Box Score

WASHINGTON - Lafayette's first road victory at the season ended a drought which had extended well beyond 2015-16.

Jamie O'Hare had 15 points and a career-high eight assists, and Ashley Lutz matched a career-best with 15 rebounds to help the Leopards to a 60-51 win at defending Patriot League champions American. The Maroon and White snapped a 17-game road losing streak and registered the program's first-ever road win over the Eagles.

"Tonight was a total team effort," head coach Theresa Grentz said. "The staff had them completely prepared for what they were supposed to do. We got off to a rough start, but nobody quit. They stayed together and continued to fight, and they were rewarded for that work. It was a fun game to coach."

The Leopards (4-13, 2-5 PL) are now tied with American (4-14, 2-5 PL) in the conference standings after tonight's triumph.

The win did not come easy, though, as Lafayette could not buy a basket in the opening 10 minutes. The Maroon and White were held to a first-quarter season-low six points on 2-of-14 shooting from the floor and a 2-for-6 effort at the free throw line. American was not much better, sinking just four of its 16 attempts from the floor, and as a result the Eagles led only 12-6 at the end of the frame.

The Leopards trailed by as many as 11 points early in the second, as a Lauren Crisler layup made it 20-9 with 7:40 on the clock. A Maia Hood free throw, however, began a 13-0 run for the Maroon and White. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Lutz and Anna Ptasinski leveled the score up at 20, and Hood converted a mid-range jumper to give the visitors their first lead of the contest.

After the Eagles briefly stopped the bleeding with a jumper from Maria Liddane, Lafayette ended the half with two more 3-pointers, the second of which being a buzzer-beating long ball from Ptasinski in the corner to increase the lead to 28-22. After missing on all seven attempts from beyond the arc in the first quarter, the Leopards were 5-of-6 from long distance in the next 10 minutes, and they shot 57.1 percent overall from the floor in the second.

Lafayette's 3-point proficiency continued early in the third, as Sammy Stipa, O'Hare and Hood all hit threes in the first three-plus minutes. That helped off-set some better American shooting, as the home team hit on 7-of-11 shots in the frame but could not gain any ground on the Leopards, who maintained their six-point edge heading into the fourth.

Four-straight points to start the final 10 minutes gave the Maroon and White their largest lead of 10, and the advantage was still 54-45 with 4:04 on the clock after a jumper from Angela Ribarich.

The Eagles rallied with five points in a row from the free throw line to get within four. Lutz, however, grabbed a big offensive rebound on the ensuing possession, and she then hit two free throws after drawing a foul inside. American would never get closer than five the rest of the way.

Lutz finished one point shy of her third double-double in a row, but she still reached double-digit rebounds for a fourth-straight contest. Lafayette controlled the glass throughout, out-rebounding the Eagles by a 47-31 margin.

"Everyone was boxing out and getting after it," Grentz said. "To come on an away floor and have that type of advantage on the boards, I'll take that every time. It really shows the determination and competitiveness that the team had tonight."

The Leopards had lost their previous 20 trips to American, and tonight's win was their first on the road since Jan. 14 last season at Loyola. They will look for another road triumph Saturday night at Lehigh, with opening tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

Notes:

O'Hare's previous career-high for assists was seven, which she had reached on five separate occasions. She also scored in double-figures for a 12th-straight game.

Stipa added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, and she did not commit a turnover her 28 minutes on the floor.

With the win, Lafayette improves to 6-34 lifetime against American.