LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - A strong performance from Tiasia McMillan and clutch free throw shooting in the second half powered the Raiders to their first road win of the season at the UHY Center Thursday night. 

First to score for Colgate was Tiasia McMillan with a three-point play after a layup and a foul. Siena went on a 8-0 run after that but McMillan added to her tally with a pull up jumper. Morgan McMahon added another jumper to close the gap to within five. McMahon was fouled on a shot behind the arc and she sank all three shots. To close out the first quarter, Katlyn Ghavidel dropped a nice three through the net. The strong aggressive defense by the Saints made it a tough first quarter for the Raiders with the score finding them down 18-13 at the close. 

The second quarter saw Colgate start slowly as the Saints put the first five points on the board. Ghavidel started the Raiders' scoring off with another long three. Siena built the lead up to 10 before the Raiders started charging back. McMillan added to her tally with points in the paint followed by Taylor Golembiewski's first points of the game to close the gap to just six. Alexa Brodie powered through the Saints defense to score a pull-up jumper for her first points of the night. The free throw line showed favor to the Raiders as they netted the next seven points at the line. Golembiewski sank one of her two shots, followed by Geddy Rerko making her first two points of the season. Brodie kept the pattern going with two free throws of her own and Golembiewski closed the run with two more. Morgan Frank hit a glorious three-point buzzer beater to close the half in the lead at 32-31. Colgate outscored Siena 19-13 to take the lead into the locker room. 

Golembiewski started the Raiders off in the third with a jumper but Siena would not go away and they tied the score up at 34. Jenna Paul continued her strong presence in the paint with an offensive rebound, then followed with a layup and added a free throw to complete the three-point play, and Colgate never relinquished the lead. 

Colgate's defense continued to frustrate Siena. Rerko scored her next two points of the game and a minute later Golembiewski sent a wrap-around pass on the baseline side to Morgan Frank who completed the layup. With another layup by McMahon, Colgate extended its lead to seven, the largest of the game. McMillan added four more points battling in the paint each time, but Siena stayed in the game. Colgate ended the quarter with more help at the free throw line as Paul sank two, keeping the lead at seven. 

Entering the fourth quarter, McMillan could not be stopped in the paint as she banked two more points off an assist from Brodie. Shortly after, Golembiewski sliced through the defense going right to the rim to keep the lead at seven. Another great pass from Frank saw Paul net her seventh point of the game. After a change in an out of bounds call and some defensive stops, the Saints clawed their way back to within one point. Frank then went to the line and shot a crucial free throw to extend Colgate's lead back to two, which is where it stayed at the buzzer. 

The strong defensive stand by the Raiders held off the Saints' late run. Frank's contribution on the boards with 11 rebounds and three assists helped secure the strong play by the Raiders. Siena was led in scoring by Margo Peterson with fourteen points. 

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan

"I'm proud of my team's fight. Basketball is a game of runs and we are grateful to be on the winning end. They responded multiple times to Siena, a team with a lot of weapons offensively. They also responded when I challenged them to each give a little more today knowing we had a limited roster. We were able to apply a lot of things we've learned from some of our past games and it helped us succeed. There was a special emphasis on our readiness to start the game and how we played throughout the third quarter, a quarter we have struggled with this season. This was a team win across the board as each and every player contributed in some way."

UP NEXT
Colgate hosts Albany on Sunday to begin a six-game homestand. Tipoff at Cotterell Court is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.