BASKETBALL GAME CENTRAL

THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 11 – Bryant

The Colgate women's basketball team will open its 2011-12 season at Cotterell Court on Friday Nov. 11 against Bryant. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be live on Colgate All-Access.

BASKETBALL GAME CENTRAL
Raider fans can follow every Colgate game this season through Basketball Game Central located on the Colgate Athletic Website. Basketball Game Central keeps fans one click away from following live stats, listening to the radio or watching the game live. Basketball Game Central also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

START OF A NEW SEASON
Head coach Nicci Hays Fort comes over from DePaul University with a winning mentality, and will look to turn the women's basketball program in a new direction. With the Blue Demons Hays Fort made five trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 appearance and a top-10 national ranking last season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Colgate women's basketball team defeated Merrimack College 82-71 in its final exhibition game Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court. Junior guard Jhazmine Lynch led the Raiders with a team-high 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals.

Freshman Missy Repoli gave the Raiders a boost off the bench with 14 points while Mariah Jones scored 12 points along with two steals and four rebounds. Senior Candice Green tied the game-high with seven assists and 12 points, while Kelly Korkowski finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

TOP RETURNERS
The Raiders return four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 7-22. Junior guard Jhazmine Lynch finished second on the team in scoring averaging 11.4 points per game, along with 2.3 steals per game, which placed her second in the league. Seniors Tricia Oakes and Kelly Korkowski are back for the Raiders. Oakes, last season averaged seven points per game along with four rebounds per game while Korkowski finished fifth in the league in blocks with 1.2 per game. Sophomore Lauryn Kobiela will once again be at the helm of the Raiders attack looking to improve on her 2.7 assists per game, which placed her sixth in the Patriot League.

PRESEASON POLL
The Colgate women's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the 2011-12 Patriot League preseason poll. American was the top choice in the preseason poll as they received 11 of 16 first place votes. Lehigh received three first place votes, while Navy received two. Bucknell and Holy Cross were close for the next two positions, separated by six points. Lafayette, Army, and Colgate finished out the rankings. Navy's Jade Geif was chosen as the Preseason Player of the Year.

82 DOES IT
The Raiders put up 82 points in each of its two exhibition games versus Merrimack College and King's College.

SCOUTING BRYANT
The Bulldogs return 11 letterwinners from last year's squad, with four starters included in that group. Last season Danielle Douglas led the team in scoring averaging 10.7 points per game and 2.24 steals per game; ranking fourth in the NEC with 2.24 steals per game. Also returning for Bryant is guard Meredith Soper who averaged 10 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES
This will be the fifth meeting between Colgate and Bryant with the Bulldogs leading the all-time series 4-0. Bryant escaped the last meeting with a 77-70 victory over the Raiders. The loss to Bryant ended Colgate's three game winning streak. Jhazmine Lynch scored a team-high 22 points, four steals, and five assists while Tayler Wejnert added 18 points and seven rebounds.

FRESH FIVE
The Raiders welcome five freshmen to this year's squad. Guards Mariah Jones from Silver Spring, Md. and Missy Repoli form Marlboro, N.J., forwards Kelly Reid from Richmond Hill, Ga., and Carole Harris from Lansing, Mich., along with center Steph Schultz from Pottstown, Pa.