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HAMILTON – Holy Cross drew a measure of revenge here Wednesday night behind a 31-point performance from Raquel Scott.
 
The Crusaders held on to defeat Colgate 68-62 and even the season series at a game apiece. The Raiders were victorious last month in Worcester by a 76-71 count.
 
But Colgate on that night limited Scott to just nine points in 37 minutes. Wednesday, she matched her career scoring high for the second game in a row, added a career-high 17 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Crusaders (10-14, 6-5 Patriot) in that category as well.
 
If she sold a couple of boxes of popcorn during intermission, no one would have been surprised.
 
Despite Scott's efforts, Colgate still had the ball trailing just 64-62 inside the final 30 seconds. But a Raiders turnover and four consecutive free throws by Scott sealed the deal.
 
Randyll Butler posted her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards. Carole Harris led the home side with 15 points, and Mariah Jones added a dozen points to go with four assists.
 
Colgate (4-18, 3-8) is at first-place American this Saturday in a 2 p.m. start.
 
Bottom Line
• Holy Cross 68, Colgate 62
 

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 4-18 overall and 3-8 in the Patriot League.
• Holy Cross improved to 10-14 and 6-5.
 
First-Half Rundown
• Both teams scored on their first three possessions of the game, and Colgate led 7-6 by the 18:14 mark.
• But after the Raiders went up 11-6 on Paige Kriftcher's layup, Holy Cross went on a 15-5 run to take a 21-16 advantage with 9:19 left before halftime.
• Colgate pulled within 25-24, the Holy Cross lead swelled to eight and then it settled at 34-28 Crusaders at the break.
 
Second-Half Surges
• Colgate took advantage of a Holy Cross scoring drought early in the second half to reel off 11 straight points and take a 43-42 lead with 12:29 showing. Harris and Butler scored four apiece during that run, Etheridge added a layup and Jones the final free throw.
• Holy Cross' answer was seven straight points to spark an 11-2 run that returned the Crusader lead to 53-45. Scott scored seven of those 11 – part of her 19-point second half.
• Holy Cross led by as many as 11 points in the second half, at 58-47 and 60-49 – the latter with 5:45 remaining.
• But one final Raider push resulted in a 13-4 Colgate wave over the next five minutes that narrowed the Holy Cross lead to 64-62 with 30 seconds left.
• The Raiders even gained possession with a chance to tie or take the lead but turned it over.
• Scott closed out the game with four consecutive free throws.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Raiders had a 26-21 edge in free throw attempts, but couldn't take advantage.
• Colgate made just 15 of its 26 charity tries, while Holy Cross was 17-of-21. Raquel Scott was 10-of-13 on the way to her 31-point night.
• Colgate shot 40.0 percent (22-of-55) from the floor, including just 3-of-10 from the arc.
• Holy Cross finished at 41.1 percent (23-of-56) and was 5-of-18 from downtown.
• Colgate scoring saw Carole Harris tally 15, Randyll Butler 12 and Mariah Jones 12 (all second half), while Ariel Etheridge tied her freshman high with 9. Josie Stockill and Missy Repoli scored 5 apiece, and Kriftcher joined Kateri Stone with 2 points each.
• Butler's 10 rebounds marked her second game this season with double-figure boards (13 vs. American). She posted a double-double in both games.
• The Raiders committed just 12 turnovers to Holy Cross' 15, but the Crusaders managed a 39-34 rebounding edge.
• Scott led all scorers with 31 points, led all rebounders with 17 and also dished out a game-high five assists. She scored 31 points Saturday in a 67-61 win at American.
 

Turning Point
• Colgate used an 11-0 run early in the second half to take a 43-42 lead.
• But aided by leading scorer Scott, the Crusaders responded with seven straight points and an 11-2 run to regain control.
• Scott scored seven of her 19 second-half points in that 4½-minute stretch. She finished with 31 for the game.
• The Raiders pulled within two points in the final minute, but that was a close as it got.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Nicci Hays Fort: (On the difference) "We couldn't stop Scott. When we tied it, she took over. She had a great night and now has had a couple of good games.
"We got that lull again. We fought back, fought back, fought back, and then had about a four-minute lull where they took an 11-point lead.
"Then we fought back again to make it a one-possession game. We had a good play called but just had tough luck.
(On Butler and Jones) "We're not in it if Randyll doesn't do what she did in the second half. I'm really proud of how she competed in the second half.
"And people don't understand what Mariah has gone through to compete this year. She's not having the year she wanted to have as a senior, but we need her on the basketball court because she can do what she did tonight in the second half."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Cotterell Court was 617, including a large contingent of special guests from Pathfinder Village.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is at American this Saturday in a 2 p.m. start.
• The Eagles won the earlier meeting 66-58 for their 17th straight win over Colgate.
• American enters the game atop the Patriot League standings at 9-2 after Wednesday's 55-44 win at Loyola. The Eagles are 14-8 overall.