Jan. 13, 2007
Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Despite a solid defensive effort for the majority of the game, Lafayette's cold shooting resulted in a 55-43 setback on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
Both teams had just 14 field goals in the game, but it was Navy's 35 percent (14-of-40) accuracy that got the better of Lafayette's offense. The Leopards shot 26 percent (14-of-53) on the afternoon and hit just 12 of their 24 free throws.
In what was a seesaw game to start, Lafayette and Navy both struggled to find the rim but remained tight at 6-5 in favor of the Mids five minutes into the action. Navy then rattled off six unanswered points over the next five and a half minutes to take a 12-5 lead at the 8:24 mark. Navy led 24-15 at the break.
Val Gomez intercepted her second straight Navy inbounds pass early in the second half, the latter leading to a Vanessa Van De Venter slashing layin with just under 15 minutes to play that pulled Lafayette within 26-20. Navy's miscues were limited over the ensuing four minutes as the Mids rode a 13-2 run, establishing Navy's largest lead of the game (41-24) with 10:02 on the clock.
Back-to-back Van De Venter buckets cut the lead to 11 (41-30) with 6:22 remaining. Gomez hit the back end of her free throws to trim the deficit to 10 just 1:37 later. However, Navy's Margaret Knap countered with a quick six points over the next minute to put the Mids back up, 47-31, with 3:55 left.
Sophomore guard Jessica Spicer sandwiched a pair of jumpers around a Maureen Johnson free throw to draw the Leopards back within 10 with a minute to play, while Van De Venter netted her third bucket of the half to make it 49-40 with 39 seconds on the clock. The Leopards proceeded put Navy at the charity stripe where the Mids nailed 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute.
Van De Venter racked up eight points and six rebounds in the second half to finish the game with a team-high 11 points and seven boards. Spicer scored 10 points in fourth straight double-digit effort. Sophomore forward Emily Garner added eight points and five rebounds.
Knap (20 points) and Carly Meyer (17 points) combined for 37 of the Mids' 55 points.
Lafayette will take the next three days to prepare to host Bucknell on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
-Both teams scored 12 points in the paint, while the Leopards outscored Navy 11-6 on second chance opportunities.
-Navy held a 41-36 advantage in rebounding.
-Lafayette came away with at least 10 steals for the seventh time this season.
-Junior Val Gomez matched a career-high four steals in her fourth straight start.
-Sophomore transfer Meaghan Malone saw her most action since becoming eligible for play in late January. The Plainfield, N.J. native earned six minutes against the Mids and finished with three points.
