|
Leopards Dispose of Raiders in PL Quarterfinal
March 3, 2010
Box Score |
EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette took down No. 6 seed Colgate 73-65 in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. With the win and a Bucknell loss, Lafayette will host No. 7 seed Holy Cross on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sophomore Jim Mower led the way for the Leopards with 19 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor. Mower has scored in double figures in 24 games and was joined by classmate Ryan Willen who had 12. For the third straight game since his ankle injury, Lafayette's leading scorer, Jared Mintz, was held to single digits (7), but contributed seven rebounds (6 offensive) to go along with a career-high five assists. Early in the first half, Lafayette put together a 14-4 run that started at the 15:36 mark. Mintz started the run with a layup while Michael Gruner, Jeff Kari and Mower each added three's. The span took Lafayette from a 12-10 advantage at 15:36 to 26-14 with 12 minutes left in the half. Lafayette led 41-28 at halftime. Six minutes in to the second half, Colgate trimmed the Leopards' margin to five points, 48-43, following a Kyle Roemer three-pointer and Yaw Gyawu's jumper. Mower and Willen mirrored the mini run by Colgate with a layup and a three to put Lafayette back up by 10 (53-43). Colgate battled back to cut the lead to seven (68-61) at 2:33 on a Gyawu layup, but Mower's back-breaking three helped seal the win. The three-point shooting may have been the difference, as Lafayette hit five in the first half and five in the second compared to Colgate's five for the game. The Leopards shot 46 percent from the long range while the Raiders connected for 33 percent. Colgate had three players, Roemer, Yaw Gyawu and Mitch Rolls, finish in double figures, all with 15 points. Fans are encouraged to wear white to Sunday's 1 p.m. semifinal, the Leopards first semifinal appearance since 2003. The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a complimentary 2010 Patriot League Tournament "WHITEOUT KIRBY" t-shirt. Lafayette and Holy Cross split their two regular-season matchups, each team winning at home. NOTES: Lafayette is now 5-0 at Kirby Sports Center during Patriot League Tournament games. Overall in 2009-10, Lafayette is now 12-3. Wednesday's matchup was the ninth time the two teams have met in the Patriot League Tournament with Lafayette holding a 5-4 advantage. Darion Benbow had a career-high six assists.
|
|
||||||||
