The Colgate women’s basketball team relinquished its three-game winning streak this past Saturday when it lost to American University, 82-47.

The Raiders were then kicked while they were down, losing by the same margin to Lehigh on Wednesday night, 80-49.

The game began with a lot of action for both teams offensively. American jumped to a quick lead with four points in the first minute by senior Nyanin Ohemaa. Colgate would not go away easily, however, as junior Sami Kozlowski began an offensive surge by scoring five points and lead the way for sophomore teammate Holly Havenstein to cut the margin to one, making the score 8-7. After this push however, the Eagles were able to go on an 8-0 run courtesy of hot shooting from forward Liz Leer.

“You need to give American a lot of credit,” Head Coach Pam Bass said. “Liz Leer is a guard in a post player’s body and did a tremendous job hitting from both the three-point line and around the basket. What adds to her effectiveness are her teammates. Each one poses a threat in their own way and they play with an aggressive and winning mentality for 40 minutes.”

Colgate was able to stay in the game due in large part to the spectacular performance by junior Krista Moser. Moser single-handedly closed the gap in the scoreboard by putting in seven points before half time. Moser’s effort allowed the Raiders to enter the intermission down by twelve points.

American shot 54.2% from the floor, while Colgate only was able to manage 39.1%. Both teams however, shot accurately from the free throw line with American going nine for ten, and Colgate making six of eight. This accuracy would continue for American throughout the game and it would finish with a shooting percentage of 51.9%. Unfortunately, the tide turned for the Raiders, as they ended the game shooting a chilly 28.3% from the field.

“American was primarily in its player to player defense,” Coach Bass said. “They showed very little zone pressure. In the player to player defense, they collapsed in on our post players and sagged off of our guards. This forced us to make reads on kick-outs. Even with their defense, we got some great looks both with our inside game and with lay-ups, unfortunately we simply couldn’t finish.”

Leer’s long three-pointer to open the second half proved to be a foreshadowing of the rest of the night. With a score of 41-26, American went on yet another big 8-3 run to put them up by twenty points. This margin was simply too large for the women to overcome, as the Eagles continued to score consistently and took the game with a commanding 35-point advantage of 82-47.

The standout performers for the Raiders were Kozlowski and Moser. Moser would have a brilliant all around night, posting a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

“Krista is a great competitor,” Coach Bass said. “She rose to the challenge on both ends of the floor. She followed game plan and was able to double pivot and shot fake their inside game. Her growth and maturity over the course of the year has been tremendous. Her approach and personal accountability for executing has contributed to her growth and maturity as a player. When Krista is fired up, she is so much fun to watch. Her drive and focus really is intense.”

Kozlowski was able to contribute seven points and three assists on the night.

On Wednesday night, the women traveled to Bethlehem, PA to take on Lehigh, and suffered another devastating loss. Kozlowski again led Colgate with a team-high 12 points, but the efforts were in vain, as Lehigh defeated the Raiders 80-49.

The women will host Patriot League opponent Bucknell at home on Saturday. The game will begin at 2 p.m.