HAMILTON, N.Y. (1/16/10) - Senior Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.) scored a team-high 11 points and rookie Jhazmine Lynch (San Diego, Calif.) added 10 but it wasn't enough as the Colgate women's basketball team fell to the visiting American Eagles, 80-58, Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court. The Raiders are now 6-11 overall and 1-2 in the Patriot League while American improves to 10-7 overall and 3-0 in league play.

 

American opened the game with a 10-0 run holding the Raiders scoreless for the first eight minutes of play. Sophomore Candice Green (East Brunswick, N.J.) put in Colgate's first basket, sparking a 15-6 run by the Raiders to put them within one of the Eagles, 16-15. Green led Colgate's charge with five points in just over three minutes of play.

 

Leading scorer Michelle Kirk put the Eagles back on top scoring seven points to give American a 33-21 lead with 4:32 left in the half. Colgate however, stepped up the defensive pressure in the final minutes holding the Eagles scoreless for just over three minutes of play while cutting their lead to three, 33-30, on a jumper from sophomore Kelly Korkowski (Williamsburg, Va.). A minute later, the Raiders entered the half-time break down by just five, 37-32.

 

Colgate started the second half with a three from Garman to pull within two, 37-35, but it was as close as they would get for the remainder of the game as the Eagles built a decisive 18 point over the next nine minutes. Lynch led the Raiders in the second half scoring eight of her 10 points and picking up two rebounds. Oakes, Garman and Korkowski had four rebounds apiece to lead the Raiders on the boards.

 

Kirk led the Eagles with a game-high 26 points, four assists and four steals, while Ebony Edwards tallied a game-high eight boards along with 10 points for American. Senior Liz Leer added 13 points.

 

Colgate shot 44.7 percent (21-47) for the day and 50.0 percent in the first half. American went 31-62 (50.0 percent) from the floor including 16-27 (59.3 percent) in the opening half.

 

The Raiders will be back on the court Wednesday, Jan. 20 when they host Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Cotterell Court.