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EASTON, Pa. - In a free-flowing offensive game between two rivals, Lafayette was unable to pull off the victory over Lehigh on Saturday afternoon, falling by a final score of 72-62.

"We didn't execute the way we wanted to defensively," head coach Kia Damon said. "They made some tough shots, but we're going to go back to the drawing board and get better to be ready for Colgate on Wednesday."

A first quarter deficit proved to be the difference for the Leopards, who couldn't catch back up to the Mountain Hawks as the visitors set the pace, shooting 52 percent from the field while going 9-of-18 (50%) from behind the arc. Lafayette (10-17, 6-11 PL) was able to stick close to Lehigh (15-13, 9-8 PL) by shooting 49 percent from the floor and 39 percent from deep, but the first half deficit haunted the Maroon and White.

Lehigh was led by Gena Grundhoffer who poured in a game-high 26 points. Lafayette was led by the duo of Alexis Santarelli and Olivia Martino, who finished with 12 points apiece.

The hot shooting for both sides started from the opening whistle as Lehigh was able to grab the upper hand heading into the second. The Mountain Hawks shot 7-for-12 (58%) from the floor while the Leopards hit 4-of-9 (44%) in the quarter. Camryn Buhr put Lehigh up 10-4, but Sammy Stipa responded for the Leopards, dropping in a layup to make it 10-6.

A three from Grundhoffer put Lehigh up 15-8 heading into the media timeout with 3:52 left in the quarter. Lafayette forced the Mountain Hawks into a turnover on their next possession, and Santarelli was hit on the ensuing offensive possession, knocking down 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it 15-9. Ellen Graham added another from the free throw line to close the quarter with the Leopards trailing 18-10.

Lafayette continued to go blow-for-blow with the Mountain Hawks in the second quarter, shooting 62 percent from the floor en route to 20 points. The Leopards couldn't slow down Lehigh however, as the Mountain Hawks added 23 points in the period. Santarelli scored six of her 12 points in the quarter, and pulled the Leopards back within six at 36-20 with five minutes to play. Lehigh would pull back ahead however, outscoring the Leopards 15-9 to take a 41-30 lead at the half.

The free flowing offense from both sides continued following the halftime break, as the teams combined for 42 points in the third quarter. After starting the quarter down 41-30, the Leopards pulled back within seven halfway through the period. Following a bucket from Grundhoffer that made it 53-38, the Leopards embarked on an 8-0 run that cut Lehigh's lead to 53-46. Santarelli provided five of the eight points, including a strong finish through a foul. Sarah Agnello capped the run with a corner three before Lehigh responded, once again through Grundhoffer. Martino added four of her own to close the period to send the Leopards into the final stanza down by nine, 62-51.

The offensive output slowed down in the fourth quarter as both teams cooled down from the field. A 3-for-11 (27%) mark in the period capped the Leopards chances at a comeback, as the halftime deficit allowed Lehigh to hold on for the victory.

Lehigh edged the Leopards on the boards, 28-24. Lafayette shot 78 percent from the charity stripe while Lehigh hit 65 percent from the foul line. The Leopards bench did some heavy lifting, scoring 42 points, while Lehigh's reserves added five points.

Lafayette closes out the regular season on the road next Wednesday when they travel to Colgate for a 7 p.m. showdown.