WEST POINT, N.Y. - Despite a strong second half that saw Colgate outscore Army 37-28 and come within two points of the Black Knights in the final seconds, Army West Point came away with the 66-63 victory at Christl Arena Saturday afternoon. The Raiders were led by Morgan McMahon who shined with a career high 24 points and four rebounds. Tiasia McMillan added 14 points and six rebounds while Sophia Diehl brought down seven boards to go along with her 10 points.Army had three players in double digits and were led by Hope Brown with her season high of 16. 

First quarter action saw the Army Black Knights jump ahead 4-0 but Colgate came right back off of layups from Alexa Naessens and McMahon. Army responded with seven unanswered points before McMahon added her second basket of the day. Taylor Golembiewski followed up with a driving layup and McMahon netted one from behind the arc to tie it up at 11. Army took the lead briefly before McMahon put in her second three of the day followed by a made foul shot to take the lead at 15-13. The teams were back and forth as Army put two points on the board but McMahon was fouled again and sank both. Army scored the last three 
points of the quarter to end it up 18-17.

Colgate kept the score tight in the beginning of the quarter with a jumper from Tiasia McMillan and a floating jump shot from Alexa Brodie to stay within one. Army came back with six points before McMahon added two more free throws. Army went on a 10-0 run before Sophia Diehl made one of two free throws and followed that up with a jumper to enter the locker room down 38-26. 

The third quarter saw the Raiders chipping away at Army's lead, starting with a Golembiewski lay up and McMahon continuing to drain shots to get Colgate within ten. Off her offensive rebound, McMillan put two in the paint, and with Brodie making her second of two free throws, the gap had shrunk to seven. McMillan continued to add points in the paint, and points from the stripe adding six more points for the Raiders. Golembiewski put a long three in the net to pull within five. Army added one more basket before the end of the quarter to leave the score at 49-42. 

The Black Knights struck first in the final period, but Colgate would not give up. Diehl added a deuce and McMillan continued to be on fire from the paint. McMahon continued with her hot hands and added two more off an assist from McMillan then two more after a steal from McMillan. The Raiders had closed to within six. Army kept responding but so did Colgate. McMillan scored another basket to bring her total to 14, for her fifth double digit scoring effort of the season. The battle continued with both teams putting up shots. Diehl was the next to add for Colgate with two more in the paint and McMahon sank her third from behind the arc. Colgate's defense held Army scoreless for almost two minutes before Army's Alisa Fallon went to the stripe and added two. With under 10 seconds left in the game Diehl put in a sweet three to bring the Raiders within four. Fallon was back at the free throw line to put Army's lead back to five after she made the first but Diehl picked up the rebound after the second shot. With a second left on the clock, Brodie put a three in the basket to get the Raiders within two but after a quick foul Army's Brown made her second free throw and time ran out as the ball was inbounded. 

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan

"I'm really proud of how hard we fought and the toughness in the plays we made throughout this game. We didn't quit and we kept battling until the final second on the clock. We had a lapse in that second quarter and that showed we need to play tough for all four quarters. I'm especially proud of Morgan McMahon and Tiasia McMillan. Morgan made great plays on both sides of the ball from the very beginning of the game and we're seeing exactly the potential we knew Tiasia had all along." 

UP NEXT
Colgate (2-13, 0-4 PL) returns to Cotterell Court on Wednesday, Jan. 12 for a special 11 a.m. Kids Day tip that will be broadcast on ESPN+.