ITHACA, N.Y. — Colgate's first-half lockdown defense and second-half foul shooting helped the Raiders prevail over the Big Red, 60–54, in Cornell's home opener.
Ella Meabon and Anne Bair combined for half the Raiders' points—30 in total. The two shot 11-for-19 from the field, including three three-pointers, and went 5-for-6 from the foul line.
Abbey Ferguson played all but one minute in the game and posted a career-best nine points, eight rebounds—four offensive and defensive— along with two assists and one block.
Colgate shot 22-for-46 from the floor, outscoring Cornell 20–56. The Raiders capitalized at the foul line, knocking down 10-of-13 free throws as opposed to the Big Red's 7-of-13.
COMMENTS FROM SHANNON BUSH
"I was very proud of our team for our fight and resilience on the road against a tough and well coached Cornell team. Cornell had an excellent third quarter comeback and we showed grit with how we responded in the fourth quarter.
"We will get back to work this week and prepare to play a very talented Quinnipiac team in another road match. "
HOW IT HAPPENED
Amarah Strieff nailed the first three-pointer of the game in the eighth minute, as both teams had a troublesome time kickstarting their attack. The Big Red created quick scoring chances to take a 9–4 advantage. Ferguson pulled up from beyond the arc to match Cornell's momentum and cut the deficit, 9–7.
As both teams suffered a three-minute scoring drought, Meabon broke the streak with a stutter-step drive for a layup. Bair added a three-pointer and a Meabon jumper to spark a 10–0 Colgate run and take its first lead, 14–9.
Out of the first quarter, Meabon hit a long and step back jumper to add four more points to Colgate's lead, 18–9. The Big Red finally hit back-to-back shots after a seven-minute drought to cut the game to a one-possession margin.
Midgette went to work down low and hit the reverse layup, as Streiff and Meabon added layups to extend the lead, 24–15. Colgate went on another 10–0 run to double its lead and take its largest advantage of the game 30–15, heading into halftime.
Cornell came out of the half with urgency,tallying a pair of buckets and foul shots to ignite a 6–0 run. Strieff hit a momentum-stopping three, and Grace Klagg topped two more points to extend to an 11 point buffer.
Anne Bair hit a late three-pointer, but Cornell kept chipping away at the deficit, scoring six unanswered points to make it a one-possession game, 43–41.
Cornell came back and took its first lead of the game since the first quarter, 44–43. Tatiana Matthews contributed a quick four points, but the Big Red equalized with a game-tying three-pointer to make it 47–47.
As time expired, Colgate built a six point advantage and forced Cornell to foul, sending the Raiders to the line. Despite the Big Red's comeback attempts, the Raiders shot 7-for-8 at the foul line to clinch a 60–54 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Abbey Ferguson scored a career-best nine points.
- Colgate demonstrated versatility on the offensive end, having seven different Raiders score.
- Ten of the Raiders' 22 field goals were assisted.
- Colgate is 4–0 on the season and has maintained a better shooting percentage than its opponents.
- This is the third game this season in which Colgate has had two or more players score double-digit points.
- Colgate improved its current win streak over Cornell to three.
UP NEXT
Colgate will continue on their road trip, heading east to face Quinnipiac on Sunday at 2 p.m.
