BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Colgate nearly completed a valiant comeback attempt but fell short Wednesday evening as the Raiders dropped an 83-74 decision at Lehigh in the regular-season finale.
 
The game had no implications on the already in-tact seeds for the upcoming Patriot League Tournament. The Raiders still control the No. 6 seed heading into Monday's quarterfinals at Army West Point.
 
First-year Rachel Thompson recorded her second double-double of the year with game-high totals of 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Raiders. The 25 points were a season-high for Thompson.
 
The Mountain Hawks took an early 6-2 lead before a pair of free throws from Kateri Stone and a Mylah Chandler conventional three-point play helped Colgate pull ahead 7-6 just over three minutes into the opening quarter. Lehigh answered with an 11-3 run over the next 4:50 as Colgate went cold from the field and the Mountain Hawks stretched their lead to 17-10.
 
Five points from Chelsey Koren and a basket from Mackenzie Carroll helped the Raiders put seven points on the board in the final two minutes, but Lehigh carried a 23-17 lead into the second stanza.
 
The Raiders came out on fire to open the second quarter, making four of their first five attempts from the field and adding a pair of free throws to put together a 10-1 run. The opening streak pushed Colgate ahead 29-27 just over three minutes into the term. The Raiders stretched their lead to 37-34 following a Carroll jumper at the 3:51 mark, but Lehigh closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 42-39 lead into the locker room.
 
There were six ties and 10 lead changes in the first half. Three-point shooting also was a factor, with Lehigh opening 6-of-11 to Colgate's 1-of-6.
 
The Mountain Hawks pulled ahead 46-39 shortly into the second half, but six points from Thompson helped Colgate embark on a 7-3 run that pulled the Raiders within 49-46 with 6:33 on the clock. Colgate pulled within 53-51 and 55-53, but Lehigh scored the final six points of the quarter to take a 61-53 advantage into the final stanza.
 
A Thompson jumper snapped Colgate's nearly six-minute scoreless streak with 7:51 left on the fourth-quarter clock, but the Mountain Hawks scored seven of the term's first nine points to stretch their lead to 68-55. A Summer King and-one got three points back for the Raiders, but consecutive 3-pointers from Lehigh's Bernadette Devaney put Colgate in a 74-58 hole with just over five minutes to play.
 
Layups from Thompson and King followed and sparked a 15-5 Colgate streak that brought the Raiders within 79-73 with just over a minute remaining.
 
Thompson headlined the comeback attempt with 11 points during the stretch, but Colgate wasn't able to get any closer the rest of the way. Lehigh made four of five free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory.
 
Bottom Line
• Lehigh 83, Colgate 74
 
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate concludes the regular season 10-19 overall and 7-11 in the Patriot League.
• Lehigh improved to 10-19 and 5-13.
 
Facts & Figures
• Senior guard Katie Curtis missed the contest because of injury, snapping her streak of 60 consecutive games played and 53 consecutive starts.
• Curtis was the only Raider to have started every game this season.
• Lehigh's 53.6-percent shooting overall and 52.4-percent from 3-point distance both were season highs.
• The Mountain Hawks made 11-of-21 from downtown just one week after making a season-high 12 3-pointers against the Raiders in Hamilton.
• Thompson finished 10-of-17 from the floor – season-highs for her in both categories.
• Thompson also had five steals – her ninth straight game with at least one theft. She has 21 steals in those nine games and a team-high 46 for the season.
• Colgate as a team tied its season high with 12 steals.
• The Raiders also had a season-low five assists and matched a season-low on 3-pointers made, finishing 2-of-13.
• Koren scored 11 for her seventh game in double-figures, fourth-best on the team. Carroll and Stone finished with 10 points apiece.
• For Stone, it's her eighth straight game in twin-figures – extending a personal best. She also made her 59th 3-pointer of the season to tie for third on the all-time Raider list.
• Lehigh was led by Quinci Mann's 19 points and Gena Grundhoffer's 17.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Bill Cleary: (On the game) "Obviously, I'm not happy with our defense. We definitely have to tighten things up. But we're going to get there. As the players get more comfortable with the system, it's going to become much more fluent.
 
"But I'm so proud of our players. We didn't have to play for anything tonight; we had the six seed. And nine players. But we've been doing that all year – we've had 10 players all year going up against teams with 14 and 15 players. For our players to do what they did tonight, they showed me and our staff the character this team has and why we are going to win here."
 
Listen to the rest of Coach Cleary's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Stabler Arena was 551.
 
Up Next
• Colgate opens Patriot League tournament play Monday at Army West Point.
• The Raiders and Black Knights are meeting in the tournament for the third time in four years.
• Army swept the season series, winning 76-69 in Hamilton and 57-47 in West Point.
• Tipoff from Christl Arena is 7 p.m.