February 28, 2015

EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette men’s basketball team avoided a first-round game in the Patriot League Tournament with a 74-64 win over Army on Senior Day at Kirby Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Leopards’ Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinal opponent will be Boston U., but the time and place is still to be determined. If the Terriers win at home against Holy Cross at 4 p.m. this afternoon, fifth-seeded Lafayette will travel to Boston, Mass. on Thursday. If Holy Cross wins, the fourth-seeded Leopards will host fifth-seeded Boston U. on Thursday in Easton.

Senior Dan Trist made his senior day one to remember as he recorded 24 points with 20 coming in the first half of play to lead the Leopards offensively. Sophomore Nick Lindner tallied 15 points and nine assists, while senior captain Seth Hinrichs tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists in his final regular-season home game as a Leopard.

Trist, Hinrichs and classmates Joey Ptasinski and Alan Flannigan were honored prior to the game for their contributions to the Lafayette program over the last four seasons. The Leopards’ three senior starters in Hinrichs, Ptasinski and Trist are the first trio of 1,000-point scorers to play on the same team in Lafayette history and are one of just two teams in the nation with three 1,000-point scorers on their roster.

The Leopards held Army to 37.1 percent from the field, just the sixth opponent to shoot less than 40 percent against Lafayette this season. The Knights went 26-of-70 from the field and 8-of-31 from three-point range (25.8%). On the other side, Lafayette knocked in 27 of its 55 shots (49.1%), making just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc and hitting on 19 of its 23 free-throw attempts (82.6%).

The Maroon and White won the battle on the glass for the 11^th time this season, 44-34, led by a career-high 10 boards from junior Bryce Scott. Army held a slight 30-28 edge in points in the paint and committed just five turnovers, forcing nine from the Leopards.

Four-for-six shooting from the field including a trio of threes, two coming off the hand of Army’s Tanner Plomb opened the game in the Knights’ favor with an 11-5 lead after the first four minutes. Seven back from the Leopards, though, was finished off by a triple from sophomore Michael Hoffman at the 13-minute mark to give Lafayette its first lead at 12-11.

After that strong start offensively for Army, it went cold from its side of the floor, hitting on just one of its next 11 shots as the Leopards extended their edge to six at 20-14 midway through the half. Eight straight points from Trist closing in on the five-minute mark edged the lead out to 13 at 33-20 and brought his first-half total to 16.

Lafayette held its lead throughout the latter stages of the first half before a Kyle Wilson triple from the left wing brought the Knights within 10 with four seconds remaining. A full-court heave was off the mark at the buzzer and the game went into the intermission with the Maroon and White on top, 41-31, led by 20 first-half points from Trist.

Both teams traded baskets throughout the first five minutes of the second half as Lafayette maintained its double-digit advantage. A Monty Boykins free throw at the 13:58 mark moved the Leopards’ lead to its largest of the game at 54-39.

Plomb’s triple with 12:05 to play made it a 10-point game again at 54-44 and a jumper from Wilson got Army into within single-digits at 54-46 with 10:30 left. A bucket from Lindner on the next possession moved it out to 10 again, but four back from the Knights forced a Lafayette timeout at the 9:14 mark with the lead at just six, 56-50.

Army continued its surge over the next couple minutes as a jumper from the elbow off the hand of Plomb made it a four-point game at 58-54 with 6:58 to play. A three from Wilson cut the edge to three at 60-57 and an above-the-rim finish from Plomb made it a one-point game at the five-minute mark, 60-59.

Two strong drives to the rim from Lindner at the three-minute mark pushed Lafayette’s lead out to seven again at 68-61. Hinrichs sent back a Wilson drive on the other end at the two-minute mark as Lafayette called timeout with 1:50 remaining, up six, 68-62. Lindner, Hinrichs and Scott were 6-for-6 combined from the foul line in the final minute to ice the game away with a final score of 74-64.

Lafayette will play its Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinal game on Thursday, either hosting or traveling to Boston U. with a time to be determined.