Dec. 28, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. -
Lafayette held the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to five points over the first ten minutes of play, but the tide quickly turned against the Leopards to close the half and eventually ended up in a 70-59 defeat on Thursday night at Kirby Sports Center. Sophomore forward Emily Garner poured in a career-high 20 points for the Leopards, but it was not enough to withstand a pesky NJIT outfit in the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Lafayette (2-10) cruised to 19-5 lead with 9:40 remaining in the opening stanza, setting the scene for what appeared to be a lopsided affair. However, NJIT (3-9) had a different plan in mind and outscored the Leopards 17-9 over the final nine minutes, which whittled the halftime deficit down to five, 27-22.
Garner got on the board with a floater at the 15:31 mark and followed with four straight points over the next minute to put Leopards in front 8-0 with 14:23 left. The Leopards continued to roll over the ensuing four-plus minutes, as junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter stripped NJIT's Ali Baumlin and found senior guard Kara Stetler for an easy layin to give Lafayette its 19-5 cushion. The Highlanders scored eight of the next 10 points to make it 21-13 with just over four minutes to play in the half.
NJIT continued to pressure the ball in the opening minutes of the second half and used a 14-9 run over the first 7:20 to tie the game at 36-all on a Jill Dickinson layin. A pair of Garner free throws followed, but Katie Pieklielski put NJIT up for good eight seconds later with a three at the 12:16 mark.
Lafayette cut the lead to one, 44-43, on a Van De Venter free throw at the 7:54 mark, but the Highlanders' lead ballooned from there as they picked up their third win of the season.
The Highlanders, who shot 33 percent (16-of-48) from the floor, racked up 35 points from the charity stripe, as the Leopards were whistled for 33 personal fouls. Lafayette hit 14 of their 20 attempts (70 percent) on the night. Lafayette shot 38 percent (22-of-58), but was hampered by a 1-for-15 shooting night from long range.
Garner led the Leopards for the third time this season and added nine rebounds to her effort. Junior forward
Brittany Purr registered her fourth career double-double and first of the season with 10 points--all in the second half--and as many boards. Sophomore
Jessica Spicer pulled down a career-high seven rebounds to match Van De Venter, as the Leopards won the battle of the boards by a 42-38 margin.
NJIT placed five players in double figures, led by Dickinson's 19 points.
Lafayette has three days to prepare for a New Year's Eve battle at Monmouth in West Long Branch, N.J. at 3:30 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Senior guard Kara Stetler scored the Leopards' only three on the night, which represented her 700th career point. Her nine points on the evening bring her career total to 706.
-Lafayette held NJIT to 22 first-half points, which is the fewest the Leopards have allowed since a 21-20 halftime deficit at Bucknell on Feb. 1, 2006.
-Freshman guard Danielle Jenkins played 22 minutes for the second straight game. She totalled six points and a career-high four rebounds.
-Lafayette has out-rebounded seven opponents this season, including the team's two wins over Mount St. Mary's (11/15) and Cornell (11/18).
-Head coach Tammy Smith sent her sixth different starting line-up (Jessica Spicer, Kara Stetler, Cristin Zavocki, Emily Garner, Vanessa Van De Venter) on the floor against the Highlanders.
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