The Bison women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to six games with a commanding 63-42 victory on the road against the Colgate Raiders on Feb. 10. The Bison now sit in a tie for second in the Patriot League with a record of 10-3.

Both teams had a rough time finding the net in the first quarter, which ended with a Bison lead of 5-4. By the end of the second quarter, the Bison had scored 22 more points and went into the half with a 27-12 lead. In the last three quarters combined, the Orange and Blue went 23-of-50 from the field and 9-of-23 from long range.

Kate Walker ’19 has been a dynamic force for the Orange and Blue, leading the team in points for the past eight games. Against Colgate, she led in scoring with 16 points, while Kaitlyn Slagus ’19 added 13 points. Other contributors included Gia Hayes ’20 and Ellie Mack ’20 with eight points each. The Bison connected on double-digit three-pointers for the fourth time this season.

“Colgate always plays with energy, so we knew we were going to have to match their intensity and continue to play our game,” Walker said. “It was a good test for us because our shots weren’t falling the first quarter, but we stayed confident and kept shooting the ball and saw shots fall the rest of the game.”

Defense is known for winning championships, and with the win against the Raiders, the Orange and Blue moved to 10-0 while holding their league opponents to under 60 points. Catherine Romaine ’18 and Kyi English ’19 led the team defensively, combining for five steals. Inside the paint, Rachel Dumiak ’19 tallied a career-high seven rebounds.

On Feb. 14, the women once again extended their winning streak to seven games, overcoming Loyola. Taking the lead with only 5:54 left in the game, together English and Slagus led the team to a dominant victory.

The Bison are fighting for the two seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament and are currently tied with Navy. American University is currently the top contender with a 14-0 record in the conference. The women will be back in action Feb. 17 when they face Holy Cross in Sojka Pavilion.