TEMPE, Ariz. – Colgate put its best foot forward and laid more groundwork for future success with a solid showing Sunday afternoon at undefeated Arizona State.
 
The Raiders dropped a 65-54 decision that stands in marked contrast to this season's first three Sun Devil wins that came by an average of more than 37 points. Colgate made their Pacific-12 Conference opponent play the entire 40 minutes and even ended the game on an 8-0 run for good measure.
 
Rachel Thompson led a balanced Colgate scoresheet with 10 points. Summer King scored seven and posted a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Colgate shot a better percentage from the floor than its opponent for the fourth time in four games, this time 44.4 percent to 40.3 percent. But Arizona State grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and finished with a 72-45 edge in field goal attempts.
 
The Raiders led 11-2 early and trailed just 33-30 at halftime before ASU found its stride in the second half and built a 65-46 lead with 2:52 remaining. That's as far as it got, however, as Colgate scored the final eight points to pocket some valuable momentum heading into Thanksgiving Week.
 
Bottom Line
Arizona State 65, Colgate 54
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 2-2.
• Arizona State improved to 4-0.
 
Facts & Figures
• Kateri Stone's 3-pointer began Colgate's closing 8-0 run. It was the 95th trey of her career.
• King followed Stone's 3-pointer with a 3-ball of her own and then a layup for a late five-point flurry.
• Haley Greer scored a season-high six points on 2-of-3 from the field, including 1-of-1 from downtown. Greer played 20 minutes.
• Nia Ahart again led the Raiders in minutes with 32. The first-year guard is tied with Tegan Graham for the minutes lead at 26.0 per game.
• Arizona State's Kianna Ibis led all scorers with 20 points.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Bill Cleary: (On the game) "We played to win today and our defense gave us a chance. Our defense is really starting to come along and we as a staff felt the team was really locked in today on the scout. Ibis had a great game for them but outside of her we did a great job of understanding what we wanted to accomplish.
 
"One issue is they took 72 shots to our 45, and you can't do that. We gave them too many offensive rebounds. But it's a process and I'm really proud of the players' efforts. Today is without question something we can build upon."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Lee Amphitheater was 846.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is on the road for a midday/midweek game Wednesday at Fairleigh Dickinson.
• The Knights are 3-1 after Sunday's 56-51 home loss to Stony Brook.
• Tipoff Wednesday is noon, with livestream available via NECFrontRow.com.