Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Lafayette men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Saint Joseph's team in its non-conference finale on Thursday evening, falling in Philadelphia by a 92-63 score.

The Hawks hit on 35 of their 67 shots from the field in the game, while Lafayette went 40.4 percent from the floor, knocking down 23 of its 57 attempts. The Leopards held the game close late in the first half and early in the second, but an 8-0 run midway through the second half opened up a 22-point lead that ultimately put the game out of reach for the Maroon and White.

Senior captain Nick Lindner and junior Matt Klinewski were the double-figure scorers for Lafayette with 14 and 10 points, respectively, while sophomore Paulius Zalys and freshmen Kyle Stout and Hunter Janacek each chipped in with nine apiece.

Rebounding was the story throughout the game as a 22-11 edge on the glass at the half finished with a 44-28 margin to finish off the game in favor of the Hawks. Lafayette didn't help itself in terms of taking care of the ball as well, turning it over 20 times compared to 14 assists.

The St. Joe's backcourt was excellent throughout the night as Shavar Newkirk and Lavarr Kimble led the Hawks in scoring with 24 and 22 points each. Charlie Brown added 13, while Chris Clover rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10.

Newkirk got the home side going early, scoring all 10 of the home points in the first four minutes as the Hawks took a 10-2 lead into the opening timeout. But the Leopards responded over the next five-minute stretch as two threes from Lindner made it a game at 18-10 with 11:09 to play in the half.

The two sides traded buckets over the next few possessions before eight straight pushed the St. Joe's lead out to 16 at 28-12 with 7:29 left in the half. But Lafayette answered once again as back-to-back three's from Janacek and Stout cut the edge back to a manageable 11 at 35-24 with 3:55 remaining in the first.

Another run from the Hawks opened the final stretch of the first half as they expanded their lead to 17, 41-24. A Stout three and a Klinewski jumper helped it to a 14-point game with 17 seconds to play, but Kimble's floater sent the game into the break at 45-29.

Four free throws opened the second half in the positive for St. Joe's moving the lead to 20 less than a minute in. But Lafayette continued to fight as a three from Zalys and a jumper from Lindner made it a 16-point game at 57-41 into the first media timeout of the second half at the 15:05 mark.

However, the Leopards went cold over the next four-minute stretch as six straight from the home side moved the lead back above 20 again at 66-44 with 11:15 to play. The Hawks continued a hot shooting second-half as the lead remained through the seven-minute mark, going into the media timeout with an 80-56 advantage.

The final stretch did not provide a comeback for the Maroon and White as the Hawks ran out the clock with a final score of 92-63. The loss completes the non-conference schedule for the Leopards with an overall record of 4-7.

The Maroon and White head into an eight-day break prior to their next game and the start of Patriot League action. Lafayette hosts Colgate to open conference action on Dec. 30 with opening tip set for 7 p.m.