ITHACA, N.Y. – Some games you just aren't supposed to win. Not your night. Can't find a rhythm. Breaks won't go your way.
 
And yet Colgate persevered, overcame and rallied from 17 points down to defeat Cornell 62-58 here Thursday night.
 
Your Raiders are 3-0 for the first time since 2009.

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Colgate had plenty of reasons to toss this one into the loss column and get ready for Yale:
 
-- Shot 33.8 percent from the field;
-- Finished 4-of-26 from 3-point distance;
-- Outrebounded 47-34;
-- Held the lead for 1 minute and 57 seconds of a 40-minute game;
-- And the biggest obstacle of all: trailed 39-24 at halftime and 41-24 early in the third quarter.
 
But Colgate outscored the Big Red 19-7 in the third and 19-12 in the fourth, finishing this make-shift masterpiece on a 7-2 run over the final 38.2 seconds.


 
Colgate's first lead of the game wasn't until 54-53 on Tegan Graham's baseline jumper with 2:55 remaining. Rachel Thompson converted one of two free throws to double that advantage but then Cornell's Kate Sramac drilled a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to push the Big Red back in front 56-55.
 
That's when Haley Greer worked free and found just enough space for a huge 3-pointer that handed the Raiders the lead for good at 58-56 with 38.2 left. Colgate's defense forced a layup miss by Hailey Miklos and Greer was on the spot with the rebound and was fouled.
 
The senior calmly sank both ends and Colgate led 60-56 with 25.5 remaining.
 
Cornell's Shannon Mulroy drove for a layup to narrow the margin to 60-58. But Nia Ahart was fouled and converted two clutch free throws to ice it as Colgate skipped out of Newman Arena with its most improbable victory in ages.
 
Thompson was a tornado, especially in the second half. The senior finished with season highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds, to go with five assists and a career-tying six steals.
 
Her line in the second half? 16, 10, 3 and 3.
 
Abby Schubiger just missed her career scoring high but tossed in a season-best 13 points, while Greer scored 10 including seven in the fourth quarter.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 62, Cornell 58


 
From the Sources
• Head Coach Bill Cleary (On the comeback) "When you're climbing a mountain, you're not looking at the whole mountain; you're looking at parts of the mountain. Instead of saying we were facing a 15-point deficit or hole, we wanted by the first media timeout to be down 11. By the end of the third quarter, let's be down four. Ironically, that's about where we were! Just like we planned it!
 
"But give our players a lot of credit. They showed a lot of resolve tonight, showed a lot of fight and this is a group that is totally bought-in. This is a great team win. Enjoy it tonight and we'll think about Yale tomorrow.
 
(On the finishing five) "I'll be honest, we couldn't find a five in the first half. And then we actually had a couple of groups in the second half that helped us cut that lead down before we went with those five on the floor at the end. That was the group that took us home."
 
(On the five-rebound possession) "If you look at that possession, that was a snippet of the game. We didn't stop, we didn't give up, and it didn't faze us. We were going to keep coming, keep coming. That was indicative of the whole game."
 
• Senior guard Haley Greer (On the stretch) "When any of us come in and sub, Coach says we always have to be ready. The subs that came in today gave us the spark we needed and we played team basketball and rebounded in the second half, which was huge.
 
"Coach knows that if you do your job, you're going to stay out on the court. He tells us just to play free when we are out there and work to stay on the floor."
 
(On the winning 3-pointer) "It only takes one, right? I know anybody who was going to take that shot in that situation tonight was going to make it. It just happened to come to me. We stayed confident in the second half and that's what helped us win."


 
Stats of the Game
• Colgate's second-half comeback was encapsulated in one Raiders possession just past the midway point of the third quarter.
• Cornell led 42-35 when Greer let fly with a 3-point attempt. It missed, but Thompson grabbed the offensive rebound.
• Then Taylor Langan missed and Ahart hustled for the rebound.
• Then Ava Williams missed a 3-ball but Thompson again grabbed the board.
• Then Langan misfired on a three but Thompson pocketed the rebound.
• Then Ahart missed a 3-pointer but Langan worked for the rebound.
• Langan put it back up and in and Colgate was down just 42-37.
• And that's how you win a college basketball game.
• This is the first three-game winning streak in the Bill Cleary Colgate Era.
• The Raiders made 12 steals for the third game in a row, this time forcing 29 Cornell turnovers.
• The Big Red shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half and just 21.7 in the second.


 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Newman Arena was 112.
 
Up Next
• Colgate concludes its Ivy Week with a Saturday visit from Yale.
• The Bulldogs are 1-0 after Wednesday's 63-59 home win over Quinnipiac.
• Tipoff is 1 p.m. from Cotterell Court, with the Patriot League Network carrying the livestream.