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HAMILTON – Colgate's bench continues to produce one outstanding performance after another, and Saturday it was Catherine Lewis' turn to shine.

The Staten Island junior scored a career-high 19 points and Colgate held off a late charge to defeat Saint Francis (Pa.) 67-62 here at Cotterell Court. For the day, Colgate's reserves outscored the Saint Francis subs 40-16.

“Forty points off the bench out of 67 points is just huge,” Raiders head coach Nicci Hays Fort said. “We're having a lot of sparks right now, and these other kids are doing some great things.”

Lewis' contribution was making 6-of-8 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 from long distance, and also tying for team honors with seven rebounds. She scored her 19 points in just 19 minutes.

“My teammates were doing a great job getting me the ball on the perimeter,” Lewis said. “Our passing was pretty accurate in the second half, so that just contributed to me getting open looks.”

Shaky Start
The best day of Lewis' Colgate career started inauspiciously. She didn't enter the game until only six minutes remained in the first half with the Raiders trailing for the first time, 26-24.

First touch – turnover. Second touch – turnover.

But after that, Lewis settled down and worked her way inside for a key offensive rebound and basket that drew Colgate even on a day of frantic pace and constant lead changes.

“She played unbelievably,” Hays Fort said of Lewis. “She stepped in today and had to try to play that post position for us, and she was able to because of a matchup situation.

“After she had those two turnovers and missed a front end, she crashed the offensive board and got a put-back. It was all about settling down.”

Repoli Still Smokin'
The game began with Missy Repoli picking up where she left off Tuesday night against Columbia. The sophomore guard scored 11 of Colgate's first 14 points on three 3-pointers and another jumper.

“Coach comes in before every game and shoots with me a little bit to make sure my shot is on,” said Repoli, who scored a season-high 19 Tuesday and finished with 14 against Saint Francis. “I was hitting my shots, so I've got to be happy with that.

“It was a crazy game – up and down between both teams. But it was a great team win and we're happy with it.”

There were six lead changes in the first half alone, and Lewis was a big part of Colgate's flurry of three-straight 3-pointers just before the halftime horn that gave the Raiders the lead and a big dose of momentum.

Trailing 28-26, Paige Kriftcher connected from outside the arc with 1:33 to play, and then Lewis hit a pair of treys in the last minute – the second with just two ticks remaining – to push Colgate ahead at the break, 35-33.

Colgate improved to 4-0 this season when leading at halftime.

“Her hitting those two threes going into halftime – that was huge,” Hays Fort said of Lewis. “They are a team of runs, and we answered their runs today with shots like that.”

Turnovers Galore
The game's frantic pace throughout produced a combined 48 turnovers, including 25 for the home-standing Raiders.

But the runs continued for both teams. Saint Francis pulled ahead to its largest lead, 43-39, with 16:14 left, only to see the Raiders answer with 10 straight points and a 12-1 streak to make it 51-44 with 9:26 remaining. Lewis scored eight in that stretch, including a pair of threes.

“It was a function of us getting the ball inside to Josie (Stockill), and she was kicking it out,” Lewis said. “Once we get it in and they collapse, it's just a lot easier. It opens up more for the shooters like Missy, Paige and me. It just makes it easier for the shooters out on the perimeter.”

Colgate worked into a 58-51 lead with 4:26 to play only to turn stone cold. Saint Francis took advantage of the three-plus minute drought and scored seven straight to tie the game at 58-all with 1:52 left.

Lynch Makes a Play
The Red Flash (4-4) appeared to have another takeaway nearing the 90-second mark, but Jhazmine Lynch scrambled for a loose ball and found Stockill slashing to the basket for a conventional 3-point play – her first bucket of the game – that made it 61-58 Raiders with 1:20 showing.

“Jhazmine's not making a lot of baskets for us, but the fact that she had four steals and four assists is huge,” Hays Fort said. “Huge, huge, huge. And Paige comes in and has three assists in 10 minutes.

“It's a good problem to have that we've got all of these players who can contribute.”

Colgate never trailed again, but it wasn't easy. The Raiders led 62-61 with less than a minute left and in possession when Repoli fired a jumper from the left wing. It missed, but Repoli hustled for her own rebound and fed Lewis, who was fouled.

Lewis sank both ends and Colgate held on from there to up the overall record to 4-5 heading into finals break. The Raiders are winners of two straight after a three-game losing streak.

Lauryn Kobiela added 11 points and four assists for Colgate, which made 10 3-pointers for the second time in three games. Stockill matched Lewis' total of seven rebounds, while Repoli had six. Lynch, Kriftcher and Stockill scored five points apiece.

Saint Francis was led by 18 points and 13 rebounds from Alli Williams.

“It feels great going into finals week with a two-game winning streak,” Lewis said. “Saint Francis is a good team, so it's nice to get a win that could propel us through this next week.”

Colgate visits Niagara (3-4) on Dec. 16 for a 7 p.m. tip.

“We talked about going into finals week on a strong note,” Hays Fort said. “Now, we can get a few extra days rest as we look ahead to Niagara, another team that plays really well at home.”