Dec. 31, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette did just about all that it could in the second half, but ample time for a New Year's Eve comeback fell short as Monmouth handed Lafayette a 79-62 loss in the final game of 2006 on Sunday afternoon at the William T. Boylan Gymnasium.
In a stop-and-go battle that featured 55 total fouls, Monmouth (7-4) sped to a 27-11 lead midway thought the first half and maintained a double-digit lead through a 43-25 halftime score. Despite disrupting Monmouth's offensive flow with a match-up zone, Lafayette (2-11) struggled to contain the hot hand of the Hawks' Veronica Randolph, who poured in 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting before the break.
The Lafayette defense came out hard in the second half and held the Hawks scoreless over the opening five-plus minutes, while scoring eight unanswered points to pull within 43-33 at the 15:31 mark. Monmouth did not register its first field goal of the half until Brooke McElroy buried a three with 12:31 on the clock.
Monmouth led by as many as 17, 61-44, with eight minutes remaining, but a resilient Leopard club did not back down. A pair of free throws from junior guard Maureen Johnson cut the Hawks' lead to 69-59 with just under two minutes remaining. Despite all of Lafayette's efforts, Monmouth had an answer on each possession to maintain a double-digit lead until the final buzzer.
Lafayette shot 44 percent (19-of-43) from the field, but struggled from three point land (2-of-10) for the second straight game. The Leopards' Achilles heel plagued the team once again, as Monmouth racked-up 29 points off turnovers.
In a tightly called contest, Lafayette buried a season-high 22 free throws and shot 67 percent (22-of-33) from the line. Junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter buried seven free throws for the second time this season, while Johnson went an impressive 6-of-8 in the second half.
Sophomore guard Jessica Spicer paced Lafayette for the fourth time in the last six games with 16 points. Van De Venter scored all 13 of her points in the second half and added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Johnson came up with career high marks in both points (12) and rebounds (6) in her 26 minutes of work.
Randolph led all scorers with 26 points, while three other players topped the double-figure plateau.
Lafayette will break the New Year and return to practice on Tuesday to prepare for a Wednesday night battle against Princeton. The Leopards welcome the Tigers to town for the 29th straight meeting between the two schools. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Freshman guard Danielle Jenkins earned her first career start versus the Hawks.
-Lafayette totaled 28 personal fouls on the afternoon, and senior Kara Stetler and junior Brittany Purr hit the limit. Monmouth registered 27 fouls in a game that lasted just over two hours.
-Sophomore point guard Jessica Spicer has averaged 13 points a game in her last six outings and has scored in double figures five times this season.
-Head coach Tammy Smith utilized her seventh different starting lineup in 13 games. The sixth-year head coach opted for size to start Sunday's game in sending Jessica Spicer, Danielle Jenkins, Emily Garner, Vanessa Van De Venter and Brittany Purr on the floor to open the game.
