CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Tiasia McMillan's career-high 18 points paced the Colgate Women's Basketball team's offensive attack Sunday afternoon at Watsco Center, but a quick start helped propel Norfolk State past the Raiders, 58-51, in the consolation round of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Spartans took control of the game early, as they raced out to a 12-point lead in the opening six minutes. Colgate dug right back into the contest thanks to an 11-2 run that went into the second quarter. In a battle of runs, Norfolk State gained momentum towards the end of the first half to try and put the Raiders away, but Madison Schiller stepped up with back-to-back three-pointers in the final 1:04 to keep the deficit at 11 at the halftime break.
McMillan took control of the game in the third quarter. She shot 4-for-6 from the field in the third and totaled 10 points, which included a make from behind the three-point arc with 3:33 to play to cut the margin down to six. She also added an assist on a three-pointer from Morgan McMahon, who also had the hot hand with five points in the third quarter.
The Spartans swung momentum back in their favor and enjoyed an 11-point edge midway through the fourth, but the Raiders refused to quit. Colgate put together a 6-0 run that went into the final minute of play to make it a five-point game, but it did not get any closer as Norfolk State held it off the scoresheet the rest of the way.
"This was not the result that we wanted," said head coach Ganiyat Adeduntan. "But, this was one heck of a tournament where we got the chance to compete against two really good, tough and competitive teams. We showed spurts where we too were tough and competitive. We will reflect and grow from moments when we weren't. I'm happy with where we currently are as a team and I'm optimistic that we will respond well from this weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Along with her new career-high in points, McMillan set a season-high in minutes played, as she topped the Raiders with 37 minutes on the day.
A great second half team throughout most of the young season, Colgate gave itself a chance to win down the stretch, as it outscored the Spartans by a 32-28 count in the final 30 minutes.
Schiller has been great from three in the past week and a half, as she was 2-for-4 from behind the line against the Spartans and has shot 60% over the last three games.
Sophia Diehl set a new season-high with four assists on the afternoon and added four rebounds to continue to lead the team in the category.
UP NEXT
The Raiders return home Wednesday to begin a three-game homestand against Keuka. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. at Cotterell Court.
