WASHINGTON D.C. – (2/16/08)—Colgate University sophomore Laura Grimm (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored a career-high 14 points and added career-high five rebounds and four assists as the Raiders fell to American, 73-46, in Patriot League women’s basketball action in the nation’s capital. Talicia Jackson led all American players with 14 points and four assists.

 

Grimm went 4-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to register double-digit points for the first time in her career. Junior Gretchen Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio) added nine points for Colgate (1-24, 0-10), while rookie Krista Moser (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) pulled down five rebounds to match Grimm for the team lead.

 

American came out of the gates on fire, making nine of its first 10 shots, to jump out to a 22-6 lead at the 13:56 mark. Jackson had 11 of the Eagles’ first 22 points, hitting all three of her shots from behind the arc. She led all scorers at the half with 14 points.

 

That’s when both teams hit a scoring drought, combining for just 10 points over the next 10 minutes. The Eagles had eight of those points as they pushed the lead to 29-8 with 7:37 left on the clock in the opening half.

 

The Raiders were able to get to the basket in the final few minutes of the session, scoring seven points in the final 3:33. However, the Eagles continued to match that as they did the same to take a 38-19 lead into the break.

 

American shot 43.3 percent in the first half, including 42.9 percent from long range. The Raiders hit just 23.8 percent of their chances and were forced into 14 turnovers which resulted in 17 points for the Eagles.

 

Colgate came out of the break and got better looks at the basket, but was unable to put a dent in the Eagles’ lead. American used a quick 8-2 run in the early go in front by 25 points.

 

American pushed its advantage to as many as 33 points before the Raiders went on a 14-5 run over a five-minute span to cut the lead to 21 points with just over a minute remaining in the contest. That run came too late as the Eagles cruised to the 73-46 victory to improve to 13-12 overall and 7-3 in conference play.

 

Liz Hayes added 13 points to the winning effort and Stephanie N’Garsanet had 12. N’Garsanet also led the charge on the glass with six rebounds

 

The Raiders’ shooting improved to 47.8 percent in the second half as they scored 14 of their 27 points in the paint. Defensively, Colgate held American to just one three-pointer in the second frame after the Eagles hit six in the opening 20 minutes.

 

For the game, Colgate shot 36.4 percent and American was 42.1 percent from the floor. The Raiders held their own on the boards, winning the battle 34-29. The Eagles capitalized on Colgate’s turnovers, getting 31 points off the giveaways.

 

The Raiders play again on Feb. 20 at Lehigh. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., in Bethlehem, Pa.