Nov. 29, 2001

Box Score

EASTON, Pa. - In a contest that saw 12 second-half lead changes, Marist held the last advantage, beating Lafayette 86-80 in non-conference action on Thursday. Nick Eppehimer scored a career-high 17 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer to lead Marist (4-1).

Lafayette (2-3) led for the majority of the first half propelled by Kuberka's 10 points and Mike Farrell's eight. As the half came to an end, Marist closed in on the Leopards. The Red Foxes were led by 10 points from Jared Hunsaker. Hunsaker dropped in a layup at 1:04 to send the teams into the locker room tied 41-41.

In the second half, Lafayette led by as many as eight points (61-53) when Ben Saxton sank a three-pointer at 12:27. Four minutes later, Marist took a 67-66 lead on a Sean Kennedy three-pointer.

The Leopards tied the game at 72-72 when Brian Burke hit a jumper at 5:56. Mike Farrell dropped in two consecutive layups to give the Leopards a 76-72 advantage at 4:39.

The Red Foxes' Nick Eppehimer sank a crucial shot from behind the three-point arc to give Marist an 81-78 lead with 56 seconds left. Marist added to its advantage for the 86-80 final.

Marist was led by Eppehimer and Kennedy who had 17 points apiece. Hunsaker finished with 12. Lafayette had four players reach double-digits including Kuberka and Burke with 16 points and Farrell and DeBerry with 13 points. Kuberka led all players with a career-high eight boards.

Lafayette returns to action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when it hits the road to face Ivy League foe Columbia.