Jan. 7, 2006
Box Score
WORCESTER, Mass. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette's first-half shooting mirrored the chilly Worcester, Mass. weather in an 86-57 defeat at Holy Cross in the opening day of Patriot League action at the Hart Center.
An undersized Leopard squad had no answer for Holy Cross' leading scorer Keith Simmons around the basket, as the 6-4 guard played big with 26 points, including 19 before the break. Holy Cross matched the inside action with a solid perimeter game, paced by 18-point performances by Tory Thomas and Kevin Hamilton.
Sophomore guard Bilal Abdullah scored the first eight Lafayette (6-7, 0-1 PL) points, as the Leopards fell behind just 12-8 with 15:47 left in the half. From there, the Crusaders (8-7, 1-0 PL) put up 18 unanswered points, swelling the lead to 32-10 with 11:14 remaining. Unfortunately for the Leopards, it was a run the team would not recover from.
After shooting just 28 percent (9-of-32) in the first stanza, the Leopards hit 46 (13-of-28) in the second to finish at 37 percent (22-of-60) for the game.
Abdullah hit double digits for the eighth time this season, dropping in 12 points to go with five boards and three assists. Senior Pat Betley and sophomore Paul Cummins also pitched in with eight apiece. Getting his first taste of Patriot League action, rookie Andrew Brown managed five points, while dishing out four assists.
Leading rebounder Ted Detmer pulled down a team-high five boards, but it was not enough as the Crusaders won the battle 42-30.
Thomas, a 5-11 junior completed a double-double with his 18 points and a game-high 10 boards.
Lafayette returns home to take on Patriot League foe Colgate on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Lafayette is now 6-10 in Patriot League openers since league play began in the 1990-91 season.
-Junior reserve Kerry Kenny saw a season-high eight minutes in the action, producing a point and chipping in with a couple of rebounds.
-The Leopards are 4-2 at Kirby Sports Center and will aim to bulk-up the win column with a pair of Patriot League contests next week. The team hosts Colgate on Wednesday night before welcoming Navy at 1 p.m on Saturday. Both games can be seen on the Lafayette Sports Network.
