Contact: Christina Cracolici

Phone: (315) 228-6761

February 25, 2002

Hamilton, N.Y. - After pounding Lafayette 94-75 in its regular season finale, the Colgate University women's basketball team finished tied for fourth in the Patriot League after posting a 7-7 mark in league action, and 13-16 overall, under the helm of first-year head coach Beth Spycher.  

The Raiders seven league wins are the most since the 1994-95 season when they tallied nine. 

The Raiders have won their last two games straight, downing Army on the road 65-61 and Lafayette at home, heading into the Patriot League Tournament, March 1 and 3 at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.   

Colgate enters into the tournament as the number five seed by virtue of a tie-breaker and will look to avenge a pair of regular season losses to fourth-seeded American University (12-14, 7-7), Friday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m.  

The 2001-02 Raider squad has been led by a youth movement as four Raider rookies were named Patriot League Rookie of the Week throughout the season, led by sharp-shooting Allison Lipinski (Garfield Heights, Ohio/Garfield Heights) who made three appearances on the list.

Center/forwards Milaina Lagzdins (Oakville, Ontario/Nelson) and Leandra Fuller (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and guard/forward Emily Braseth (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) each earned top honors once.

 Lipinski, who broke the single-season school record for three-point field goals made just 15 games into her rookie year, leads the Raiders in scoring and is fourth in the Patriot League averaging 15.8 points per game.  

With eight threes against Lafayette, Lipinski toppled two more records netting the Colgate single-game record for threes with eight, and toppling the single-season Patriot League record with 96 treys this year.  

Sophomore guard Malissa Burke (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) has been the Raiders 'go-to' player on both ends of the court throughout the season and is second on the team in scoring netting 13.8 points per game.  

Burke is second on the team in assists (74) and steals (49) and ranks among Patriot League leaders in scoring (9th), free throw percentage at 71.9 percent (15th), assists at 2.55 per game (13th), steals at 1.69 per game (12th), three-point field goal percentage  at 34.2 percent (10th), and three-point field goals made with 38 (12th).  

Raider Vicky Briscoe (Landover, Md./Riverdale Baptist) has led the Colgate attack with her heady play at the point guard position, averaging a team-leading and Patriot League fourth 4.00 assists per game.  Briscoe is averaging 7.2 points throughout the season and 8.8 points in league action and has a 1.33 assist-to-turnover ratio.  

Colgate's lone senior, Sarah Parks (Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy), has provided the Raiders with valuable minutes both off of the bench and in a starting role this season. Parks, who is averaging a solid 7.9 points per game, leads the Raiders in steals with 66 and is fifth in the Patriot League averaging 2.28 per game.  

Each of the Raiders Patriot League Tournament games will broadcast live over the internet via WKXZ.  Interested parties can link to the broadcast through the Colgate University Athletic Department Website at http://athletics.colgate.edu.  In addition all 12 of the Patriot League Tournament games will be broadcast live through the Patriot League website http://www.patriotleague.com in conjunction with its partners Broadcastmonsters.com.