The women’s basketball team continued to struggle in the second week of its season, losing at Albany and The Ohio State University. In spite of the defeats, the team rallied and improved its quality of play by breaking through with its first victory of the year against Winston-Salem State last Sunday night.

On Thursday, November 15, Colgate lost at Albany, 86-62. The game began with Albany in control as the Great Danes went on an early 8-0 run. The Raiders dug out of the early hole and quickly caught up, tying the game at 37 at halftime. Things looked promising for Colgate, but Albany hit an early three-point basket to take the lead and never looked back thanks to a decisive 17-4 run. The Raiders greatly improved their shooting, converting on a season-high 47% of two-pointers and 43% from three-point land. Three Albany players combined for 55 points, while first-year guard Sami Kozlowski showed her excellent form once again by scoring a season-high 18 points and recording seven assists. Another promising rookie, first-year Krista Moser, chipped in with 13 points.

With the incremental progress, Head Coach Pam Bass was satisfied with the team’s performance. “It was a great step forward for us,” she said. “The team showed a lot more energy.”

The next game, however, was a far greater challenge than perhaps even Colgate expected. The Raiders lost 88-26 to 15th-ranked Ohio State last Saturday at the Klosterman Buckeye Classic. The game began with a 10-0 Ohio State run and a barrage of three-pointers widened the Buckeye lead to 42-13 at halftime. The second half was not much better for the Raiders. Against the aggressive Buckeye defense, Colgate couldn’t buy a basket. Buckeye Marscilla Packer hit five three-pointers en route to scoring 22 points. Senior Caitlin Gillard, meanwhile, led Colgate with seven points and five rebounds. First-year Evan Librizzi added six points while sophomore Katie Garman snatched five rebounds.

“I was using [the Ohio State game] as a game to prepare for the Patriot League; I was not using it as a scoreboard game,” Bass explained. “We are a very young team and we are improving every game.”

Last Sunday, Colgate played Winston-Salem State in a battle of the beatens. Neither team had posted a win heading into the game, partly because both squads had played challenging early season schedules. The Raiders used their distinct height advantage to dominate the boards and come away with a win, 58-39. Two Raiders recorded solid double-doubles: all-tournament team member Caitlin Gillard, notched 16 points and 15 rebounds while first-year Georgia Gier complemented her teammates’ efforts with 16 points and 16 boards of her own. Colgate held a 26-14 lead at halftime due to Winston-Salem’s horrendous first-half shooting performance. Winston-Salem still did not despair and kept the pressure on Colgate throughout the entire game, even cutting the lead to nine points early in the second half. However, a game-changing 9-0 run propelled Colgate to its first win of the season.

“It was an excellent game played throughout the entire 40 minutes,” Bass said. “We improved greatly on muscle points, boxing out, pass fakes and shot fakes, and on team communication.”