Feb. 17, 2010

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EASTON, Pa. - Holding a two-point lead with one minute remaining, six Lafayette free throws over the final 60 seconds capped off a 13-0 Leopard run for a 60-54 win over Bucknell.

In a game that featured six tied scores and eight lead changes, Lafayette's dominant run to end the game's final minutes snapped the Leopards' seven-game slide while handing Bucknell its fourth consecutive loss.

Lauren Jackson led the Leopards (5-20, 3-8) with 21 points, just one shy of her career high. Lafayette's bench also proved to be a difference maker, out-scoring the Bison's 26-4.

Shots were falling for both teams in the early going and an Amanda Leone steal and fastbreak layup kept it tied at six after more than three minutes of action.

Lafayette went up by five (11-6) on LaKeisha Wright's three pointer and Jackson's trey at the 13-minute mark kept it 14-11 in favor of the Leopards.

Melissa Downey broke an 18-18 tie with a free throw at 6:52 and Jackson's second three-pointer of the night 30 seconds later upped Lafayette's lead back to four (22-18). The junior captain's layup with four minutes on the clock, her third basket of the night, gave the Leopards a six-point advantage (26-20).

Bucknell closed out the half on an 8-2 run, however, making it a 28-all game at halftime.

As was the pattern for most of the game, the lead continued to switch hands for the majority of the second half. Two Wright free throws at 11:45 put Lafayette up 44-41 but the Leopards surrendered that lead on a Felicia Mgbada layup with 5:43 on the clock that made it 48-47.

The Bison took a 52-47 lead on Cosima Higham's jumper at 3:39, but a Downey three-point play tied it again at 52 with two minutes left.

Wright broke the tie less than a minute later for a 54-52 Lafayette lead and Jackson sank five of the Leopards' six free throws in that final minute to clinch the critical league win.

The Leopards play their final road game of the regular season on Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip at Lehigh.

Postgame Notes:
- Lafayette has now split its season series with Bucknell for three straight years.
- While the Bison held a 36-34 edge in rebounds, Lafayette had 14 offensive boards to the Bison's eight. Those 14 offensive rebounds were one shy of the team's season high.