Box Score

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A thrilling back-and-forth game came to an unfortunate conclusion for Lafayette Sunday afternoon, as Hartford scored the last six points in the final 56 seconds to rally for a 55-50 victory.

Deanna Mayza had the go-ahead jumper for the Hawks (3-1), and she sank four free throws in the last six seconds to seal the win. That canceled out a 3-pointer by Anna Ptasinski which had put the Leopards (0-4) in front with 1:18 to go.

Maia Hood had a career-day off the bench, contributing 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting, while Jamie O'Hare added 15 points and a seven-steal total which was the most for a Lafayette player since Kim Costello swiped eight against Wagner on Jan. 4, 2003. Mayza had a game-high 20 points to pace the Hartford attack.

"We had a lot of fight today," head coach Theresa Grentz said. "We really left it all out there in the second half. What we need to do is be more consistent from quarter-to-quarter. We can't have two quarters where we don't reach double digits scoring. But I know that we can be successful with the players we have on this team. They're still learning, but we're getting there."

Hartford came out strong in the opening three minutes, hitting four of its first five shots to take a 9-0 lead and force the Leopards to call an early timeout. Hood came off the bench to kickstart the Lafayette offense, hitting each of her first three shots from the floor, including her first 3-pointer of the season to keep the Maroon and White within striking distance.

Each team managed an 8-0 run in the second quarter. Trailing 22-12, Lafayette rattled off eight in a row to close within two points. Three steals helped fuel the hot stretch, including a pair from O'Hare. The Leopards ended the contest with 14 thefts, the most in a game since matching that number against Lehigh on Feb. 23, 2013.

The Hawks, though, responded, scoring the final eight points of the frame to enter the intermission with a 30-20 advantage.

After a Hartford free throw opened up the scoring in the third quarter, the Leopards used another 8-0 spurt to get within three, and no team would lead by more than five points the rest of the way. Hood nailed a jumper with 3:26 left in the frame to give Lafayette its first lead at 34-33, and she extended that margin to 41-38 heading into the fourth by making 1 of 2 free throws in the closing seconds.

The Leopards were held off the scoreboard for the first 4:27 of the final frame, when Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby drained two free throws to make the score 45-43, Hartford. The junior team captain was 4-for-4 from the line, and she also grabbed a game and career-high 11 boards, including six on the offensive glass.

Ashley Lutz tied the score at 45-45 with 4:54 left off a nice dish inside by O'Hare. The Hawks then scored the next four points to reclaim the advantage, but a jumper from Annette Snow and Ptasinski's long ball swung momentum back in Lafayette's favor.

After Mayza's go-ahead jumper with 56 seconds left, the Leopards had two chances to score on their next possession but came up short both times. Mayza gave the visitors another opportunity by missing a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left. Hartford's pressure on the defensive end, however, forced Lafayette to try to call for a timeout that it did not have. That gave the Hawks two free throws and the ball, and Mayza closed out the win at the charity stripe.

Lafayette, which was outscored by 59 points in the paint its first three games this season, reversed that trend this afternoon, scoring 20 points inside compared to only eight for the hosts. The Leopards' 14 steals also led to an 18-6 edge in fast break points.

The Maroon and White are back in action Tuesday night, traveling to Fordham for a 6 p.m. contest.