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EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette women's basketball team earned their second straight win on Friday evening, dispatching Patriot League foe Colgate by a final score of 63-48 in the friendly confines of Kirby Sports Center.

The win moves Lafayette's overall record to 6-7 with a 2-1 mark in the Patriot League. The loss drops the Raiders to 4-10 overall with a 0-3 record in league play.

"We executed well and were able to get out in transition," head coach Kia Damon stated. "Our zone and man defense played really well and we just have to build on the bright spots and extend them over the full 40 minutes."

The Leopards rode a hot shooting start to the game head into halftime with an 18-point lead, shooting a blistering 53 percent in the first quarter while knocking down 48 percent of their shots for the first half. Lafayette was also able to force Colgate into 25 turnovers and was able to feast on the Raiders' miscues, finishing the contest with 26 points off of turnovers.

After the Raiders scored the opening buckets of the game, the Leopards responded with a 15-0 run over the next 4:06 before Colgate was able to muster a basket. Alexis Santarelli got the run started and Drew Freeland capped it with a fast break finish that saw the freshman absorb contact and hang in the air to drop in the layup. The Leopards maintained control for the remainder of the quarter, with Olivia Martino slashing right up the middle of the Raider's defense for a lay-in to close out the opening quarter.

Colgate battled back at the start of the second quarter as the Leopards traded baskets with the Raiders over the first seven minutes. Tori Pozsonyi pulled Colgate within 10, but the Leopards put their foot on the gas to build coming out of the media timeout, building an 18 point lead heading into the halftime break. Ellen Graham got the Leopards' bench fired up by drawing a charge. The senior kept it up on the other end, dropping in a layup to put the Leopards up 35-20. Anna Ptasinski added a trey with two seconds left on the clock to send the Maroon and White into the second half up 38-20.

Colgate came out firing to start the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run over the first five minutes, as Chelsey Koren and Mackenzie Carroll led the barrage that forced Lafayette to burn a timeout. The Leopards responding coming out of timeout, outscoring the Raiders 11-5 over the remainder of the quarter. Sammy Stipa and Freeland knocked down back-to-back threes to bring the quarter to a close and push the Leopards lead to 12, 49-37.

The Leopards continued to trade blows with Colgate during the fourth quarter, but the Maroon and White's early lead payed off, as they were able to keep the Raiders at bay. Nia Holland put the Leopards up 16 with a do-it-all play, pickpocketing her matchup and racing the floor for an easy lay-in. Sarah Agnello knocked down an emphatic three-pointer from the corner with 24 seconds left on the clock to close out the contest with Lafayette winning by a final score of 63-45.

Freshman Natalie Kucowski was one rebound shy of her fourth-straight double-double, finishing with 12 points and 9 boards. The Philadelphia, Pa. native added four steals to her stat-line as well, tying-her season high.

"We started off really strong and everyone was contributing," said Kucowski. "Everyone had a lot of energy and it was fun to play at home tonight."

Koren finished with a game-high 15 points for the Raiders. Offensively, Freeland paced the Leopards with 13 points. Ptasinski chipped in with 12 of her own, all from behind the arc. The Maroon and White held a slim, 31-30 advantage on the boards, while the defense racked up 15 steals.

The Leopards hit the road for their next contest, travelling to Bucknell for a Monday matinee. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m.