EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette men's basketball team refused to quit on Sunday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center in the 2018-19 home opener against St. Francis Brooklyn. Down by as many as 25 in the second half, the Leopards pulled within single digits of the Terriers late, but couldn't complete the comeback in an 84-72 defeat.

Sophomores Alex Petrie and Justin Jaworski did their part, finishing with 21 and 16 points on the day, respectively. Petrie added a career-high eight rebounds, while Jaworski chipped in with five boards, two assists and two steals.

Turnovers and empty possessions were the key as St. Francis Brooklyn executed well on the offensive end. The Terriers went 30-of-68 from the field (44.1%), forcing Lafayette into 20 turnovers and committing just 12 of their own, while also winning the battle on the glass, 41-37.

Lafayette came out strong as Petrie knocked down a jumper and a triple for five of the first seven points and a 7-3 lead at the first break. The Terriers responded with back-to-back buckets of their own and the visitors took their first lead at the 11:50 mark on Chauncey Hawkins' jumper, 11-10. Hawkins finished with a game-high 26 points for St. Francis Brooklyn, while Jalen Jordan added 22 and Rosel Hurley chipped in with 10.

That momentum continued for the visiting side as the Leopards went cold through the midway point of the opening half and the Terriers took advantage with a 23-16 lead at the 7:11 mark. The Leopards responded around the six-minute mark as Jaworski and junior Kyle Stout knocked down triples to force a timeout at 5:23 with the lead cut to one, 25-24.

Jordan's three in transition at 4:40 moved the lead back to four at 28-24 and sparked a 15-2 run to close the half as Lafayette trailed into the intermission, 40-26.

St. Francis Brooklyn picked up where it left off at the start of the second half, scoring the first eight points and forcing a timeout at the 15:38 mark with the lead above 20, 48-26. That lead grew as high as 25 at the 12:46 mark, but a drive-and-finish from Jaworski and a three from junior Lukas Jarrett took the game to the under-12 timeout within striking distance at 55-37.

The Leopards worked the lead down to 15 on a Dylan Hastings three at the 8:19 mark that seemed to be the start of momentum swinging. Instead, after a solid defensive possession, Hawkins stepped back over two defenders and drilled a three at the end of the shot clock with 7:43 remaining to send the game to a timeout with the visitors in front, 67-49.

Lafayette continued to fight, as a 10-0 run finished off by a Jaworski pull-up three in transition, brought the deficit within 10, 69-59. That lead dropped into single digits on freshman Isaac Suffren's free-throws at the 2:55 mark, but a deep three from Jordan on the ensuing possession moved it back out to 12, 78-66, and that's where it stood through the final minutes as the visitors closed out the 84-72 victory.

Lafayette heads back on the road for its next contest in a week's time, traveling to Cornell for a 7 p.m. tilt on Nov. 28 in Ithaca, New York.