Feb. 10, 2007
EASTON, Pa. - In a game that went down to the wire, senior guard Kara Stetler scored 15 second-half points and tied the game for the fourth time of the day (63-63) to keep Lafayette alive in what became a 68-65 Patriot League victory over Navy on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
After Stetler's traditional three-point play with 3:31 to go made it 63-all, Lafayette (6-19, 4-6) proceeded to score five of the next seven points to secure the most Patriot League wins in head coach Tammy Smith's tenure.
Junior guard Val Gomez came away with just four points on the day, but it was her defensive effort in stripping Navy's (10-14, 4-6) Margaret Knap with just over a minute to go, which then allowed sophomore guard Jessica Spicer beat the shot clock and got open for a three at the top of the key to put the Leopards in front, 66-63, with 45 seconds on the clock.
Carly Meyer followed with a pair of free throws for the Mids, while Stetler followed with two of her own to keep the Leopards in front, 68-65. Navy fouled Spicer with eight seconds to play, sending the Illinois native to the stripe for a one-and-one. Spicer missed the first, but got her own rebound to seal the win.
Lafayette led all but the opening three minutes of the first half and entered the locker room with a 34-33 edge. The teams exchanged buckets over the first six-plus minutes of the second stanza, but it was Navy taking over from there. The Mids established the largest lead by either team in the game (57-49) on a Knap three-point bucket with 8:36 remaining. On the ensuing play, junior forward Brittany Purr found Stetler wide open under the basket, jumpstarting an 11-2 Lafayette run to give the Leopards their first lead (60-59) since the break.
The Leopards scored 26 points on 19 Navy turnovers and shot 55 percent (24-of-44) for the game, the best Lafayette has shot all season. Led by Stetler's 3-of-4 effort from behind the arc, the Leopards equaled Navy's 6-of-14 (43 percent) three-point mark.
Stetler's 18 came by way of 6-of-7 shooting, as the Lafayette senior did not miss a shot until under two minutes to go. Junior forward Vanessa Van De Venter keyed Lafayette with nine first-half points and finished with 17 overall, while Spicer added 10 points and a game-high three steals.
Meyer led all players with 21 points, while Knap and Kate Hobbs finished with 15 and 13, respectively.
Lafayette heads out on the road for three of its final four games, starting with a trip to Bucknell on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The league-leading Bison enter the game with a 9-1 record, as Lafayette is the only Patriot League team to beat them by way of a 68-63 win on Jan. 16 in Easton, Pa.
Game Notes:
-Junior Val Gomez played for the first time in three games and provided a solid 19 minutes of relief.
-Senior guard Kara Stetler surpassed the 800-career-point mark during the pivotal three-point play to tie the game at 63-all.
-The Leopards entertained its largest home crowd of the season on Saturday, as 745 spectators made their way to Kirby Sports Center. Five of the Leopards' six wins have come at home.
