CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Carole Harris led all scorers with 19 points but Colgate dropped a 68-53 decision to Harvard on Saturday afternoon.
Harris added nine boards and the Raiders also picked up 13 points from
Josie Stockill, but Harvard was slightly more efficient in the season opener for both teams.
Colgate led by as many as five points in the first half at 11-6, before Harvard turned the tables. The Crimson moved ahead for keeps at 19-16, and led by as many as 10 points (33-23) before settling for a 33-26 advantage at the break.
After Colgate scored the first basket of the second half, Harvard again went on a run and increased its advantage to 44-30 with 14:50 remaining. But the Raiders responded immediately and pulled within 47-44 on a layup by Harris with 10:38 to play.
That capped a 14-3 Colgate streak, and the margin stayed in the single-digits until the closing two minutes. The final score was the largest margin of the game.
The Raiders are back on the court Wednesday for their home opener. Cornell provides the opposition in a 7 p.m. start from Cotterell Court.
Bottom Line• Harvard 68, Colgate 53
Facts & Figures•
Carole Harris filled the stat sheet for the Raiders. The senior forward was 9-of-13 from the floor, finishing with 19 points and missing a double-double by one rebound.
• Harris also matched her career high with four steals. Her previous four-steal game was two years ago against Cornell.
• Colgate shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field and was just 4-of-21 from 3-point distance. Harvard finished at 43.6 percent from the floor and was 8-of-21 from long range.
• Harvard won the rebound margin by 42-31, and the Crimson had another advantage at the free throw line (12-of-14 to 5-of-8).
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Josie Stockill was 5-of-9 from the floor and finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Stockill on the defensive end drew the tough assignment against Temi Fagbenle, who scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Harvard's All-Ivy first-teamer played in the 2012 London Olympics for the host nation.
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Mariah Jones led all players with six assists.
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Randyll Butler scored six points, grabbed five boards and dished out three assists.
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Paige Kriftcher was the top reserve for Colgate, finishing with nine points helped by a pair of 3-pointers.
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Missy Repoli also contributed a pair of threes to account for her six points.
• Harvard's Kaitlyn Dinkins added 14 points, scoring the Crimson's first nine points and 12 of their first 14 on four 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes. AnnMarie Healy added a double-double off the bench, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Turning Point• Colgate's Harris poured in a layup to pull Colgate within 49-46 with 9:06 showing.
• But Harvard held the Raiders scoreless over the next four minutes and pushed their advantage back to 55-46. Colgate stayed within six points all the way inside the three-minute mark but could draw no closer.
From the Sources•
Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort: (On the game) "I'm very optimistic about how we played. We came out with a lot of energy and jumped on top of them. But then (Dinkins) hits the four threes and has 12 of their first 14 points. We didn't rebound very well in the first half. We rebounded better in the second half until right at the end, and that's why it went from six to 15.
"Josie had a good defensive game in a really tough matchup against their Olympian, who's a great player. And Carole was terrific.
"We played a good defensive game. We missed some key box-outs, and they were really efficient when they got offensive rebounds. We followed our game plan and did what we wanted to do. If we can clean up the block-outs and knock down some shots, that will make a difference for us."
Up Next• Colgate and rival Cornell (0-1) open the Cotterell Court regular season Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Big Red dropped a 48-46 home decision Friday to Hartford, and they play Sunday afternoon at Drexel.
