Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. - The third quarter has been kind to Lafayette for a majority of the 2015-16 season, with the Leopards outscoring their opponent in eight of 14 games entering Wednesday night's contest at Holy Cross.

The Crusaders, though, flipped that script tonight, winning the third quarter by a 17-6 margin to turn a 27-26 halftime deficit into a 43-33 lead. Lafayette was unable to recover in the final frame, dropping a 66-49 road decision.

Ashley Lutz had an outstanding game for the Maroon and White in defeat, pouring in a career-high 19 points and finishing with 14 rebounds, one shy of her career-best. The double-double was the fourth of her career (first this season) and the third for a Leopard player this winter.

Lafayette (3-12, 1-4 PL), though, committed a season-high 28 turnovers and shot 33.3 percent from the floor in the second half. Holy Cross (7-9, 4-1 PL), in comparison, made 45.5 of their field goals in the second half after shooting at a 27.0 percent clip in the first 20 minutes. The Leopards were also outrebounded 26-14 in the second half after entering the intermission with a 26-16 edge on the glass.

Jamie O'Hare added 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals for the visitors. She reached double figures for a 10th-consecutive game, and the seven boards matched a season-high.

The Maroon and White fell behind early on five-straight points from Holy Cross' Infiniti Thomas-Waheed, but quickly responded with eight unanswered to grab an 8-5 lead with 6:32 left in the first. Lafayette maintained a 14-10 lead at the end of the frame, with Lutz hitting 5-of-6 free throw attempts. The Leopard defense held the Crusaders to 13.3 percent shooting (2-of-15) after Thomas-Waheed's first two field goals.

That defensive effort continued into the second quarter, with Holy Cross shooting only 30 percent from the floor (6-of-20), and Lutz continued to control play on both ends. She secured her double-double after her 10th board with 3:33 left in the half, and, with the score tied at 24 in the final minute, she nailed her second 3-pointer to ensure Lafayette held a one-point advantage heading into the intermission.

The junior forward had 13 points and 10 boards at the break, while O'Hare and Sammy Stipa netted six points apiece. Stipa, still leading the Patriot League in 3-point field goal percentage, drained each of her long ball attempts in the half. The Leopards led for nearly 17 of the first 20 minutes despite committing 15 turnovers, more than double their amount in the entire game against Boston University on Saturday.

The two teams combined to shoot 2-for-17 over the first five minutes of the third quarter, with the Crusaders managing to inch ahead by a 30-29 margin during that span. Holy Cross grabbed its largest lead thus far of six points after back-to-back 3-pointers from Katie Doherty and Lisa Mifsud made it 37-31 with 2:53 left, and that advantage was extended to 10 points (43-33) by the end of the frame. Lafayette hit only 3-of-12 field goal attempts coming out of halftime.

The Crusaders continued to build their advantage in the fourth, and their 23 points in the last 10 minutes were the most for either squad in a quarter on the evening. Mifsud led the home team with 16 points, while Molly Hourigan chipped in eight points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, four assists and four steals.

The Leopards return to Kirby Sports Center Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. matchup with Navy.

Notes:

Maia Hood and Stipa have Lafayette's other two double-doubles this season. Hood had 11 points and 10 boards against Saint Peter's (Nov. 29) and Stipa contributed 15 points and 11 assists against St. Francis Brooklyn (Dec. 4).

Hood returned to action after missing five games with a knee injury suffered against Colgate on Dec. 22. She logged nine minutes off the bench.