Final Stats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Despite trailing by just five at the end of the first half, the Lafayette women's basketball team was unable to grab a lead and Chattanooga went on to claim a 68-43 victory on the first day of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Women's Basketball Challenge on Saturday afternoon at the KFC Yum Center.

Chattanooga (2-2) opened the contest on a 9-0 run, with Chelsey Shumpert scoring more than half of the team's points. Shumpert ended the game as the leading scorer for the Mocs with 15 points.

The Leopards (1-3) got on the board after Stipa ran the length of the court and found a streaking Ottewill-Soulsby for the score. Lafayette then added a pair of baskets from Olivia Gumbs and Maia Hood.

Lafayette stayed in rhythm and cut the deficit to three after Anna Ptasinski buried a mid-range jumper to cap off an 8-0 run in the opening quarter. Chattanooga responded immediately with a 15-4 run and went ahead 27-12. The Mocs were efficient on the scoring end as they ran the floor and capitalized on several open shots. However, after a short rest, Ptasinski checked back into the game for Lafayette with over eight minutes to go and got hot.

The junior guard was patient in looking for quality shots and scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the second quarter alone, connecting on three long-range shots and pair of midrange jumpers in the final six minutes and 25 seconds. By the half, Ptasinski had bested her career high in points with 17 and finished the game with a game-high and new career best 19.

Ptasinski's ability to knock down shots helped open up space on the floor for the rest of the Leopards and they were able to get several good looks at the basket to trim the Chattanooga lead to five, 37-32, when the halftime horn sounded.

Despite all the momentum leaning towards the Leopards, the Mocs came out of the locker room for the second half and went on a 20-4 run that spanned the entire length of the third quarter.

In the fourth, Chattanooga only made five shots, but the Mocs' lead was too much to overcome. Sophomore Angela Ribarich poured in five of her seven points for the Leopards in the final quarter of play.

The Mocs held the edge in rebounds 45-31 and shot 41.5 percent from the field, compared to 35.2 percent for the Leopards.

Lafayette will return to the court to resume the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge tomorrow afternoon when they face off against host Louisville at 4:30 p.m. at the KFC Yum Center.