Feb. 8, 2006
Box Score
HAMILTON, N.Y. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette traveled to Hamilton, N.Y. down a pair of starters, but the Leopards played well when they needed to and managed to come away with a 63-55 triumph over Colgate on Wednesday night.
The win improved the Leopards to 10-12 overall and 4-5 in the Patriot League, already bettering last season's 9-19 mark. The win marked the first time the Leopards have won in Hamilton since Jan. 29, 2000.
Lafayette exploded for 35 second-half points and held Colgate to just 21.
The Leopards hit 19-of-23 foul shots, including six in the final minute to seal the win. Lafayette held Colgate (8-15, PL 2-7) to just seven points in the final 7:28, a point when the Leopards trailed by nine, 48-39.Appropriatley, sophomore Paul Cummins drained a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, igniting a 24-7 run that put the game out of Colgate's grasp.
Prior to the run, Colgate held the Leopards scoreless over a span of 5:31 midway through the second stanza, but Lafayette got hot when it counted and completed the season sweep of the Raiders.
The Leopards were cold from long range early, which continued through much of the game. Lafayette hit a season-low two threes on the night. Forwards Andrei Capusan and Everest Schmidt made up for it, however, pouring in 18 and 12 points, respectively.
In the opening half, Colgate jumped out to an early 11-2 lead on a triple from Kyle Roemer at the 16:27 mark, but the Leopards responded with seven unanswered. Back-to-back layins from Capusan made it 11-9 with 14:28 left in the half. The Leopards trailed 34-28 at the break.
Lafayette shot 40 percent (21-of-53) for the game, while hitting 83 percent from the charity stripe. On the other end, Colgate finished shooting 41 percent (24-of-59) from the field. Both teams combined for three long range buckets.
Capusan's 18 led all scorers, and the senior also brought down a team-high seven boards and recorded two blocks. Schmidt hauled down five rebounds, while sophomore guard Matt Betley came away with six.
Earning his first start since Dec. 10, senior co-captain Pat Betley managed 11 points.
Marc Daniels and Jon Simon led the way for Colgate, pitching in 16 and 10 points, respectively.
The Leopards return to action this Saturday as the team travels to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy at 3 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Sidelined by injury were starting forward Ted Detmer and guard Jamaal Hilliard.
-Andrei Capusan has averaged 16.8 points over the last five games for Lafayette. Tonight he represented the Leopards' leading point producer for the second straight game.
-Lafayette's hit 83 percent from the line for the third time this season. The team matched the mark in wins over St. Francis (N.Y.) (Dec. 6) and Colgate (Jan. 11).
-Everest Schmidts' 12 points came in just 15 minutes of action. Paul Cummins played 20, while five others registered 30-plus.
