December 27, 2014
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LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette cut the lead to as little as seven with 11:40 to play, but No. 10 Kansas scored 37 of the final 54 points to upend the Leopards on Dec. 20 in Lawrence, Kan., 96-69.
Lafayette came out in the second half with renewed energy as three straight jumpers from senior Dan Trist at the top of the key and a Seth Hinrichs three cut the lead to 10 at 54-44 with 14:34 left. Lafayette continued to find success on both ends of the floor as the Maroon and White went into the under-12 media timeout down 10, 59-49.
A triple from sophomore Monty Boykins in the right corner got the lead to seven, but Kansas responded with eight straight points to push the edge back up to 15 at 67-52 with less than 10 minutes remaining. The Jayhawks consistently grew that lead over the next few minutes, using eight straight at the eight-minute mark to go up 23, 80-57, and pulling away for the 96-69 victory.
Hinrichs led the way for the Leopards all over the stat sheet with team-highs in points (15), rebounds (7) and assists (5). Trist added 12 points, while senior Joey Ptasinski and Boykins rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Lafayette shot 26-for-55 from the field (47.3%) compared to 38-of-76 shooting from Kansas (50.0%). The Jayhawks won the battle on the glass, 44-26, and Kansas' Kelly Oubre recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT, looking to improve upon a 13-16 record a season ago, is the only Division I independent team in the nation. The Highlanders have opened the season with a 5-8 record, tallying a signature win over No. 17/16 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 6, 72-70. NJIT is led by a trio of double-figure scorers in Damon Lynn (17.2 ppg), Ky Howard (12.5 ppg) and Winfield Willis (10.2 ppg). Howard paces the visitors on the glass with 6.2 boards per game. The Knights, averaging just 67.0 points per game to start the year, have lived and died at the three-point line this season, getting 34.5 percent of their offense from beyond the arc. NJIT shoots 37.4 percent from the outside and 43.7 percent overall from the floor.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
Kirby Sports Center has been a difficult place to play for opponents this season as both the men's and women's basketball teams are 4-0 on their home court in the 2014-15 campaign. The Leopard men have taken care of Princeton (83-66), Wagner (97-84), Sacred Heart (82-81) and Susquehanna (91-66) at home this season and are currently riding a six-game non-conference home winning streak. Lafayette's last non-conference loss at home came on Nov. 26, 2013, a 79-76 defeat at the hands of Yale.
TARGET IS SECURE
Throughout the non-conference slate, the Leopards have emerged as a top team in the Patriot League in taking care of the basketball, leading the league in both assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and assists per game (16.9). Additionally, junior Bryce Scott and sophomore Nick Lindner are 1-2 in the Patriot League in assist/turnover ratio, respectively, at 3.9 and 3.2. Scott's 3.9 clip ranks 10th nationally, while the 16.8 assists per game as a team is good enough for 18th in the national rankings.
WHO NEEDS DEFENSE?
With the offensive firepower the Leopards are bringing to the floor, Lafayette has used an 'outscore the opponent' approach this season. The Maroon and White are second in the Patriot League in scoring at 78.0 points per game this season and second in the league in scoring margin, putting up an average of 3.4 points more per contest than their opponents. The Leopards have figured out how to put the ball through the basket, sitting atop the league table in both field-goal and three-point field-goal percentage at 50.3 percent and 42.4 percent, respectively.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
It's not a weekly occurrence that Lafayette faces nationally-ranked opponents which it did on Dec. 20 vs. No. 10 Kansas. The Leopards' previous matchup with a ranked opponent came against No. 13/16 Minnesota on Dec. 22, 2012 (L, 75-50). The last time Lafayette beat a nationally ranked opponent was Dec. 2, 1978, a 77-70 victory over Rutgers. The last conference game that pitted Lafayette against a ranked opponent was on Feb. 15, 2006, a 69-49 loss to Bucknell.
