Jan. 18, 2012
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette women's basketball team traded buckets with visiting Holy Cross for much of Wednesday's Patriot League meeting at Kirby Sports Center. However, a pair of well-timed runs by the Crusaders made the difference in a 75-61 decision.
With the loss, the Leopards fall to 7-12 overall and 1-3 in the Patriot League. The Crusaders move to 11-8 on the season and even their league tally at 2-2.
Danielle Fiacco racked up a team-high 11 points for Lafayette to lead 11 Leopards who scored in the contest. Alicia Manning hit two three-pointers en route to nine points off the bench, and Emily Homan added eight. Maddie Peabody tallied seven points in addition to her team-high three assists, while Sarah McGorry and Madeline Fahan each scored six points. Linnel Macklin netted five, Ashley Springer posted three, and Melissa Downey, Brya Freeland and Samantha Jordan rounded out the offense with two points apiece.
Fiacco and Homan headed the rebounding effort, as the Leopards were outworked on the glass, 40-36. Holy Cross also held a 12-9 edge in the turnover battle.
A fast-paced opening four minutes saw the Leopards trailing, 9-8. However, McGorry's layup with 16:18 to go in the half was Lafayette last field goal for a span of 5:30 as the Crusaders opened up a 23-12 lead. Consecutive buckets by Homan and Jordan and perfect trips to the line by Freeland, Fahan and McGorry kept the Leopards close, but the Patriot League's highest-scoring team continued to find the basket en route to a 30-22 advantage with just under six minutes remaining in the period.
After a Holy Cross timeout, the squads continued to trade baskets. Lafayette pulled within four, 33-29, on a Manning three-pointer, but the Crusaders tallied the next five points to rebuild a nine-point cushion at 38-29. Each team would score in the final minute to send the Leopards into the locker room trailing, 40-31.
Aggressive play kept the Leopards close, as Lafayette held a 24-19 lead on the boards and shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. The Crusaders built their lead from beyond the arc, where they shot 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) in addition to a 16-for-33 (48.5 percent) clip from the field overall.
The beginning of the second half was more of the same, with the Leopards delivering on the offensive end but unable to get the stops needed to go an extended run. Lafayette would briefly cut the lead to five points on a Downey jumper, but a Holy Cross three-pointer on the ensuing possession reignited the back-and-forth battle.
Trailing 62-52, the Leopards hit a cold spell in the form of a 7:14 scoreless stretch as Holy Cross put the game away with an 11-0 run. A Peabody three-pointer ended the drought, but the ensuing 9-2 Lafayette run to close the contest was inconsequential as the Crusaders walked away with a 75-61 triumph.
The Leopards were unable to maintaining their rebounding edge in the second frame. Holy Cross pounded the glass to a 21-12 advantage, limiting the Maroon and White to just one offensive rip and no second-chance points.
The Crusaders' Amy Lepley led all players with 21 points and nine rebounds. Brisje Malone added 15, and Emily Parker had 10. Meredith Ward neared a double-double with nine points and a game-high eight assists.
Patriot League play continues this Saturday when Lafayette travels to Stabler Arena for the 80th meeting between the Leopards and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Tip-off from Bethlehem is slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on GoLeopards.com via Patriot League All-Access. Action returns to College Hill on Wednesday evening with a visit from Colgate.
