Dec. 30, 2009
Box Score
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Despite cutting what had been a 12-point deficit to only six points in the final minute, the Leopards were unable to pull off a come-from-behind win in a 50-43 loss to UNC Asheville.
Lafayette (2-11) and the Bulldogs (4-8) squared-off in the consolation game of the James Madison Invitational on Wednesday evening.
LaKeisha Wright led the Leopards with 11 points and 10 rebounds, the only player in double figures. She also registered the squad's first double-double of the season.
Turnovers and rebounds again proved costly for the Leopards, as the Bulldogs scored 20 points off Lafayette miscues and collected 39 boards to the Leopards' 27.
Lafayette controlled the tempo early and jumped out to a 4-0 lead while holding Asheville without a basket for the opening four minutes.
The Bulldogs countered with nine unanswered points over the next three and a half minutes and upped their lead to eight (16-8) at the eight-minute mark.
Alicia Manning drained a long jumper to snap a three-minute scoring drought for the Leopards, but the Bulldogs went up by 12 (22-10) after Lindsay Montgomery's third basket of the night.
Amanda Leone sank a three with 47 seconds on the clock, which was followed by a LaKeisha Wright jumper 20 seconds later that made it 28-19, which remained the score at halftime.
Four minutes into the second period, Asheville maintained an 11-point lead (32-21) but the teams traded baskets and a Lauren Jackson three made it 34-26 with 14:30 to play.
The Bulldogs kept it a 12-point game (42-30) midway through the second half. Three and a half minutes elapsed without another basket from either team and Downey's three-pointer at 5:29 cut the Bulldogs' lead back to single digits (44-35).
Jackson made it 44-37 with a fastbreak layup, the closest Lafayette had been since the seven-minute mark of the first half.
Wright converted on a three-point play at 1:56 to close the gap to 47-41, but Asheville hung on for the 50-43 win.
The Leopards kick of 2010 on Jan. 3 at Iowa State. Game time is 7 p.m.
Postgame Notes:
- LaKeisha Wright's 10 rebounds were a career-high as she picked up her first career double-double.
- Amanda Leone matched her career high with seven minutes of action and finished with three points.
