EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette women's basketball team shot 48 percent in the first half before cooling off in the second to drop a tight contest with Boston U., 47-44, on Wednesday evening at Kirby Sports Center.
 
The Leopards (7-13, 2-7 PL) matched their season low in turnovers in the first half against the Terriers (10-9, 6-3 PL), committing only five in the first 20 minutes. Sophomore Olivia Martino was red hot in the first half, going 6-for-6 from the floor, connecting on a both of her 3-pointers.
 
Martino broke free from the three-way tie for 15^th on the all-time Lafayette 3-point field goals list and passed Ashley Lutz '17 for sole possession of 14^th with 57 triples in her career.
 
The Leopards went on a 7-0 run midway through the second when Martino hit a deuce followed by a sophomore Drew Freeland 3-ball and layup to force the BU timeout.
 
Freeland is now tied with Lutz '17 on the 3-pointers list with 56 in her two seasons and one off Martino's career number.
 
The run sparked Lafayette to a 33-22 lead at the break with sophomore Natalie Kucowski tallying seven assists in the first half, marking a career high.
 
Kucowski stuffed the stat sheet all night, finishing with four points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and a career-high six blocks. It was the most assists by a Lafayette player since Sammy Stipa '18 recorded eight in the fourth game of the season last year against Rider.
 
Boston U. woke up after the break, outscoring Lafayette 25-11 in the second half. Each team played a clean game with only a combined 20 turnovers and zero foul outs in the contest.
 
The Leopards were clinging to their lead for the entire second half before Nia Irving knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game with 7:03 to play in the fourth quarter.
 
Irving led the Terriers with 15 points and 14 rebounds on the night, matching Martino's output of 15 points and two boards.
 
The BU lead was four points with 1:44 to play when Martino made a baseline runner, through contact and converted the 3-point play at the foul line to bring the Maroon and White within one.
 
The Terriers did just enough down the stretch to keep their lead. Lafayette was forced to foul with six seconds left and BU missed both free throws. The Leopards advanced the ball to half court with a timeout and after a series of BU fouls, Lafayette was unable to convert and time expired.
 
In the game, Lafayette held the Terriers to just 29 percent from the floor on the night and only 2-for-12 from beyond the arc.
 
Freeland added 11 points on the night with two boards, two assists and two steals while senior Alex Cantwell came off the bench to score seven with four boards.
 
Lafayette will now hit the road for a pair of games and begin its second lap around the Patriot League, traveling to Holy Cross on Saturday, followed by a trip across the commonwealth to Bucknell on Feb. 9.
 
For the latest on the Lafayette College women's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteWBB, Facebook at Lafayette Women's Basketball, and Instagram @LafayetteWBB.