Jan. 30, 2008
Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Lafayette women's basketball team saw its four-game win streak end with a 57-46 loss at Army on Wednesday night. Senior Vanessa Van De Venter led all scorers with 14 points but the Leopards could not overcome a solid second half showing by the Black Knights as they lost just their second league game of the season.
The Lafayette ((12-9, 4-2) defense held Army to just 36 percent shooting from the field, including a 23 percent showing in the first half. The Black Knights also shot just 15 percent from beyond the arc. Junior Jessica Spicer had a game-high three steals while also adding eight points and three boards for the Leopards.
Free throws dominated the first part of the game. Freshman LaKeisha Wright was unable to convert on two attempts that would have given Lafayette the early lead while Army hit on all four early free throws to take a 9-4 lead with 16:19 on the clock. A Spicer steal led to a fastbreak layup and cut the Black Knights' lead to three (9-6). Army responded with two-straight baskets but consecutive treys from Van De Venter and Spicer brought the Leopards within one (13-12) at the 12:19 mark.
The score stood at 15-12 in favor of Army but both offenses stalled as neither team scored a basket for nearly five minutes before Van De Venter connected on four free throws after an Army technical to give Lafayette its first lead of the game (16-15) with 7:27 to play. Army was still without a point during that stretch until Anna Wilson's two free throws at 5:24 gave the lead back to the Black Knights at 17-16. Army then went on a 7-2 run with all seven points coming from the charity stripe and took a 22-18 edge with 1:25 to play. That score stood as both teams headed into the locker rooms at the half.
Army opened the second half with a 5-2 run to take a 27-20 edge three minutes into the period. A Van De Venter basket made the score 27-22 and a Wright jumper at 16:01 brought the Leopards within three (27-24). The Black Knights quickly upped their lead eight (33-25) after two Alex McGuire free throws at 14:20 but Wright again cut the lead to four (33-29) with 11:24 on the clock.
The lead stood at three in favor of Army with eight minutes left. Two Cristin Zavocki free throws at 7:32 kept Lafayette in the game but the Leopards failed to cut any farther into the lead as the Black Knights began to pull away. An Erin Anthony score upped her team's lead to five with four minutes to play and the score stood at 47-41 after another Anthony basket with 2:26 remaining.
A Nalini Hawkins' steal led to her first basket of the half and a 10-point lead (51-41) with 1:38 on the clock. A Cara Enright three-pointer with one minute remaining upped the Black Knights' lead to a game-high 13 (54-41) and secured the eventual 57-46 Army win.
Lafayette plays its second-straight road game on Saturday when the Leopards travel to American for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
Postgame Notes:
- Vanessa Van De Venter now has 1,259 career points and needs 24 more to tie Terri Dadio for sixth all-time.
- Vanessa Van De Venter has 576 career rebounds and needs nine more to move into a tie for 10th place on Lafayette's all-time career rebounding list.
