Dec. 22, 2004
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Junior Andrei Capusan scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half, and freshman Bilal Abdullah had 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals as Lafayette defeated Moravian, 73-56, on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center.
The Leopards started slowly in their first game against a Lehigh Valley opponent other than Lehigh in the Fran O'Hanlon era. Moravian (3-7) held an 11-6 lead after a pair of free throws by Brandon Zaleski with 14:14 left in the first half.
Freshman Matt Betley hit a three-pointer four seconds later, and Capusan scored six of Lafayette's next 10 points in the midst of a 17-0 run which put the Leopards ahead, 23-11, with 9:39 remaining.
Abdullah drilled a three, off an assist from freshman Paul Cummins, to beat the buzzer and give Lafayette (3-6) a 37-26 halftime lead.
Lafayette built a 15-point lead early in the second half after freshman Ted Detmer drained a triple for his first career points. The lead stayed in double-digits until Ryan Miller hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions and Moravian sliced the margin to 58-49 with 5:26 remaining.
Then Abdullah hit a pair of free throws, assisted on a three by sophomore Jamaal Hilliard, and had a steal and a dunk in a span of 50 seconds to key an 11-2 stretch that put the game out of reach.
Hilliard hit all three of his shots from the floor, all three-pointers, and finished with 11 points. Sophomore Jamaal Douglas turned in eight points and eight rebounds, while Capusan had 15 points, six boards and three blocks.
Zaleski scored a game-high 21 points for Moravian and pulled down eight rebounds. Zach Zsilavecz had 12 points and seven boards, and Miller finished with 10.
Lafayette's Matt Betley and his brother, Chris, a junior guard for Moravian, guarded each other for a stretch of several minutes in the first half. Cousin Pat Betley, also a junior guard, returned to the Leopards' rotation after missing five games due to injury. All three scored in the game; Matt had seven points, while Chris and Pat each had two.
The Leopards will have a few days off to celebrate the Christmas holiday, and then return to action in Atlanta, Ga. on Tuesday, Dec. 28 as Lafayette visits consensus No. 9 and last year's national runner-up, Georgia Tech.
