The Colgate women’s basketball team had a disappointing week, facing two losses against both West Point and Bucknell. Despite the two losses, the team was able to reflect positively on the things they did well and the progress they have made thus far.

   On Wednesday, February 8, the Raiders travelled to West Point, New York to face the Black Knights in what proved to be a competitive game. The Black Knights led early on, with junior guard Janae McNeal scoring seven straight points, bringing the score to 17-2. Then, with only nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, junior guard Kateri Stone scored a three pointer to cap off the Raiders 11-0 run that put them in the lead 45-40. The Raiders did not score for five minutes following their scoring streak, but first-year guard Rachel Thompson narrowly brought her team back into a 47-46 lead with a layup. Unfortunately, the Raiders could not hold onto their lead and ended up losing to the Black Knights, with a final score of 57-47.

   On Saturday, February 11, the Raiders hosted Bucknell on Cotterell Court in what proved to be a disheartening loss. The game ended with a final score of 79-49, the Raiders struggling to keep up with the first place patriot league team. Stone put forward another impressive performance, scoring a team best ten points while senior guard Katie Curtis put forth eight of her own points. Thompson once again proved herself an asset to the team, tallying a career best eight assists along with seven points and seven rebounds.

   Early in the first quarter, the Raiders managed to hold onto a narrow lead, with a 7-0 run. However, Bucknell ended the first quarter ahead 24-14. Bucknell scored the first eight points of the second quarter, bringing the score to 32-14. Stone put an impressive effort forth, scoring seven of the next ten points, narrowing the gap between the Raiders and the Bison. Bucknell managed to hold on to their lead in the latter two quarters of the game, ultimately ending with the final score of 79-49.

   “Coach Roussell obviously has done a fantastic job there; they are a great team. There are not many kinks in the armor. We got off to a good start; I really liked our energy. But we got down and the next thing you know, we just kept watching the score instead of trusting what we do and trusting the process,” head coach Bill Cleary said.

   Despite the difficulty of the losses, the team saw them as learning experiences from which they could grow and improve.

   “The losses were extremely tough, but I thought there was a lot we could take away from them. Our defense from the beginning of the season to now has made tremendous strides, and we have players that are starting to play with a lot of confidence, so we are beginning to come together nicely. We still have five games left until playoffs, so we just have to keep our heads up and continue to improve everyday in practice,” Stone said.

   The Raiders next travel to Massachusetts to play Boston University on Wednesday, February 15.