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Women's College Basketball
Colgate University 72, Rider University 65

HAMILTON, N.Y.--Senior Tammy Meyers (Willingboro) had a 'double-double', scoring 15 points and tied a career-high with 11 rebounds and senior Amanda Sepulveda (Perth Amboy) also scored 15 but it wasn't enough as the Rider University women's basketball team lost at Colgate 72-65 Monday night.

"We got out toughed in every sense of the word," said a disappointed head coach Lynn Milligan.  "We just did not play well.  I do not have a lot of positives to say about the game.  We didn't deserve to win the game.  We got out played."

Trailing 65-63, Meyers hit two free throws for Rider with 1:22 left to tie the game at 65, the eighth and final tie of the game.

Colgate (2-0) responded with Jhazmine Lynch hitting a three-pointer with 59 seconds left to put the Raiders ahead 68-65.  Lynch finished with a game-high 25 points.  After the Broncs missed a quick three-point attempt, Sami Kozlowski hit a layup with 24 seconds left and a Lynch layup at the buzzer completed the 7-0 run for the final score.  Kozlowski finished with 10 points.

"It was back and forth the whole game," Milligan said.  "It was a game of runs.  I think with a minute left we were tied and then Colgate went down and hit a three.  Then we turned the ball over and they went down and hit another shot.  We had a hard time guarding Lynch."

The Broncs committed 23 fouls, sending Colgate to the free throw line 35 times and overall, Rider (0-2) was held to 33 percent shooting to 41 percent for the Raiders.

Also for Rider, junior Cintella Spotwood (Trenton/Trenton Central) and freshman Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) each had eight points.

"Our freshmen were tough tonight," Milligan said.  "At this point, we are looking for toughness.  They don't get pushed around and they let things role.  They go out there and play and some of the other players are having trouble letting their emotions get the best of them instead of just playing."

Trailing 16-8 with 8:54 left in the first half, Rider got to within 19-16 with 6:50 left in the opening period, with Meyers scoring four of the eight points.

Trailing 27-19, the Broncs again responded with a 9-0 run, four points by Bopp and three by Sepulveda and Rider went into the locker room leading 28-27.

"They jumped on us and then we came back," Milligan added.  "I know we were down eight at one point in the first half and then came back to take the lead by one at half time.  Colgate came out and started the second half on a run and then we had to respond again."

Colgate opened the second half on an 8-0 run to go up 35-28 before a three point play by Meyers sparked a 7-2 run to get the Broncs within two at 37-35 with 15:47 left.  A 7-1 run by the Raiders brought the Colgate lead back to eight before Rider rallied with a 9-0 run, all nine points by Sepulveda, to take a 52-51 lead with 9:25 left.

The teams traded the lead over the next five minutes with Rider's last field goal at the 4:38 mark to go up 63-61.

"We didn't play with a sense of urgency tonight," Milligan said.  "We needed to come up here on the road and play better and we just struggled.  They (Colgate) had an answer for everything that we did tonight.  Every game we have to bring our 'A' game and we did not bring our 'A' game tonight.  We were not ready to match their intensity."

Overall, there were 11 lead changes in the game.

The Broncs out-rebounded Colgate 45-41 including 17-11 on the offensive glass.

Meyers notched her fifth career 'double-double' but did it on a night where she was three for 14 from the floor in 36 minutes of play.

Rider defeated Colgate 68-56 in Alumni Gym one-year ago (November 16, 2008) and the all-time series is now tied at one.

The Broncs host Monmouth on Thursday at 7:00pm in Alumni Gym.

"We have two home games coming up (Monmouth Thursday, FDU Sunday)," Milligan said.  "Hopefully we can get ourselves situated and we can get back to the drawing board and get ourselves some urgency, some fire and take care of business at home."

-RU-