Box Score: Colgate 61, Army 47
HAMILTON, N.Y. - Junior G Nalini Hawkins scored a career-high 27 points with 21 of those tallies coming during a furious second-half Army comeback effort but it was not enough as the Black Knights fell 61-47 to Colgate on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court. Army trailed by as many as 23 points, but managed to whittle the deficit down to eight (55-47) with 2:19 remaining. The Black Knights could not finish as Colgate scored the final six points of the game.
"I'm obviously proud of the way we came out and battled in the second half, but you can't come out of the gate like that," said head coach Dave Magarity. "We looked like we were sleep walking out there in the first half and we've got to learn to put two halves together.
"This is a very dangerous time for us sitting at 3-5 in the Patriot League," he added. "(Nalini) Hawkins took over the game for us, but we need to get over relying on just one player to do the bulk of our scoring on any given night."
Hawkins' career-best marked came on an 11-of-22 performance from the floor. She added seven rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes on the floor. Junior F Erin Anthony came up with nine points to go with six rebounds and two blocks, while freshman F Alison Grapevine chipped in with five points off the bench.
The Black Knights trailed 35-14 at the half after shooting just 17 percent (5-of-30) in the first 20 minutes of play. The team rebounded to shoot 40 percent (12-of-30) in the second half to finish the game with a 28 percent (17-of-60) mark for the game. Army (9-13, 3-5 PL) out-scored Colgate (8-14, 3-5 PL) by a 33-26 margin in the second half but could not make up for its first half setbacks.
After Hawkins' coast-to-coast layup opened the scoring (19:09), Colgate rattled off 18 of the next 19 points as the Black Knights found themselves facing an 18-3 hole and without a field goal in 7:42. Anthony's layup at the 11:33 mark ended the drought, but Army still trailed 21-5 midway through the first half. The deficit would prove critical as Army was never able to get over the hump.
The Black Knights continued to chip away, however, as a quick five-straight points courtesy of a Molly Yardley baseline triple (9:01) and a pair of Hawkins free throws (8:04) to pull Army to within 12 (24-12). Again, scoring was a premium for the Black Knights for the remainder of the first frame as Colgate held a 35-14 halftime lead.
After Colgate rookie G Jhazmine Lynch opened the second-half scoring, Army used a 12-0 run to cut into the Raiders' lead (38-26) with 15:25 to play. Hawkins' pull-up jumper capped the spurt and she accounted for eight of Army's 12 points during the run.
Army's offensive rhythm continued but the Black Knights were unable to sufficiently stifle Colgate on the defensive end. A pair of Candice Green free throws with 4:44 to play gave the Raiders a 55-39 lead. The Black Knights scored the next eight points unanswered - seven of which came courtesy of Hawkins - to pull within eight (55-47) with 2:14 to play. Army would get no closer the rest of the way.
Lynch led the Raiders with 15 points off the bench, while Green added 11 points. Four Colgate players totaled at least six rebounds as the Raiders won the battle of the boards by a 45-34 margin.
Army remains on the road for a mid-week test at rival Holy Cross on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. The Black Knights won the first meeting of the 2009-10 series, collecting a 65-61 win on Jan 13 at West Point, N.Y. The victory was Army's 10th in the last 11 game against the Crusaders.
Notes: Dave Magarity's starting lineup featured G Nalini Hawkins, G Jessie Coiffard, G/F Laura Baranek, F Laura Burdick and F Erin Anthony ... freshman G Liz Benedict celebrated her 22nd birthday in Hamilton, N.Y., on Friday ... G Meagan Doucette and F Alison Grapevine started the second half ... Hawkins has scored at least 20 points in four games this season ... Army beat Colgate by a 63-57 score in the first meeting this season on Jan. 9 in West Point, N.Y. ... Army's fell to Colgate for the first time since 2005-06, ending what had been an eight-game win streak against the Raiders ... In other Patriot League action Saturday afternoon, Holy Cross downed Lafayette (50-47) ... Bucknell hosts Navy and American plays at Lehigh Saturday night both at 7 p.m.
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