Feb. 22, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette outscored Army 14-4 down the stretch, breaking open a neck-and-neck battle with the Black Knights to that point. The effort resulted in a 73-64 Leopard victory, the team's eighth straight over the Black Knights.
Trailing 60-59 with 3:45 remaining, the Leopards went a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, highlighting a 14-4 burst to claim the win. Sophomore guard Bilal Abdullah hit a big triple to put the Leopards up 62-60, while freshman Andrew Brown answered with three free throws to push his team ahead 65-60 with two minutes to play.
Senior forward Andrei Capusan delivered a layin with 1:22 on the clock, as the Leopards went ahead 67-62. Brown, Abdullah and sophomore guard Matt Betley each drained a pair from the stripe, as the team clamped down to hold Army scoreless over the final minute.
In a game that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes, including a 35-35 halftime score, the Leopards hit six of their first seven shots, racing to a 13-8 lead on a layin from senior guard Pat Betley just 3:54 into the action. However, the Black Knights responded with a 14-9 run to knot the score at 22 all. Army never led in the opening half.
The Leopards, who shot 58 percent (15-of-26) in the first, finished shooting an even 50 percent (25-of-50) for the game. Lafayette hit for a season-high 85 percent (17-of-20) from the charity stripe. Army converted 26 of their 53 attempts for 49 percent on the night.
Capusan led all scorers with 21 points, including 13 after the break, to go with his team-high six boards. Brown tallied 11 points in the second half to finish with 16, while sophomore forward Everest Schmidt came through with 11, nine of which came in the opening 10 minutes of action.
Matt Betley turned in a solid all-around effort with six points, four boards and as many assists.
Sophomore guard Jarell Brown poured in a team-high 19 points for the Black Knights. Junior guard Matt Bell, Army's second leading scorer coming into the game, did not take a shot until the 12:56 mark in the second half, finishing with 13 points and a team-high six boards.
Lafayette improved to 11-15 on the year and 5-8 in Patriot League play, while Army dropped to 5-20 and 1-12 in conference action.
The Leopards host league foe American on Saturday in the team's final regular-season contest. Lafayette will honor its two seniors, co-captains Capusan and Pat Betley, prior to the 1 p.m. tip.
Game Notes:
-Co-captain Andrei Capusan led the Leopards in scoring for the ninth straight outing. He has now averaged 15.7 points a game during the stretch.
-Lafayette played without starting guard Jamaal Hilliard, who is still bothered by a broken finger.
-The Leopards have now won 19 of the last 22 meetings with Army. The Leopards own a 32-18 advantage all-time.
-Army shot 89 percent from the free throw line, hitting on eight of nine opportunities. On the other end, Lafayette more than doubled their chances (17-of-20).
