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HAMILTON – Colgate put to bed a few sleepless nights with a terrific start to the Patriot League's second half.
 
The Raiders stifled Bucknell 54-41 here Saturday before a season-high crowd at Cotterell Court. Those on hand for the annual Play 4Kay Pink Game and National Girls & Women in Sports Day watched Colgate limit the Bison to their lowest point-total of the season.

The Raiders (4-17, 3-7 Patriot) shot a season-high 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from 3-point distance, while holding the Bison to just 34.7 percent overall, including 1-of-15 from downtown. The defensive shooting percentage effort was the second-lowest allowed by Colgate this season.

Carole Harris tied Missy Repoli for scoring honors with 16. Harris added a game-high 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 11th career. Repoli connected on 4-of-8 from 3-point land for her seventh double-figure scoring effort in the last eight games.
 
It was Repoli's third game this season with at least four made threes in a game. She leads the team with 39 treys and has 154 for her career, just five shy of tying for second place all-time at Colgate.
 

Bucknell (13-8, 5-5) was led by Claire DeBoer's 12 points. DeBoer and teammate Audrey Dotson combined for 47 points back on Jan. 3 in a 77-75 overtime win over the Raiders. On this day, they tallied just 16 points.
 
That earlier Bucknell game and Wednesday's heartbreaker at Lafayette were just two of the four two-point losses the Raiders suffered over the first leg of the Patriot League schedule. Saturday's win may be the spark Colgate needs to turn those fortunes around.

Colgate was the lone Patriot League team to win at home Saturday.
 
The Raiders get a chance for two in a row when Holy Cross visits Wednesday at 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Sports is providing the telecast.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 54, Bucknell 41
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improves to 4-17 overall and 3-7 in the Patriot League.
• Bucknell is now 13-8 and 5-5.
 

Facts & Figures
• Colgate for the game shot much better from 3-point distance than they did from inside the arc.
• The Raiders were 8-of-15 from downtown for a season-high 53.3 percent, helping offset an 11-of-41 stat sheet on 2-point field goals for 26.8 percent.
• Bucknell could not say the same thing. The Bison were just 1-of-15 from 3-point distance and only 34.7 percent for the game.
• Saturday's defensive effort was Colgate's best this season against the 3-point shot and second-best overall. Only Loyola at 29.4 percent one week ago was worse.
• Second-half shooting was tough on both sides. Bucknell was 7-of-28; Colgate 7-of-29.
• But the Raiders made four threes in each period to pull away from a 30-24 halftime lead.
• This was Colgate's fourth game in a row and seventh this season to be leading at halftime. All four Raider wins (4-3) have come with that advantage.
• Saturday was Colgate's first win this season when scoring fewer than 70 points.
 
More Key Info
• The Colgate scoring went like this: Carole Harris and Missy Repoli led with 16 apiece, Mariah Jones had 8, Tori Pozsonyi 4, Kateri Stone 3, Ariel Etheridge 3, Josie Stockill 2 and Paige Kriftcher 2.
• Pozsonyi's point-total was a season-high, as were her 16 minutes played. She matched her best rebounding total with three.
• Pozsonyi's second field goal of the game with 6:12 to play snapped nearly a six-minute scoring drought for the Raiders.
• The good news for Colgate was that Bucknell scored just five points during that stretch to pull within 43-37.
• The Raiders soon had the lead into double-digits when Stone nailed a three with 4:26 left that made it 50-39. Ballgame over.
• Bucknell's last field goal came on a layup by Sune Swart with 5:56 to play that made it 45-39. The Bison's final two points of the game were free throws by Carly Richardson with 3:52 showing that made it 50-41.
• Bucknell missed its last 11 field-goal attempts.
 
Steady as She Goes
• There were three ties and three lead changes, but those all came in the opening 12 minutes.

• Colgate took the lead for keeps when Repoli hit her second 3-pointer of the game to make it 20-17 with 7:59 left in the half.
• The Raiders led by as many as seven points in the first half at 11-4; the advantage at halftime was 30-24.
• The closest Bucknell came in the second half was five points – 33-28 and 35-30.
• Colgate's largest lead in the game ended up being the final score, 54-41.
 
Turning Point
• Colgate's defense picked up the slack in the second half when points were hard to come by.
• The Raiders went 5:52 without scoring, from the 12:04 mark after a Jones 3-pointer to the 6:12 juncture when Pozsonyi connected.
• But the 43-32 Colgate edge narrowed to just 43-37 during that drought thanks to the home side's stifling defense.
• The Raiders then outscored Bucknell 11-4 the rest of the way for the 13-point victory.
 
From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort: (On the game) "Our defense was great. We got into foul trouble but we were able to sub a little bit more and our subs were able to sustain the pressure."
(On the bench) "Our bench was great and it was their energy. Every single player on our team contributed something positive. Our bench players don't have to be perfect but they have to compete. Tori played the best game of her college career, and we hope she builds on this."
(On the 3-point shooting) "We knew they were going to be doubling Carole and Josie, so we wanted to move the ball and get ball-reversal and, hopefully, get some easy shots."
(On the Pink Game and Title IX) "This is a great day. We all wear pink and the money we raise goes to the Kay Yow Foundation, part of the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. Breast cancer, unfortunately, has touched all of us, and we had a great crowd today.

"And we're here because of Title IX. I wouldn't have had the opportunity – these student-athletes wouldn't have had the opportunities – if it wasn't for Title IX. We celebrate women in sports and the opportunity to play and compete, which includes so many life lessons."
• Colgate forward Carole Harris: (On bouncing back from recent close losses) "We knew this started the second round of games and that there's nothing to lose at this point. Losing those two-point games was giving us that fire that we needed to win. We knew we were that close to turning it around, and we did."
(On her double-double) "My teammates were doing a good job finding me, and we were all looking to attack really well. That really helped."
(On the defense) "We knew we had to take away the posts. DeBoer and Dotson are their team, and we did a really good job on them."
• Colgate guard Missy Repoli: (On the home atmosphere) "It was a lot of fun. There were a ton of kids and a lot of our supporters came out, especially in support of breast cancer. It was a great day for us to get the win and raise a lot of money for breast cancer."
(On her scoring) "I go in confident every game and my teammates find me in really open spots for great shots. I was hitting them today."
(On the boost from today's win) "Having so many close games in the first round of the Patriot League, we just wanted a fresh start. We want to go 9-0 if we can, and this was the first step."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Cotterell Court was a season-high 783 for the annual Play 4Kay Pink Game and National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
• Colgate student-athletes from several sports held a postgame clinic for all youngsters in attendance.
• Head coach Nicci Hays Fort pledged $1 per Colgate point in Saturday's game and $100 for every Colgate made 3-pointer. Her tally came to $854 for the Play 4Kay Foundation.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is home again Wednesday, hosting Holy Cross in a 7 p.m. matchup.
• The Raiders won the earlier meeting 76-71 for their first-ever victory against the Crusaders in Worcester.
• Holy Cross enters at 9-14 overall and 5-5 in the Patriot League after a big 67-61 win Saturday at first-place American.

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