WASHINGTON, D.C. – Colgate dropped a 59-57 heartbreaker on the road at American.
The Eagles sank a field goal with three seconds left in a tie game to complete the comeback over the Raiders.
Senior
Alexa Brodie and the Eagles exchanged layups to open the game.
Taylor Golembiewski scored a field goal right after the opening baskets, but American went on a 5-0 run to lead 7-4.
Morgan McMahon and
Christina Midgette scored back-to-back field goals to give the Raiders a one-point lead that didn't last long as the Eagles scored six unanswered points to lead 13-8. Another foul on Colgate kept the American run alive as the Eagles added a pair of free throws to lead by seven points.
Tiasia McMillan broke up the Eagles' run with less than 15 seconds left of the first period to cut the deficit to five points, but American scored a buzzer-beating basket to close the period.
Freshmen Midgette and
Abbey Ferguson went on a 4-2 run to open the second period to cut American's lead to five points again. The Eagles broke up the short run halfway through the period to lead 21-14.
American went on to score two points at the charity stripe to add to their lead.
Madison Schiller slashed up the four straight Eagles points, but American took back-to-back trips to the foul line to end the first half on top 27-16.
Golembiewski pushed up the paint to cut Colgate's deficit to nine points to open the second half. The Eagles sank a jumper in retaliation, but the Raiders went on a 5-0 run to trail 29-23. Golembiewksi scored a pair of points at the foul line, and Schiller drained a trey in the run. First year
Nicole Parks kept the run alive with a basket in the paint to cut American's lead to four points.
Schiller then drew a foul coming out with one point to cut the eagles' lead to 29-26. The Raiders drew another foul, this time by McMahon, to cut the deficit even short to two points. Colgate extended their run to 11 straight points to tie the game at 29 after McMillan scored a layup in the paint.
American eventually broke up the run with a little over four minutes in the third to take their lead back, but back-to-back fouls on the Eagles allowed Golembiewski to tie the game again at 31 and McMahon to take a two-point lead.
Colgate then took their third straight trip to the charity stripe after McMahon drew a shooting foul to bump the lead to 35-31. Ferguson scored Colgate's eighth unanswered point to extend the lead to six points. The Eagles closed out the third period with five unanswered points to trail by one point.
American opened the fourth at the foul line to take the lead back at 38-37. Both teams then scored two baskets apiece, with American only ahead by one point. The Eagles scored another field goal to push them to a 44-41 lead, but Golembiewksi retaliated with back-to-back jumpers to give the Raiders a one-point advantage.
The Eagles sank their first three-pointer of the fourth to lead by three points but were charged with a foul that brought McMahon to the foul line to tie the game for the third time at 47.
With five minutes left in the game, back-to-back possessions continued the tie at 49. McMillan put the Raiders ahead by a field goal, but the Eagles immediately scored in the paint to knot the game up at 51 points apiece.
The tie continued for the remaining two minutes of the fourth, as American made two free throws with 30 seconds on the clock. Colgate had ball possession with less than 10 seconds left, but a foul on the Raiders allowed the Eagles to score a game-winning jumper.
NOTES
- Golembiewski scored a team-high 16 points, followed by McMahon with 11 to round out the double-digit scoring.
- American was perfect at the charity stripe making all 18 attempted free throws.
- Schiller captured a career-high eight rebounds.
- The Raiders outscored American 21-9 in the third period.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Women's Basketball Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan
"Obviously this one was disappointing. We did not like how we started, but I'm proud of my team's fight in the second half. "There are a lot of good things we can take away from the game, with the way our freshman Madison Schiller rebounded and played defensively in the second half. A few of our other freshmen came in and played big minutes to help our comeback. "There is a lot more of the season left in conference play. We have to be able to learn, grow, and understand we can be in a great place if we play the full 40 minutes. "We turn the page quickly, but we will be ready to play BU on Wednesday."
UP NEXT
Colgate (10-9, 4-4 PL) returns to Hamilton on Wednesday, Jan. 25, to host Boston University. Tip-off against the Terriers is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Cotterell Court.
