EASTON, Pa. (1/13/10) -   Four players scored in double figures for the Raiders as they downed Patriot League opponent Lafayette, 71-63, at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa. on Wednesday night. With the win, Colgate improves to 6-11 overall and 1-1 in the league while the Leopards fall to 3-13 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

 

The win snapped a ten game losing streak for the Raiders that dated back to Nov. 28. Colgate's last win came against Mount St. Mary's, 56-45, on Nov. 24, ending what was previously a five game winning streak for the squad.

 

Junior Tayler Wejnert (Ramsey, N.J.) and rookie Jhazmine Lynch (San Diego, Calif.) led Colgate with 14 points apiece with Wejnert adding four rebounds and Lynch dishing out four assists. Tricia Oakes (Evergreen, Colo.) tallied 12 points and Sami Kozlowski (New Market, Md.) followed with 10 while Candice Green (East Brunswick, N.J.) picked up a team-high eight rebounds for the Raiders.

 

LaKeisha Wright led the Leopards with 14 points while Elizabeth Virgin finished just shy of a double-double with ten points and a game-high nine boards. Sarah McGorry added 12 points for Lafayette.

 

Lafayette jumped out to an early lead, 6-3, but Kendra Brim (Buffalo, N.Y.) put in two baskets and Kozlowski added a point, going 1-2 from the free throw line, to give the Raiders an 8-7 lead with 13:02 on the clock. Colgate followed up by going on a 12-4 run to gain a 20-11 advantage, as Oakes and Wejnert combined for 10 of those points.

 

A few minutes later the Raiders earned their largest lead of the half an 11 point, 23-12 advantage with less than five minutes remaining in the first. The Leopards began to work their way back cutting Colgate's lead to four, 29-25, to end the half.

 

The Raiders quickly built their lead back to double figures in the first few minutes of the second half, gaining a 10 point advantage, 41-31, aided by a five point run by senior Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.). Lafayette came within five points, 47-42, with just under 11 minutes left in the game, but they wouldn't come any closer as Colgate dominated the second half of play. The Raiders finished the half going 8-8 from the free throw line for the 71-63 victory.

 

Colgate shot 40.8 percent (20-49) from the field and 75.0 percent (27-36) from the charity stripe. The Leopards also shot 40.8 percent (20-49) from the floor and were 3-6 (50.0 percent) from behind the arc.

 

The Raiders will be back in action this Saturday when they return to Cotterell Court for their Patriot League home-opener against American. Start time is scheduled for 2 p.m.