OPENING TIP
- Lafayette is eyeing its first Patriot League win of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking on Army in West Point. The Leopards suffered a tough three-point loss to Lehigh in the league opener on Wednesday, 86-83, while Army is also coming off a tight defeat at the hands of Bucknell on Wednesday, 64-63.

- The Leopards' 81-54 victory over the Black Knights on Feb. 7, 2018 was the second of five straight home victories for the Maroon and White to close the 2017-18 campaign. The win served as a revenge for a 10-point loss in West Point earlier last season.

- Senior co-captain Paulius Zalys has been playing the best basketball of his career over the last six games, averaging 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per outing during that stretch. Zalys enters Saturday's contest off double-doubles in two of his last three games.

LAST TIME OUT
In an offensive thriller in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Wednesday evening, Lafayette came up just shy of knocking off preseason Patriot League favorite Lehigh by a final score of 86-83.

Ahead 43-35 at halftime and by two following a Justin Jaworski triple with 1:03 left, the final minute didn't go the Leopards way as Lehigh's Lance Tejada answered with a three and Jordan Cohen free throws sealed the final with sophomore Alex Petrie's three at the buzzer ringing off the rim. The loss puts Lafayette at 3-9 on the season and 0-1 in Patriot League play, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 8-4 and 1-0 in league action.

The Maroon and White featured four different players in double-figure scoring, led by 19 with a career-high five assists from senior co-captain Paulius Zalys. Sophomore guards Petrie and Jaworski chipped in with 15 points apiece, while junior Lukas Jarrett added 10, all coming in the opening 20 minutes.

Lafayette was solid on the offensive end all night, recording 20 assists to 10 turnovers and shooting 30-of-60 from the field (50.0%) and 14-of-29 from three (48.3%). Unfortunately, Lehigh was a step above, connecting on 11-of-14 from distance (78.6%) and 28-of-48 overall (58.3%).

THE SKINNY ON THE BLACK KNIGHTS
Army, picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League preseason poll, dropped its Patriot League opener in heart-breaking fashion on Wednesday, a 64-63 loss to Bucknell. The Black Knights led by 24 at halftime and as many as 26 in the second half before the Bison mounted a comeback for the one-point victory. Army is led by Jimmy Allen in his third season and enters Saturday's tilt with a 5-9 overall record after going 13-17 a year ago and 6-12 in Patriot League play

The Black Knights are led offensively by three double-figure scorers in Matt Wilson (14.9 ppg), Tommy Funk (11.2 ppg) and Jordan Fox (10.3 ppg). Wilson also paces the home side on the glass at 8.1 rebounds per game, good enough for third in the Patriot League rankings. Army will look to aggressive defensive play as a way to generate offense, ranking third in the conference in steals (6.4/game) and second in both turnover margin (+3.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4).

LAST MEETING
Revenge was sweet for the Leopards on Feb. 7, 2018 at Kirby Sports Center, as Lafayette led nearly wire-to-wire in a decisive 81-54 victory.

The Leopards, who surrendered a 19-point lead with 19 minutes to go in West Point, N.Y. earlier last season in an 81-71 defeat, put those memories to bed, following up a 21-point halftime lead with a six-point second-half edge to cruise to the 27-point win. The victory was the largest margin for the Maroon and White against a D-I opponent since a 77-50 victory at Robert Morris to open the 2014-15 season on Nov. 14, 2014.

Lafayette dominated the game in a number of statistical categories including a 39-26 edge on the glass. The Leopards shot 28-of-54 from the field (51.9%) and 10-of-20 from three-point range (50.0%).

Alex Petrie led all scorers with 23 points, going 9-of-9 from the charity stripe and 6-of-12 from the field overall. Justin Jaworski, Matt Klinewski '18 and E.J. Stephens rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14, 14 and 10 points, respectively, while Paulius Zalys added six points and three assists to his 10 rebounds to pace the Leopards on the glass.

On the other side, Army was led by 11 points from Jordan Fox and 10 from Matt Wilson. The Black Knights, averaging 41.2 percent from three on the year coming into the game, were run off that line throughout the night, making just 6-of-28 from distance (21.4%) and 22-of-62 overall (35.5%).

ZALYS SURGING
Senior co-captain Paulius Zalys is in the midst of the best six-game stretch of his career for the Maroon and White, averaging 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest over that span. The Kaunas, Lithuania native sits third on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per night this season and second on the glass with 4.8 boards per outing.   

GIMME A BREAK
Saturday's contest marks the fourth game of the interim period between the fall and spring semesters. The first game with the full student body on campus for the spring will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 30, a home clash with Lehigh at 8:30 p.m., playing 10 more contests with classes in session before the Patriot League Tournament begins on March 5.