The women’s basketball team gained in-conference momentum after defeating Colgate 64-54 at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 1. Four days later, the Bison’s win streak came to an end at Lafeyette with an 87-64 defeat.

With six wins in their past eight games entering Feb 1., the Bison have been hard to win against, as Colgate saw from the Bison victory. But the game started with sloppy play, as turnovers plagued both teams. Seven turnovers occurred within three minutes of the opening tip.

“Transition is a big part of our game, and some of our turnovers were a result of trying to get points on the board quickly. Other turnovers were unforced and we were lucky Colgate wasn’t able to capitalize on them,” Claire Maree O’Bryan ’16 said.

The Bison were able to settle in and take control soon after. Their high-pressure defense led to many fast break opportunities. Colgate was held scoreless for a stretch of more than six minutes, and quick outlet passes coming the other way helped the Bison to a 12-6 lead.

There seemed to be a lid on the net as both teams struggled with their first-half shooting. Colgate shot 20.6 percent from the field while the Bison were at 35.5 percent for the first half. Still, quick passing and inside looks helped the Bison obtain a 28-21 lead at halftime. The Bison hit five three’s in the first half. Shelby Romine ’14 sunk two shots from long range while O’Bryan hit three shots, including one near the buzzer that gave the Bison momentum.

The Orange and Blue didn’t let up coming out of the gates in the second half, as Claire DeBoer ’17 grabbed two offensive rebounds on the opening possession. She found Tyler Craig ’16, making her second start of the season, next to the hoop for the easy basket.

The Bison limited their fouls in the second half, and a great inside pass from Romine to Audrey Dotson ’15 brought their lead to nine. Another six minute Colgate scoring drought showed the effectiveness of the Bison’s defense. Leading by 17 at one point, they ran away with the victory.

Four players–Dotson, Romine, O’Bryan, and Megan McGurk ’17–totaled double-digit scoring, with Dotson and Romine recording double-doubles with 12 and 11 rebounds respectively.

“Our team’s confidence has definitely increased these past few games. Being able to pull out wins in close games is really important in the Patriot League since any one team can beat any other team,” Dotson said.

The Bison’s recent success came to an end against Lafayette at Kirby Sports Center on Feb. 5. Eleven first-half lead changes saw both teams scoring early, but an 11-0 Leopard run saw Lafayette start to pull away. The Bison trailed at halftime 39-35.

Scoring slowed for the Bison in the second half as their shots stopped falling, and 21 total turnovers made it difficult to climb back into the game. The Bison shot 37.1 percent while grabbing an impressive 16 offensive rebounds.

With 48 second-half points, Lafayette secured the win. Romine had 12 points and five rebounds, and Craig recorded eight points, three rebounds, and three assists.

As a result of her performance against Colgate, DeBoer earned her sixth Patriot League Rookie of the Award. The Bison (12-9, 7-4 PL) return home tomorrow at 2 p.m. to take on Holy Cross.