HAMILTON, N.Y. (02/24/10) -   Junior Sami Kozlowski (New Market, Md.) led the Colgate women's basketball team with 15 points and three assists while senior Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.) added 13 points and five rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Raiders fell to Holy Cross, 78-65, Wednesday evening on Cotterell Court. Colgate is now 10-17 overall and 5-8 in the Patriot League while the visiting Crusaders improved to 9-19 overall and 5-8 in the league.

 

Junior Tayler Wejnert (Ramsey, N.J.) contributed 11 points, three assists and two steals while sophomore Tricia Oakes (Evergreen, Colo.) grabbed a team-high eight boards to go with six points. Holy Cross was led by Briana McFadden and rookie Amy Lepley with 20 points apiece while Whitney Fremeau contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Crusaders.

 

The opening minutes were a battle of the three's as the two teams combined for eight three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of play. After McFadden drained a three in the first minute, Colgate's Garman led the Raiders on an 8-0 run dropping two long-range baskets while Kozlowski added a jumper.

 

Colgate didn't stay on top for long though as McFadden connected on three more three-pointers and Lepley added one to give the Crusaders a 17-12 advantage just 12:40 into the half. Holy Cross gained their largest lead of the half a short time later as Tayana Carper got off a jumper just before the shot clock sounded making it a 13 point game, 25-12.

 

Holy Cross was able to keep the Raiders scoreless for five and a half minutes until sophomore Candice Green (East Brunswick, N.J.) got the ball to junior Krista Moser (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) down low for a lay-up, with 8:32 left in the half. The Crusaders missed two shots on the other end of the court and Moser laid in another basket for the Raiders to bring them within nine, 25-16.

 

The Crusaders were able to build their lead to 16 with a little over five minutes left but Wejnert closed the half with six points, including a three, while allowing Holy Cross just one basket in the closing minute to make it a nine point game at the half-time break, 37-28.  Garman finished the half 3-5 from behind the arc while Holy Cross' McFadden was 5-6 from three-point range.

 

Fremeau opened the second half with five points to put the Crusaders back on top by 12. Wejnert responded by draining a three for Colgate and rookie Jhazmine Lynch (San Diego, Calif.) added three more points to bring the Raiders within three, 43-40, just over five minutes into the half. It was as close as the Raiders would get however, as Holy Cross led by as much as 15 in the second half. The Crusaders went 10-10 from the free throw line in the final three minutes of play to claim the 78-65 victory.

 

Colgate finished the game on 36.5 percent (23-63) shooting while Holy Cross shot 44.3 percent (27-61) from the floor. The Crusaders just barely edged out the Raiders in rebounding, 40-39.

 

The Raiders will be back in action this Saturday, Feb. 27 when they close out their regular season schedule at Navy. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.