TOWSON, Md. – Six straight road games covering more than 6,000 miles of travel and your Colgate Raiders are 3-3.
 
Just the way they planned all along.
 
Colgate evened its record at the magical .500 mark – the preseason goal heading into this unprecedented six-game opening stretch – by pulling away against Towson here Sunday afternoon for a 65-61 victory.
 
Summer King led all players with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. It's the junior's third double-double of the young season and she's now averaging a double-double through six games (12.8 and 10).
 
King was Colgate's only twin-figure scorer but the Raiders were balanced throughout. Ten from the Colgate lineup found the scoring column, with Nia Ahart and Rachel Thompson tallying nine apiece and Haley Greer contributing a season-high eight.
 
Thompson added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals to her stats line and helped spark Colgate's late surge.
 
Trailing 52-51 with eight minutes remaining, Colgate scored the next six points to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. King connected in the paint from a Thompson dish, and then Thompson came up with one of her patented steals and layups to make it 55-52. Abby Schubiger's jumper pushed the lead to five with 6:23 remaining.
 
The Tigers pulled to within 57-56 but then Mylah Chandler scored on a layup and Schubiger followed with a pair of free throws for a 61-56 cushion with 4:00 showing.
 
The Raiders were 16-of-23 at the line for the game but 4-of-4 in the final quarter when the stakes were highest.
 
Towson drew within 61-59 but Graham faked a 3-point shot and sliced for a driving layup that made it 63-59 with 2:28 remaining. The teams traded possessions before Towson again closed within two at 63-61 inside of a minute.
 
The Tigers chose to foul King with 16 seconds remaining and she knocked down both tries for the final margin. A long-range 3-point attempt went awry for Towson and Colgate had its third win.
 
Bottom Line
Colgate 65, Towson 61
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 3-3.
• Towson is now 1-4.
 
Facts & Figures
• Colgate has three November wins for the first time since 2009. That Raider team began 5-0 (four of the five came at home) but the seven years since produced a combined 6-36 mark for the month.
• The Raiders were 1-5 in November a year ago, so Colgate is already plus-2 in the win column.
• Colgate's 3-3 mark through six games is the best since the 2009 team was 5-1.
• King's 17 rebounds are the most by a Raider since Tricia Oakes grabbed 17 in a Jan. 28, 2012, victory over Holy Cross.
• King logged 29 minutes for another career high, while Ahart played 32 minutes to match her collegiate best.
• Colgate committed eight turnovers in the first quarter but had just 10 more over the final 30 minutes.
• Colgate's 19 points in the fourth quarter were a season high for the final period. The game was tied 46-all through three quarters.
• Colgate's largest lead was 26-17 midway through the second quarter. Towson's largest lead was one point on seven different occasions in the second half.
• Towson placed four players in double figures. Nukiya Mayo, Etalyia Vogt and Mary Cuevas each scored 13, while Raine Bankston added 12.
• Mayo was leading Towson with her 13 points through 2½ quarters when she went to the locker room for stitches after an inadvertent collision. She returned with 6:18 remaining in the fourth but was 0-for-5 the rest of the way.
• Like this year, the 2005-06 Raiders also played six in a row away from home to begin the season. But that stretch included two neutral site games as part of a Vermont tournament, so this year's six straight true road games are a first.

From the Source
• Colgate head coach Bill Cleary: (On opening 3-3) "We knew this was going to be a tough stretch for us and it would test our mettle. I'm very happy with our effort, very happy with how we are learning to fight, very happy that we are learning how to win. These are games that maybe we wouldn't have won a year ago, but now here we are. To go 3-3 in six tough road contests – I couldn't be happier with our resolve and our grit."
 
(On the defense) "Last year, we could have switched to man-to-man and maybe won a game or two more. But it would have stunted the growth of our program. Our defense is going to be a staple and we still have a ways to go, but in the same breath we have come a long ways. The players will tell you to a person that they feel it working and are having fun in it."
 
(On Summer King) "We told her she could be one of the best posts in our league we believe she is. She has bought in 100 percent and challenged herself every day in practice and every game she's played to be better. She's demanded more of herself than we have demanded of her, and that's a testament to her character and how good she wants to be. She has earned this and we keep telling her she can still be better. When you see it coming together for a player, there's no better feeling in the world."

Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at SECU Arena was 151.
 
Up Next
• Colgate opens its 13-game home schedule Wednesday against Siena.
• The Saints are 2-3 after Saturday's 72-61 home win over Howard.
• Tipoff is 7 p.m., with the Patriot League Network and WKXZ-FM carrying all the action.