Senior forward Liz Leer grabbed her 686th rebound, tying Beth Shearer for 3rd all-time in AU history, as the Eagles beat the Colgate University Raiders 69-49 in Hamilton, N.Y.
AU is now tied for first place in the Patriot League after the Navy Midshipmen lost to the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday.
With the win, the Eagles have swept the season series against the Raiders. AU’s win also pushes their winning streak against the Raiders to eight. The Eagles haven’t lost to Colgate since 2007.
AU got off to a slow start as the Raiders took a 17-13 lead seven minutes into the first half. The Eagles then took control, going on a nine-point run to gain a 22-17 lead. The teams began to trade scores and at one point the Raiders got within two points. AU pulled away from Colgate during a stretch where they outscored their opponent 25-4 and scored the last 14 points of the half.
“It was a high tempo first half and we like that because that is the way we like to play,” Head Coach Matt Corkery told AU Athletics. “We did a nice job of sharing the ball and creating good looks on offense.”
AU continued to dominate in the second half. The Eagles also forced 18 Raiders’ turnovers that accounted for 19 points. AU dominated down low, gaining 34 of their 69 points in the paint despite being out-rebounded 37-35.
Leer led the Eagles in scoring with 20 points. Sophomore center Stephanie Anya contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Lisa Strack also has 10 points and led the Eagles with 6 assists. Freshman forward Sarah Kiely had nine points.
The Eagles shot 50.9 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three-point range. The Raiders were unable to get anything done offensively, as they shot 34 percent from inside the three-point line and only 42.9 percent from the free throw line.
“In the second half, it was evident that we need to do a better job of boxing out and limiting second shots,” Corkery said. “Colgate was more aggressive that half and we were not. We need to play with energy for 40 minutes and that is still a challenge for us.”
The Eagles return to Bender Arena on Wednesday when they face the Army Black Knights.
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