Nov. 26, 2010
Box Score
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Lafayette women's basketball team dropped its third game of the season on Friday afternoon, falling at Monmouth by a score of 68-54. Junior Sarah McGorry led the Leopards with 13 points, while freshman Madeline Fahan contributed eight points and six rebounds. The host Hawks knocked down nine three-pointers to propel themselves to victory.
The Leopards now sit at 2-3 on the season, while Monmouth improves to 3-2.
McGorry's team-high output came on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and a 3-for-4 day at the free throw line. Senior co-captain Lauren Jackson matched Fahan's output with eight points and also chipped in with three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Leopards were uncharacteristically outrebounded, 41-35, though they still held a 19-17 edge in second-chance points. Lafayette also won the turnover battle, turning 20 Hawk miscues into 20 points while committing 16 turnovers of their own.
The difference in the contest came from beyond the arc. Lafayette effectively shut down the paint on defense, forcing Monmouth's drivers to kick the ball out rather than challenge inside. However, the Hawks capitalized consistently on their looks from the outside, draining nine three-pointers. The Leopards attempts just three treys of their own without a conversion.
The squads raced out to a 14-14 deadlock over the first 8:20 of the contest, at which point a four-point play by Carly Thibault fueled a quick 7-0 Monmouth run. The Leopards twice rallied back to within a possession of the home team, but could not pull even as the sharpshooting Hawks went 5-for-10 from three-point range in the first half en route to entering the intermission with a 33-27 advantage.
Jackson and McGorry each posted six first-half points for the Maroon and White, who shot 37.9% (11-29) from the field, 0-1 from downtown and 62.5% (5-8) from the free-throw line in the period.
The Leopards and Hawks traded baskets to open the second half, which was not enough for Lafayette to close the gap. Monmouth put the game away with a 10-0 run to extend its lead from five points to 15 at 55-40 with 6:25 to play. The deficit never shrank to less than nine points and grew as large as 16 in the closing minutes as the Hawks capped off a 68-54 victory.
Monmouth's Carly Thibault and Alexis Canady led all scorers with 14 points apiece, each knocking down four three-pointers in the process. Alysha Womack (12 points) and Abby Martin (10) also scored in double figures for the Hawks.
The Leopards are back in action on Sunday, as they return to Kirby Sports Center to meet the visiting Fairfield University Stags. The 1 p.m. contest will be aired live on RCN-4, RCN-8 and WBPH-60 with Gary Laubach and Stacey Cagenello '87 on the call. The telecast will also be streamed live online on LSN All-Access via GoLeopards.com.
