point game with 15:54 on the clock, but Navy hit a three-pointer on the next possession to jumpstart 13-1 run that put the Mids in front 40-20 at the 10:51 mark.

 

The Mids maintained their double-digit lead  with a 19-point advantage, 51-32, with 5:19 left on the clock.

 

That is when the Raiders started their monumental comeback. Colgate went on an 11-0 run, forcing three turnovers, to make it 51-43 with 2:10 left to play. A Morgan Hill free throw gave Navy a nine-point advantage, but the Raiders got a three-pointer from Garman on the next possession to make it a two possession contest.

 

The Raiders forced another turnover and got two free throws from Garman to put the game at 52-48 with 31 ticks left. Navy hit the one of two free throws for a 53-48 lead, and Williams responded with a layup on the other end to make it a three-point game.

 

The Mids and Raiders continued to trade one point for two points as Colgate grabbed the rebound off a missed free throw with 11 seconds left and trailing 54-52. Junior Melanie Cargle (Trotwood, Ohio) dribbled up the court and got good look from the top of the arc to win the game, but it rimmed out as Navy escaped with a two-point victory.

 

Margaret Knap added 15 points for Navy and Betsy Burnett had 13 points. Burnett also went 7-of-10 from the free throw line. Kalen Kropa led the Mids on the glass with seven rebounds.

 

Colgate shot 30.6 percent for the game and just 25.0 percent from three-point range. Navy hit 34 percent of its shots and 35.3 from long range.

 

Colgate hits the court again on March 3, taking on Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals at Navy. Game time is yet to be announced.