HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Colgate (15-8, 9-1) made 14 three-point field goals and shot nearly 60 percent from the floor overall to extend its winning streak to seven games with an 88-64 victory over the Navy (8-13, 4-6) men's basketball team, Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.

The Raiders started the game by sinking six of their first seven three-point field goal attempts as part of an 8-10 effort from the floor to build a 22-7 lead nine minutes into the game.  Colgate eventually took a 36-18 lead with five minutes remaining in the half. 

"We just gave them way too may threes," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis.  "The game plan coming in was to take their transition away, take their threes away and make them score in the halfcourt, and we didn't do it.  They banged six threes in the first four or five minutes of the game and that was really frustrating."

Navy was able to climb back into the game through the free throw line.  The Mids were 8-8 from the charity stripe over the final four minutes to close to within 41-33 at intermission.

Colgate was 8-13 from three-point land in the first half while Navy had made nine field goals overall and just three from beyond the arc.

Navy whittled the margin down to five points at 43-38 just 70 seconds into the second stanza.  The Mids had two possession to cut into the deficit even more, but a blocked layup on the former and a turnover on the latter left them scoreless.  The Raiders drilled a three-point basket on their ensuing possession, then forced another Navy turnover which was followed by Colgate's 10 triple of the game to make the score 49-38 with 16:34 still to play.

The Mids pulled to within nine points twice more in the game, but Colgate answered the first charge with a triple and the second with a 7-0 run.  The run made the score 67-51 with just under nine minutes showing on the clock.

"Each time we made a run," saids DeChellis, "they just made plays.  When you make a mistake, they make you pay.  That's just who they are.  They are a good basketball team, they have older guys, they have fifth-year guys and grad students, they take advantage of all your mistakes.  

"Credit our kids for fighting back and giving us a chance.  Second half late, we just got exhausted and we didn't perform very well."

Colgate ended the game 14-24 (58.3%) from three-point land and made 58.3 percent of its overall field goal attempts.  

"The last two or three games we have lost has been because of the three-point line," said DeChellis.  "We have to figure out how to take the threes away.  Some of it comes from penetration and pitch, some comes from transition and some of it come from different ways.  It is not just one way or we would fix it.  We have to go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to put guys into position to be successful."

Navy posted a 5-16 (31.3%) effort from three-point range and a 35.6 percent overall shooting mark.  The Mids ended the game 17-18 (94.4%) from the free throw line while the Raiders were just 4-6 (66.7%).

The Raiders narrowly outrebounded the Mids, 34-30, though Navy held a 13-9 lead in offensive boards.  Navy also registered 11 turnovers and forced 13.

Mike Woods paced the Navy offense with 16 points, which left him one point shy of tying his career high.  He and Donovan Draper shared the team lead in rebounding with six boards apiece.  Austin Benigni posted 15 points and five assists.

Navy returns home for a Wednesday night game against Bucknell.