HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/14/09) -   Michelle Kirk scored a game-high 19 points to lead the American women's basketball team to a 60-38 victory against the Colgate Raiders on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.

Sophomore Sami Kozlowski (New Market, Md.) led Colgate with 14 points, followed by Tayler Wejnert (Ramsey, N.J.) who had nine points and a game-high seven rebounds.  

The Raiders (5-20, 1-9 PL) gave up just three points in the opening four minutes, but the Eagles (18-7, 8-2) jumped out to a 15-0 lead at 8:24 into the game.  The Raiders began to inch back into the game as Krista Moser (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.) each went 1-2 from the free throw line to make it 17-2, with just under 10 minutes on the clock.  Moser knocked down Colgate's first field goal of the game a few seconds later to cut American's lead to 13, 17-4.  The Eagles however, continued to build their lead with a 19-8 run to close out the half.  

American shot 58.3 percent (14-24) in the opening session and went 3-6 from three-point range.  Colgate was held to 15.0 percent shooting from the floor (3-20) and 14.3 percent (1-7) from behind the arc.  The Eagles held a slight edge in rebounds, 16-12.

Colgate came out stronger in the second half, cutting the Eagles lead to 17, by scoring nine points in the first 4:22 minutes, while holding American to just one basket.  The Eagles worked back to gain a 21 point lead, 50-29 but the Raiders never gave up, responding with a 7-0 run to make it, 50-36, with 4:07 remaining.  American's lead proved to be too large however, as they went on to win the game 60-38.  

The Raiders improved their shooting to 40.0 percent (10-25) in the second half and finished on 28.9 percent (13-45) from the floor overall.  Colgate was able to hold the Eagles to just 45.0 percent (9-20) shooting from the field, in the second session.  American shot 52.3 percent overall and held a slight edge in rebounds 29-23.  

Colgate held both its Pink Zone game as well as National Girls and Women in Sports Day against the Eagles, drawing over 300 fans to Cotterell Court.  Head coach Pam Bass donated one dollar for every fan in attendance to the Central New York Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help raise breast cancer awareness.

Colgate will be back in action this Wednesday when they host Patriot League opponent Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Cotterell Court. 

Box Score