OPENING TIP
- Lafayette finishes out its non-conference slate on Friday evening, hosting Princeton at Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards will have 11 days away following Friday's tilt before Patriot League play begins in the new year at Lehigh on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.

- Friday's game will mark the 699th game coached in head coach Fran O'Hanlon's 24th year on the sidelines for the Maroon and White. O'Hanlon is one of six active coaches to head up the same Division I program since the start of the 1995-96 season.

- Lafayette ended a four-game skid with a convincing 95-54 victory over Rosemont at Kirby Sports Center on Wednesday evening. Senior co-captain Paulius Zalys recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Alex Petrie added a game-high 17 points in the win.

LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette took care of business on Wednesday evening, pulling away late for a 95-54 victory over Rosemont at Kirby Sports Center.

Senior co-captain Paulius Zalys put together his best performance of his final season, registering a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Maroon and White. The effort was his first of the year and the first for the Lithuanian native since he recorded a pair during his freshman season in 2016.

Zalys was one of four Leopards to finish in double-figure scoring as sophomore Alex Petrie led all scorers with 17 points on the night. Junior Kyle Stout and freshman Isaac Suffren rounded out the offensive performances with 13 and 10 points apiece.

Lafayette recorded 24 assists on the night, a first of more than 20 on the year, and the 95-point output is the most for the Leopards since a 104-67 win over Moravian on Dec. 19, 2016. The Leopards went 36-of-72 from the field (50.0%) and 11-of-34 from three (32.4%) to move to 3-7 on the season overall.

THE SKINNY ON THE TIGERS
Princeton enters Kirby on Friday off a 101-50 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Duke on Tuesday night. The Tigers sit at 5-5 on the season overall, boasting victories over DeSales, Monmouth, Maine, George Washington and Iona. Other games of note include a 72-57 loss to Lehigh on Nov. 16 and a 77-66 defeat to Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 21, a team the Leopards defeated, 80-76, on Nov. 25.

Devin Cannady leads three scorers averaging in double figures for the Tigers at 19.6 points per outing. Freshman Jaelin Llewellyn, who missed the first seven games of the season, has put up 15.7 points per night in his last three games since his return.

ROLLING DOUBLES
Double-doubles haven't been a common occasion for the Maroon and White through the years, but junior Myles Cherry and senior co-captain Paulius Zalys have each managed at least one this season. Cherry recorded the first two double-doubles of his career this season with 18 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle, and 14 points and 17 rebounds against Cornell. Zalys, averaging 11.8 points per game over his last four contests, put up 15 points and added 10 rebounds in the last time out against Rosemont for his first double-double since his freshman campaign. In the 2015-16 season, Zalys had a 10-point, 11-rebound effort against Loyola and a 14-point, 10-rebound outing against Boston U.

A CONVINCING VICTORY
Lafayette put up a season-high 95 points on its way to a 95-54 win over Rosemont on Wednesday, the highest scoring output for the team since a 104-67 win over Moravian on Dec. 19, 2016. The victory was the first for the Leopards of more than 40 points since a 96-54 win over Centenary on Dec. 5, 2003. In addition to the scoring, the Maroon and White also registered 20+ assists (24) for the first time since tallying 20 helpers against Colgate on Jan. 31, 2018 and 10+ steals (12) for the first time since recording 10 takeaways in a win over Susquehanna on Dec. 16, 2014. 

LAST MEETING
Lafayette put together one of its best defensive games of the 2017-18 season, but the offense went cold in the second half as the Leopards went into Thanksgiving on Nov. 22, 2017 with a 60-46 loss to Princeton.

Justin Jaworski and Matt Klinewski '18 were the majority of the Lafayette offense, tallying 13 points apiece. After hitting on 9-of-18 from the field (50.0%) in the first 20 minutes, the Leopards made just 7-of-25 in the second stanza (28.0%), knocking down just one of their 12 three-point attempts for 17 second-half points. On the other side, Princeton improved its shooting by more than 11 percent in the second half from the first, making 12-of-27 in the second stanza (44.4%). Devin Cannady led all scorers with 17 points, including a 4-of-7 mark from distance.

Princeton's rebounding proved to be a difference in the game as well, winning the battle on the glass by a comfortable 37-24 margin. That edge led to a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points.

CHERRY ON THE GLASS
Sophomore Myles Cherry has excelled on the glass through 10 games this season, ranking atop the Patriot League in offensive rebounding (2.4 orpg) and fifth in overall rebounding (6.8 rpg). The Newcastle, Australia native boasts three games of five or more offensive rebounds this season, including five in the last time out against Rosemont on Wednesday. 

LAFAYETTE VS. DIVISION THREE
With the win over Rosemont on Wednesday, Lafayette has now won 26 straight games against Division III opponents with its last loss coming in O'Hanlon's first season on College Hill, a 70-69 contest against Swarthmore on Dec. 6, 1995. Last season, the Leopards took care of business in their D-III game against Susquehanna, using 20 points from E.J. Stephens to dispatch the River Hawks, 82-70. 

GIMME A BREAK
Friday's contest marks the second game of the interim period between the fall and spring semesters. The Leopards open Patriot League play in 2019, going on the road for a battle at Lehigh on Jan. 2. The first game with the full student body on campus for the spring will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26, a home clash with Army at 2 p.m., playing 11 more contests with classes in session before the Patriot League Tournament begins on March 5.