BOSTON – On a night when the top of the Patriot League got the better of its second-division counterparts, Colgate maybe, just maybe, located its long-lost offense in time for the upcoming stretch run.
 
Boston University started fast here Wednesday and kept the Raiders at bay in a 65-51 decision. BU claimed its fourth straight victory and fifth in the last six games, moving the Terriers to 9-5 in conference and maintaining a fourth-place tie with American.
 
Those teams split their season series and they trail third-place Army West Point by just a game.
 
The Raiders scored five points in the first quarter and trailed 33-16 at halftime. But Colgate put 35 points on the board after intermission for its best-scoring half since the big win at Navy four games ago.
 
Katie Curtis and Kateri Stone tied for Raider scoring honors with 11 apiece, while Bay State native Summer King added 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
 
Colgate stayed in a sixth-place tie with Loyola, which happens to be Saturday's opposition for Senior Day at Cotterell Court. Win that one, and the Raiders gain the upper hand on staying out of the first-round draw set aside for teams 7-10 in the standings.
 
Colgate closes its season with two games against Lehigh sandwiched around a visit to Lafayette.
 
Sophie Beaudry's double-double of 12 points and 10 boards paced the Terriers.
 
Bottom Line
• Boston University 65, Colgate 51
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate dropped to 8-17 overall and 5-9 in the Patriot League.
• Boston University is now 11-14 and 9-5.
 
Quick Recap
• The Raiders were limited to a season-low-tying five points in the first quarter and trailed 16-5.
• BU built its first-half lead to as much as 27-7 on Sarah Hope's 3-pointer with 7:19 showing.
• Hope was free for that attempt because points in the paint by that stage were 18-0 BU.
• Curtis and Mackenzie Carroll scored four points apiece in the quarter as Colgate went to the locker room trailing 33-16.
• The 16 points marked Colgate's lowest-scoring half this year; previous was 20 in the first half at Gonzaga
• King scored eight of her 10 in the third quarter, and Colgate trailed 53-35 entering the fourth.
• Curtis' 3-pointer with 1:51 remaining pulled the Raiders within 62-51 before BU closed it out.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Patriot League's top five teams went 5-0 Wednesday night.
• Colgate's 14-point loss was the closest of the five games.
• It didn't look promising, but Colgate managed to get its point total out of the 40s for the first time in three games.
• Curtis' late 3-pointer did the trick, and it also marked the senior's 21st consecutive game with a trey. She's up to 42 for the season and 93 for her career.
• Curtis pocketed a career-high five steals. Her previous best was four on three different occasions last season.
• Kateri Stone made two more 3-pointers and now has 47 for the year (she had 24 last season). Stone takes over ninth on the Colgate all-time season chart.
• King led the team in rebounding for the third time in five games this month.
• The Terriers outrebounded Colgate in all four quarters and finished with a 56-32 edge; it was 18-4 after the first quarter.
• BU entered the game shooting just 62.6 percent from the free throw line. But the Terriers went 12-of-16 for the game and were 11-of-12 in the crucial third quarter to maintain their advantage.
• Colgate matched its season long with a third consecutive loss.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Case Gym for the BU Play-4-Kay Game was 220.
 
Up Next
• Colgate hosts Loyola for Senior Day Saturday.
• Before the game, Colgate is celebrating the accomplishments of seniors Katie Curtis and Steph Poland.
• Loyola is 9-16 overall and 5-9 in the Patriot League after Wednesday's 57-39 loss at Bucknell.
• The Greyhounds defeated Colgate 87-77 last month in Baltimore.
• Tipoff from Cotterell Court is 2 p.m.