Jan. 5, 2011
Box Score
NEW YORK - Trailing 63-60 at Columbia with just 16 seconds to play, the Lafayette women's basketball team hit two field goals in the span of seven seconds to pull off the improbable rally, 64-63. Senior co-captain Lauren Jackson had the game-winning bucket for the Leopards.
With the win, Lafayette closes out its non-conference schedule at 7-8. Columbia remains winless at 0-13.
Senior co-captain Elizabeth Virgin led the Lafayette offense with a season-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. Jackson had nine points, while senior co-captain LaKeisha Wright and junior Sarah McGorry netted eight apiece. As a unit, the Leopards shot 24-for-56 (42.9 percent) from the floor, 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from the three-point line and 13-for-22 (59.1 percent) from the free throw line.
Led by 10 rebounds from freshman Danielle Fiacco, Lafayette outrebounded the Lions, 45-31. The Leopards had 14 offensive rips, fueled by four from freshman Madeline Fahan. Fahan had all-around solid game with four points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals.
The Leopards were once again plagued by turnovers, committing 23 miscues that led to 14 points. Lafayette was just as opportunistic with the Lions' turnovers, however, converting them into 16 points.
After trailing 13-10 in the early stages of the game, the Leopards rattled off a 10-0 run to claim a seven-point edge, 20-13. The Lafayette advantage grew as large as eight points at 27-19, but the Lions closed out the frame on a 9-3 spurt to cut the Maroon and White lead to a single possession at the intermission, 30-28.
Virgin led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, fueling a 21-point half from the Lafayette bench. As a team, the Leopards shot 12-for-33 (36.4 percent) from the floor, 2-for-9 (25 percent) from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Lafayette held the edge on the glass, 25-17, fueled by 10 boards by Fiacco. The Leopards turned eight offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points in the period. The Leopards committed 12 turnovers, though they only led to three Columbia points.
Defensively, the Maroon and White held Columbia to just 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) from the floor. The Lions, however, stayed within striking distance thanks to an 11-for-16 (68.8 percent) half at the charity stripe. Lafayette forced seven Columbia turnovers and converted them into six points.
There were five ties in the first 10 minutes of the second half, before Lafayette made the first run - a 9-1 stretch that gave the Leopards a 50-42 lead at the 7:20 mark. The cushion held at eight until there was just 4:44 remaining, but a 12-3 Columbia run over the ensuing 2:29 ran the score to a 59-58 in favor of the Lions with 2:13 to go. Fiacco's only field goal of the contest but the Leopards back on top, 60-59, with 2:08 to play but Columbia's Lauren Dwyer responded with a jumper with 58 seconds left to give the lead back to the home team. After an empty trip for the Leopards, the Lions tacked on another deuce to take a 63-60 lead with only 16 seconds remaining.
With Columbia guarding against the potential game-tying three-pointer, Wright drove to the hoop and took the quick two to cut the deficit to 63-62 with 10 seconds left. Columbia threw away the ensuing in-bounds pass to gave Lafayette a chance to retake the lead with 8.1 ticks left on the clock. Jackson received the ball at the top of the key and slashed to the hoop, hitting an underhanded, off-balanced shot to give the lead back to the Leopards with under four seconds to go. The Lions called a timeout with 0.8 seconds to go, but the lob from half-court was tipped away by Jackson. Though the horn sounded, the officials agreed to put 0.2 seconds back on the clock. Columbia, inbounding from the baseline under their own hoop, could not execute a tip as the Leopards came away with a 64-63 victory.
Dwyer had 14 points for the Lions, while Brianna Orlich led all players with 18 points.
The Leopards will look to carry their momentum into the Patriot League season, which kicks off on Saturday at Kirby Sports Center with a visit from Holy Cross. The 1 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on the Lafayette Sports Network via RCN-4, RCN-8 and WBPH-60. The telecast will also be streamed live via LSN All-Access on GoLeopards.com.
