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EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette’s shooting momentum from the second half at Lehigh Wednesday night carried over into the first quarter of today’s matchup against Loyola, with the Leopards jumping out to a 24-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

The final three quarters were not as productive, however, as the Maroon and White scored only 27 more points the rest of the way, allowing the Greyhounds to rally for a 55-51 victory Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.

Loyola (9-11, 6-3 PL) took its first lead of the second half with 1:46 remaining in the contest on a 3-pointer from Steph Smith. That made it 50-49 in favor of the visitors, and Lafayette (4-15, 2-7 PL) committed two key turnovers on its final three possessions to help seal the defeat.

Angela Ribarich, making her first-career collegiate start, led the Leopards with a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds over 30 minutes of play, and Anna Ptasinski added nine points off the bench on a trio of 3-pointers.

Lafayette raced out to a double-digit lead over the Greyhounds at the conclusion of the first quarter. Ribarich and Jamie O’Hare each netted seven points in the frame, and the Leopards dished out assists on all eight of their field goals while committing only one turnover.

O’Hare, though, who entered today fourth in Division in minutes per game (38.4), was forced to the bench early in the second quarter after picking up her third foul of the contest and Lafayette would score only five points over the first nine minutes of the frame.

That allowed Loyola to creep within three points at 29-26 despite shooting under 30 percent from the floor, but a last-second Ptasinski 3-pointer restored the Leopard lead to six points heading into the break.

Sammy Stipa got the second half off to a positive start with a long ball from the corner 21 seconds in, and Lafayette maintained a seven-point edge with 3:34 left in the third quarter. The Greyhounds then ended the frame on a 11-4 run, and a Diana Logan 3-pointer at the buzzer created the game’s first tie since the opening tip-off heading into the fourth.

A Ribarich layup marked the first points of the final quarter with 6:33 left in the game, and two Ashley Lutz free throws made it 49-45 with 4:25 on the clock. Loyola scored its first points of the fourth on two Colleen Marshall free throws with 3:43 left, and the visitors went ahead three possessions later on Smith’s 3-pointer.

Lafayette turned the ball over on its ensuing trip down the floor. After four made free throws from Marshall, with a 2-for-2 showing from Ribarich at the line sandwiched in between, the Leopards had one last opportunity to tie the score trailing 54-51 with 17 seconds left. Their 19th and final turnover on that possession, however, sealed their fate.

Marshall sank one last free throw to make it a two-possession game with six seconds to go. Despite shooting 3-for-19 from the floor, the Preseason All-Patriot League performer ended the contest with a team-high 15 points thanks to a 9-for-13 effort from the charity stripe.

Ribarich was the lone Lafayette player in double figures, while Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. The Greyhounds completed a season sweep in the series with today’s victory.

The Leopards return to the court Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. trip to Army West Point. The Black Knights (17-2, 8-1 PL) moved into a tie for first place in the Patriot League standings with a 68-63 win over previously unbeaten Bucknell earlier this afternoon.

Note:

Lafayette’s 24 first-quarter points matched the highest for the team in a quarter this season. The Leopards also scored 24 in the first quarter of a win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 4 and in the third quarter of Wednesday’s defeat at Lehigh.