Since the close of last semester, the Colgate women’s basketball team has unfortunately earned just one win over the course of ten games. Some contests were closer than others. In a game against Michigan State, Colgate was nearly blown out of the water, but the Spartans have an

established program. Currently, the Raiders have a 5-14 overall record with a 1-7 conference record. In their most recent games against Army and Loyola, the Raiders lost two close matchups to league opponents.

The Raiders are shooting 34 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc while committing nearly 15 turnovers per game in their past 10 contests. If the Raiders wish to turn their season around they must limit those turnover numbers. Doing so will open up more opportunities for fast break points and easy buckets. In their sole win, over the Boston University Terriers on January 15, the Raiders were terrific, shooting over 50 percent from both the field and from behind the arc in winning 81-64. Returning to play from injury in this game was junior forward Kelly Reid, who scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. “We’re a better team than 0-6 or 0-5 or 0-4, and we’re finally healthy,” Head Coach Nikki Hays Fort said. “We talked about being fearless, committing to each other and controlling the things we can control. We just want to put ourselves in a good position going into the conference tournament and be fearless toward the outcome. It’s really important for our players to have a little bit of success right now.”

Unfortunately, the team’s moderate success was short-lived. Presently, the Raiders  are in the middle of a three-game losing streak. After dropping a game on the road to Navy and losing to the top team in the Patriot League, they travelled to second place Army and held their own in losing 62-45. The Raiders were led by junior forward Carole Harris on the inside, who shot 10-for-18 from the field and put up 21 points.The team got off to a quick start in its next game against Loyola, but failed to capitalize on early momentum. The Raiders were outscored 15-9 in points off turnovers to nearly make the difference in the game.

Despite this large margin, the Raiders trailed by only six at half and had a good chance to get back in the game. Scoring the first five points of the second half, the  Raiders were quickly back in the game and looked poised to take the lead.The Greyhounds responded strongly with nine straight points, however, to extend the lead back to double digits. From that point on, the Greyhounds never looked back and did not allow the Raiders to get within five points. While wins may not be coming easily for the Raiders, they have seen contribution from points in the paint and the bench. The Raiders outscored Loyola by a noticeable margin in both of these areas. Kelly Reid had another outstanding game,

topping her season high with 13 rebounds. With a healthy team and an energized head coach, the Raiders look to change their fortune in the weeks to come. The Raiders next game will come this Saturday evening as they travel to Bucknell.

Contact J.P. Letourneau at [email protected].