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HAMILTON – The smile on
Paige Kriftcher's face kept growing and growing.
Colgate's senior guard scored 21 in Wednesday's 94-50 Connecticut win. But it was the way those points went down that will live on in Kriftcher's memory for the rest of her life.
The Long Islander was a career-best 7-of-8 from 3-point distance against the nation's No. 1 team and three-time defending champion. And with every shot that swished, the crowd roared and Kriftcher kept grinning from ear to ear.
Kriftcher from beyond the arc made her first three and her last four, helping Colgate to a 9-of-19 performance from downtown.
This despite the fact that the Raiders were contending all night with Breanna Stewart and company. The Syracuse native was a huge draw for the sold-out crowd and she didn't disappoint, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and four steals in 29 minutes.
Randyll Butler added eight points for Colgate and the trio of
Josie Stockill,
Mylah Chandler and
Ariel Etheridge chipped in six points apiece.
Colgate returns to action Sunday at 2 p.m. against Gonzaga. The game is part of a Raiders doubleheader that opens with Colgate-New Hampshire in the men's game at noon.
Bottom Line• Connecticut 94, Colgate 50
Won-Lost Records• Colgate is now 1-6.
• Connecticut improved to 7-0 with its 44th straight win.
How It Happened• Stewart drew a terrific ovation during the starting lineups, and so did Raiders throughout the game.
• There was one tie in the game and it came at 6-6 with 7:05 showing in the first quarter. Long-range threes by Kriftcher accounted for both Colgate baskets.
• Kriftcher struck again as the buzzer sounded, swishing one from well beyond the top of the key to make it 26-16 Huskies at the end of one.
• Connecticut clamped down in the second and third quarters. The Huskies outscored Colgate 22-5 in the second for a 48-21 halftime advantage, and then 26-7 in the third to make it 74-28.
• But the Raiders rallied in the fourth when Stewart was done for the night.
• Colgate outscored UConn 22-20 in the final 10 minutes to carry some momentum into Gonzaga and beyond.
Facts & Figures• Kriftcher's previous career high for made 3-pointers was three, on five different occasions. Most recently, she was 3-of-8 in Saturday's 63-53 win at LIU Brooklyn.
• She entered Wednesday's game shooting 33 percent from long range for her career but was just 9-of-40 this season.
• This performance boosted Kriftcher's 3-point shooting percentage for the season from 22.5 to 33.3. She's 16-of-48.
• After Connecticut's Stewart left the game with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Colgate outscored the Huskies 22-20.
• UConn in the first half earned 17 assists on 19 made field goals. They finished the game with 28 assists on 39 made baskets.
• Colgate was outrebounded by just a 35-29 margin. The Raiders committed 25 turnovers to Connecticut's 10.
• But Colgate managed a 35.2-percent shooting clip – just 2 percentage points below their season average – from the field against the tall and talented Huskies. The Raiders in the second half shot 39.3 percent.
• UConn finished at 59.1 percent for the game. The Huskies were 7-of-23 from three and 9-of-12 at the line. Colgate was 3-of-4 at the stripe.
More Key Info• Wednesday's crowd of 1,782 was the first official Cotterell Court sellout in Colgate women's basketball program history.
• Fans arrived early and seemed to enjoy the hoopla surrounding the nation's No. 1-ranked team and certainly Stewart.
• Colgate's scoring column went like this: Kriftcher 21, Butler 8, Stockill 6, Chandler 6, Etheridge 6 and Curtis 3. Etheridge and Curtis contributed solo 3-pointers.
• Stockill and Chandler shared Colgate rebounding honors with five apiece. Chandler added two steals.
• Butler was the team assist leader with four.
• Connecticut's Morgan Tuck finished the game 10-of-11 from the field for 20 points. Tuck helped UConn compile a 54-6 scoring advantage in the paint.
• Altogether, five Huskies reached double figures.
Colgate Postgame Press ConferencePress Conference LinkGate Grab Bag• Attendance at Cotterell Court was 1,782, the first official sellout of a Colgate women's basketball home game.
• Colgate football team members were recognized at halftime and given well-wishes from the crowd heading into Saturday's playoff game at Sam Houston State.
Up Next• Colgate returns to action Sunday against Gonzaga at Cotterell Court.
• The Bulldogs are 6-4 heading into Friday night's game at Dayton.
• Tip time Sunday is approximately 2:30 p.m. as the second game of a doubleheader with the men's team. Colgate takes on New Hampshire in men's basketball in a noon start.
