PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Colgate completed its Thanksgiving walk on the wild side with a solid showing here Friday against Rutgers.
 
The Raiders lost 60-44 to the nation's No. 21 team, just two days after a 66-35 setback at Georgia against the No. 22 team. But this trip was about getting better and there's no denying success on that front.
 
Colgate (0-5) on this day limited turnovers, stayed with the much-taller Scarlet Knights on the boards and – with a few more points on the visitors' side of the scoreboard – really could have made this one a game.
 
Josie Stockill and Randyll Butler topped the Raider point-total with nine apiece, while Missy Repoli returned to her old stomping grounds to score eight points with six boards. Carole Harris was held to just six points but grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, and Mariah Jones scored five.
 
Rutgers (5-0) was paced by Betnijah Laney's 17 points and 18 rebounds. Kahleah Copper also scored 17 for the Knights.
 
Bottom Line
• Rutgers 60, Colgate 44
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 0-5.
• Rutgers jumps to 5-0.
 

Facts & Figures
• No surprise that Colgate's two worst shooting performances this season are on this road trip. The Raiders were held to 28.6 percent (16-of-56) against Rutgers after shooting 31.0 percent (13-of-42) at Georgia.
• Rebounds in both games were comparable. It was a 50-45 deficit for Colgate today after a 38-36 Georgia advantage Wednesday.
• But turnovers were a vast improvement. Colgate committed 18 against the Scarlet Knights (while forcing 12) after being hassled into 28 two nights ago. Colgate, in fact, finished with a 16-11 advantage in points-off-turnovers; Georgia dominated that category 35-3.
• Colgate's first turnover in the game did not occur until 13:47 left in the first half.
• Carole Harris' streak of double-figure scoring games came to an end as the taller Scarlet Knights held her to just six points. But the senior forward posted an impressive 10 rebounds for a season high.
• Randyll Butler also had a season-best in rebounds with nine, followed by seven from Josie Stockill and six from New Jersey native Missy Repoli.
• And Steph Poland mixed it up with a career-high five boards in just eight minutes of action. The sophomore forward canned both free-throw attempts for her first points of the season.
• Colgate scoring honors were shared by Stockill and Butler with nine apiece. Repoli added eight, Jones five, Tori Pozsonyi three and Paige Kriftcher two. Kriftcher led the team in assists with three.
• Stockill moved into a tie for eighth on the Colgate chart with her 75th career blocked shot..
• Neither 3-point nor free-throw shooting was a factor. Colgate finished 3-of-17 from long range to Rutgers' 1-of-11, and Colgate was 9-of-18 at the line to Rutgers' 7-of-15.
• The Scarlet Knights were led by Betnijah Laney's 17 points and 18 rebounds. It's a career high in rebounds for Laney and her fifth straight double-double to start this season.
• Colgate's only lead of the game was 15-14. Repoli had a 3-point attempt rattle in and out, but Harris was on the spot for a nifty putback.
• Trailing 38-24 at halftime, Colgate held Rutgers scoreless for exactly 7½ minutes to start the second period. The Raiders narrowed the lead to 38-28 before Kahleah Copper scored two of her 17 on a jumper.
• Rutgers outscored Colgate just 22-20 in the second half.
 
Turning Point
• Colgate grabbed a 15-14 lead nearing the midway point of the first half.
• But Rutgers went on a 9-0 run over the next 3:33 to make it 23-15. The Scarlet Knights led by no fewer than five points the rest of the way.
 

From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort: (On today's game compared to Georgia) "We rebounded better today. Rutgers was really big and really athletic and we really challenged our team. One of our goals was to keep the rebounds within five, and we did (50-45). We wanted to keep our turnovers under 20, and we did (18).
"They're like a WNBA team. They can all score in transition. Everyone but (Rachel) Hollivay, their big kid, could put it on the floor and go to the basket, so we knew that was going to be a little bit of a challenge – it was a lot of a challenge.
(On still having room for improvement) "It was really an 8-to-10-point game if we could put a few more in the basket. We've got to take this and use it. We challenged our team to be fearless and compete with two top-25 teams, and we did. The Georgia game also was closer than the score, just like this game.
"We've got to take that mode into St. Bonaventure and Albany. We can't just be excited to play top-25 teams. It's got to be every single time."
• Colgate guard Missy Repoli: (Had she played in the RAC before?) "I have not. But when I was little, I used to come watch Rutgers all the time and especially to the big games. Rutgers-LSU is one of my favorite memories. I've been here a lot.
"It's definitely a different experience being on the court at the RAC. It's always good to play in front of a lot of family and friends in Jersey, so that was exciting."
(On how the team did) "We competed really hard and we're not going to face a team in the Patriot League that rebounds like Rutgers or like Georgia. That's going to help us down the road. Rutgers was a very physical team, and us competing today like we did is going to help us in Patriot League play."
(On what the team did better today than at Georgia) "Definitely taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers. We had a lot against Georgia, but we settled down more against Rutgers and made good passes. Taking care of the ball helped us today and it will another day as well."
• Colgate forward Tori Pozsonyi: (Had she played in the RAC before?) "For AAU I had played here, but today was a whole different atmosphere with the crowd and everything. Being here before helped a little bit, but it was just completely different.
(On playing 9 first-half minutes) "Coach talked about coming off the bench and being a spark on both ends of the court, and that's what I tried to do. I'm settling in and trying to find my role."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Black Friday attendance at the Rutgers Athletic Center was 1,428.
• Friday's game marked the first of two this month for the Raiders in New Jersey. Colgate plays at Monmouth on Dec. 13, which means another homecoming for Garden State natives Missy Repoli and Tori Pozsonyi.
• The team took advantage of those connections and enjoyed a terrific Thanksgiving dinner Thursday night at the Repoli residence just down the road in Marlboro.
• Pozsonyi hails from Roselle Park.
 
Up Next
• Colgate concludes its four-game road swing Tuesday at St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies are 3-2 heading into Sunday's home game against Binghamton.