ANNAPOLIS, Md. (3/1/08)—Navy junior Emily Cordle knocked down a three-pointer with 1:24 left on the clock and the Midshipmen went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final 27 seconds to escape with a 56-54 victory over Colgate in the teams’ season finale. Colgate freshman Sami Kozlowski (New Market, Md.) led all scorers with 18 points.

 

The Raiders close out the regular season with a 1-28 record and 0-14 mark in Patriot League play. Colgate will be the No. 8 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament and will play top-seeded American at Army’s Christl Arena at a time to be determined. Navy is 7-22 overall and 3-11 in Patriot League play and will be the No. 7 seed in the tournament.

 

Kozlowski added five rebounds and three assists to her stat line. Sophomore Laura Grimm (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 12 points and three rebounds. Junior Gretchen Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio) led the charge on the glass with nine rebounds to go with her seven points. Freshman Georgia Gier (Mercer Island, Wash.) also had nine boards.      

 

The second half was filled with thrilling action that featured two lead changes and three ties. Colgate came out of the break with a 9-5 run to take its first lead of the contest, 35-34 at the 13:14 mark of the second session.

 

The Raiders pushed their lead to six points with a 6-0 run and went up by as many as eight points, 46-38. Facing its largest deficit of the game, 46-38, Navy scored eight unanswered points in 1:09 to tie the game at 46 apiece.

 

Kozlowski hit a three on the next possession to give the Raiders a 49-46 lead with 6:06 remaining on the clock. The Midshipmen defense held Colgate scoreless for over nearly three minutes to tie the score again at 49 apiece with 3:23 to play.

 

Gier knocked down a jumper from the right elbow to go back ahead by two with just under three minutes left to play. The defenses tightened up in the final three minutes, missing a combined four shots over the next few possessions.

 

Trailing by two points, 51-49, Navy collected the rebound and got down the court. Angela Myers found an open Cordle on the wing and she knocked down her third three-pointer of the game to give the Midshipmen the lead for good.

 

Colgate came out of the 30-second timeout with 1:02 left to play. The Raiders tried to get a good look at the basket, but solid Navy defense forced a shot clock violation and Colgate turnover.

 

The Raiders fouled on the ensuing inbound and K.C. Gordon knocked down two free throws to make it a three-point game. Navy added two more free throws after a missed Colgate shot to ice the two-point victory.

 

Emily Cordele led the Midshipmen with 13 points and six rebounds, while Cassie Consedine registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Angela Myers added eight points and five assists, including what proved to be the game-winning helper.

 

Colgate dominated the boards in the contest, 42-34, and scored 20 points to Navy’s eight. The Raiders shot 38.9 percent from the floor and a stellar 53.8 percent from long range. Navy was 30.8 percent from the floor and just 28 percent from behind the arc.