Contact: Christina Cracolici

Phone: (315) 228-6761

March 1, 2002

Box Score

Upper Marlboro, Md. -   For the third straight year the Colgate University women's basketball team advanced to the semi-finals of the Patriot League tournament and for the second straight year the fifth-seeded Raiders played the spoiler, upsetting the higher seed, downing fourth-seeded American University, 79-68, Friday at Show Place Arena, in Patriot League women's basketball quarterfinal action.   

With the win Colgate improves to 14-16 overall and avenges two regular season losses to the Eagles, 12-15, and will face top-seeded Holy Cross, Sunday March 3 at 12:00 p.m. 

The Raiders had four players in double-figures led by Malissa Burke's 21 points, including  5-for-7 shooting from three-point range.  Burke's five three-point field goals ties a Patriot League tournament record for three-pointers in a came.  

Freshman Allison Lipinski netted 16 points, while sophomore Vicky Briscoe added 13 points, a game-high seven assists, and a career-high two blocked shots.  Emily Braseth chipped in with 12 points off the bench, while Milaina Lagzdins scored eight points and ripped down a game-high 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards for Colgate.   

American had four players in double-figures and were led by Hollie Steinman's 14-point, 13-rebound double-double.  Chanell Spriggs netted a team-high 16 points while Katryn Costenbader and Kaitlin Schuyler chipped in with 14 and 13 points each.  Spriggs added five assists and five steals for the Eagles.  

Trailing by 14 points after the  first six minutes of action at 18-4, the Raiders strung together a 11-0 run keyed by Burke's first of four first half three-pointers on an assist by Lipinski.  

"We never lost our confidence," said Burke who tied her career-high with five three-pointers. "We knew they were going to make their runs and we knew that we were going to make ours."

Colgate tied the game at 25 points a piece on two free throws by Briscoe with 5:48 remaining in the first half and Braseth gave the Raiders their first lead of the game completing a lay-up off an assist from Briscoe.  

The two teams traded baskets, with four tie scores in the ensuing five minutes of play, until Burke gave the Raiders a 37-36 lead heading into the halftime break sinking her fourth three-pointer of the half with six seconds on the clock.

"Our team as a whole stepped up and executed today," said first-year head coach Beth Spycher, who was named the Patriot League women's basketball Coach of the Year.  "We've matured a lot as a team during the second half of the Patriot League season.  It all comes down to heart and hustle in tournament action and we had that."

The Raiders jumped out to a nine point lead at 48-39 on an 8-0 run to open the second half of play capped by a Lagzdins lay-up with 16:45 remaining in the half.  

Colgate took its largest lead of the game at 16 points, 66-50, with eight minutes on the clock as Allison Lipinski connected on one of  her two three-pointers on an assist by Burke.

American cut the lead to six, 71-65, with less than three-minutes remaining in the game on an 14-5 spurt after Costenbader nailed her fourth three of the game.  Spriggs scored eight of the Eagles 14 points in the run.  

Colgate, which shot 76.7 percent from the free throw line in the game,  converted eight of 12 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.