Box Score

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy put on an early shooting clinic and then withstood a second-half Colgate charge to post a 71-40 Patriot League decision here Saturday night.

The first-place Mids improved to 14-3 overall and 6-0 in conference thanks to their scorching start. Navy began the game 7-of-7 from the field – four of those from downtown! – to build an 18-4 lead by the first timeout.

Navy entered as the Patriot League leaders in 3-point shooting percentage and 3-pointers made per game, and the Mids only added to those figures in this contest.

"They are very efficient on offense and they have four shooters on the floor at all times," Raiders head coach Nicci Hays Fort said. "We really talked about not letting them get open threes, and then we start the game leaving them with open threes."

Navy's Audrey Bauer (4-of-6), Kara Pollinger (4-of-6) and Chloe Stapleton (3-of-8) combined in the game to make 11 treys in 18 tries, and all three players had a hand in that early onslaught.

Colgate basically held its own for the remainder of the half, drawing as close as 23-12 after a Carole Harris 3-pointer. Harris scored 10 of her game-high 19 before intermission to keep the Raiders within 35-17 at the break.

Limiting the Colgate cause on both ends was foul trouble plaguing Kelly Reid and Mariah Jones.

Reid scored Colgate's first basket of the game but then picked up three personals in just four minutes of game action. She finished with four points and four rebounds in only 15 minutes. Jones played 16 minutes and fouled out with just seven points.

"It's not the start you want to have and it made a big hole that we had to try and dig ourselves out of – especially when we got into foul trouble," Hays Fort said. "But we were able to at least keep it manageable by the half."

Back Within Nine
Colgate made a game of things over the first eight minutes of the second period, outscoring Navy 15-6 to draw within 41-32 when Harris rattled home a jumper with 12:51 remaining. Harris to that point had scored eight of Colgate's 15 second-half points.

"We were taking good shots and getting the ball in Carole's hands," Hays Fort said. "She was playing with a lot of confidence and her shots were falling.

"We also one-and-outed them more than a few times, forcing them to take tougher shots, and we were able to get rebounds. That's how we made the run."

But Navy returned to its reliable long-range accuracy. Bauer once and Pollinger twice connected for 3-pointers over the next 1:16, and Navy regained its cushion at 50-32.

It was the start of a 21-1 stretch for the Mids that put the game out of reach and dropped Colgate's won-lost records to 5-12 and 1-5.

"We got tired and it was hard for us to fight through the fatigue," Hays Fort said. "That's when they hit the three straight threes."

Harris reached the 19-point mark exactly for the third time this season, converting eight of a career-high 18 attempts from the field. She was the only Raider to make more than one shot from the field. Harris also added eight rebounds to pace the Maroons, who claimed a 43-42 team edge in that department.

Behind the seven points from Jones and four from Reid, Paige Kriftcher and Josie Stockill scored three apiece, while Lauryn Kobiela and Randyll Butler each added two. Stockill grabbed seven rebounds and Butler five, and Kobiela was the assist leader with three.

Padding the 3-Point Stats
Pollinger's 16 points topped Navy, and Alix Membreno led the rebounders with 13 and the assisters with six.

Colgate finished 14-of-59 from the field for 23.7 percent, including 2-of-16 from 3-point distance. The Raiders made 10-of-16 at the free-throw line and had eight assists to go with 10 turnovers.

Navy was 26-of-56 from the floor for 46.4 percent, including 11-of-26 from 3-point distance. The Mids improved to 38.3 percent for the season from beyond the arc and are averaging 9.6 made threes per game – both league-high figures.

Navy also made 8-of-12 from the free-throw line and had 19 assists against 10 turnovers.

Next for Colgate is the second half of an Academy road swing when the Raiders visit Army for a Wednesday 7 p.m. matchup.