Feb. 4, 2006
Box Score | Photo Gallery
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - A career-high, 22-point effort from senior co-captain Andrei Capusan was not enough for Lafayette (9-12, PL 3-5) to secure an upset of Holy Cross (13-10, PL 6-2) on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center. After hanging with the Crusaders for a solid 28 minutes, Lafayette ran out of gas before succumbing to a 77-61 defeat in Patriot League men's basketball action.
As expected, Holy Cross came out gunning and established an early 21-12 lead at the 12:37 mark of the opening stanza. From there, the Leopards upped the tempo, favoring the team's run-and-gun style and resulting in ten unanswered scores. Capusan capped the spurt, converting a pair of free throws with 7:25 on the clock, which gave Lafayette its first lead of the game at 23-21.
Back-to-back triples from sophomore guard Bilal Abdullah and junior guard Jamaal Hilliard in a span of just 28 seconds highlighted the stretch, as the Leopards entered the break with a 36-31 advantage.
The teams continued to battle in the opening minutes of the second half with the Leopards able to maintain their lead over the first 7:20, clinging to the 42-41 advantage at that point. On the 'Pards next trip down the floor, Holy Cross' Kevin Hamilton stripped Capusan and closed the deal with a layin on the other end that put the Crusaders up for good, 43-42, with 12:15 on the clock.
Hamilton's score ignited a 15-3 run over the ensuing 3:19 that blew open 58-45 Holy Cross lead that the Crusaders would not relinquish. Lafayette kept battling on both ends, but were unable to get any closer than eight on three separate occasions late in the game. The Crusaders shot 59 percent (13-of-22) after the intermission.
The Leopards hit 17-of-50 for an even 34 percent on the afternoon, while Holy Cross finished at 46 percent (24-of-52). Both teams struggled to find much rhythm from outside, as the teams hit seven and four threes, respectively.
Along with his career-high 22 points, Capusan led the Leopards with seven rebounds to go with a pair of steals and as many blocks. Capusan represented one of three players overall to hit the 22-point mark. Hamilton and Keith Simmons led the Crusaders with 22 as well. Hamilton completed the double-double with 13 boards.
Lafayette travels to Hamilton, N.Y. to face Colgate on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Lafayette's six blocks matched a season-high for the 'Pards. Sophomore forward Ted Detmer accounted for three swats on his own.
-Capusan earned just his second start of the season. He entered today's action leading the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game. The senior has consistently been in the top two in the League, hitting over 50 percent of his shots.
-Head coach Fran O'Hanlon employed his tenth different starting lineup of the season. This afternoon he went with Capusan, Hilliard, sophomores Everest Schmidt and Paul Cummins and freshman Andrew Brown.
