OPENING TIP
* Lafayette returns to Kirby Sports Center for its next two contests, hosting Boston U. on Wednesday and Loyola on Sunday. The Leopards are in a fight for a home game in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, currently tied with Army for that fourth and final spot at 8-6 in conference action. 
* Lafayette welcomes the St. Baldrick's Foundation for Wednesday's game for its annual Shave for the Brave in support of conquering childhood cancer. St. Baldrick's is a volunteer-driven charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization aside from the U.S. government. 
* Lafayette's win over Holy Cross on Saturday secured its first winning season since 2014-15. 

LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette controlled play throughout on Saturday afternoon in Worcester, Massachusetts, extending a five-point lead at halftime to a 72-62 advantage at the final buzzer in a win over Holy Cross.

Lafayette's top-three active scorers did their part as junior E.J. Stephens, senior co-captain Myles Cherry and sophomore Tyrone Perry netted 18, 16 and 15 points, respectively for the Maroon and White. Cherry chipped in eight rebounds for a Leopards side that dominated on the backboards, up 42-28 on the glass and 16-8 in second-chance points.

As a unit, the Leopards shot 47.5 percent from the field on 28-of-59 and made 11-of-14 from the foul line (78.6%). Holy Cross' Joe Pridgen led all scorers with 25 points on the afternoon, but Lafayette held the Crusaders to 39.7 percent from the field overall (23-of-58) and just 3-of-21 from distance (14.3%).

The win moved Lafayette to 16-9 on the year and 8-6 in Patriot League action, while Holy Cross dropped to 3-23 overall and 2-12 in conference play.

LAST MEETING
Lafayette led for more than 39 minutes in Boston, but the final seconds didn't go its way in the Patriot League opener as Boston U.'s Jonas Harper hit the eventual game-winning three from the right wing with 13 seconds left to knock off the Leopards by a final of 73-72.

With less than a minute to play and Lafayette up, 69-68, a turnover led to a Walter Whyte bucket in transition to put the Terriers on top for the first time, 70-69. Senior Kyle Stout answered with a three on the other end to put the Maroon and White back in front, but Harper's counter proved to be the final blow. Sophomore Tyrone Perry got an off-balance chance at the win in the waning seconds, but his effort fell short and left as the buzzer sounded.

Senior co-captain Lukas Jarrett put together one of his better all-around games of the year with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal and no turnovers. Junior E.J. Stephens led the Leopards with 17 points on the night, while classmate Justin Jaworski and Stout added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The Terriers won the battle on the glass in the second half by an eight-board margin, making a difference with 10 second-chance points and a 36-26 edge in points in the paint. Max Mahoney led all scorers with 20 points, missing just one shot from the field and adding nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double.

NEXT MAN UP
Heading into the 2019-20 campaign, the Leopard roster looked much deeper than it currently stands as Lafayette was without four major contributors the last time out at Holy Cross and is expecting just one of those to return this season. Junior Alex Petrie, second on the team in scoring as a sophomore at 14.5 points per game and the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2017-18, has missed his entire junior season with a medical condition, while Isaac Suffren, who put up 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game through the fall semester, transferred over the interim.

More recently, junior co-captain Justin Jaworski suffered a season-ending knee injury at Army on Feb. 12. The Leopards' leading scorer at 17.1 points per game, Jaworski accounted for just shy of 24 percent of the Leopards' offense prior to his absence. The fourth missing part will likely return to the lineup for Wednesday's tilt with Boston U. as senior co-captain Lukas Jarrett has missed the last two games with injury. Jarrett provides 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-leading 3.2 assists to a unit desperately in need of another reliable option on both ends of the floor. 

Jaworski was carrying the load for the absence of Petrie, with that role likely falling to either sophomore Tyrone Perry or junior E.J. Stephens for more offensive production in Jaworski's absence. Freshman Leo O'Boyle has seen his minutes increase since the departure of Suffren, while senior Kyle Stout and junior Dylan Hastings have filled in Jarrett's role during his recent injury hiatus. 

THE SKINNY ON THE TERRIERS
Boston U. has been the surprise of the Patriot League this season, currently in second place in the conference standings after being picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League preseason poll. The Terriers have won six of their last seven contests on their way to a 10-4 conference record, including a road victory the last time out at Navy on Saturday, 77-54.

Preseason All-Patriot League selection Max Mahoney is the engine for the Terriers as he leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. Mahoney averaged 19.0 points over his two games against the Maroon and White a year ago and led the Terriers with 20 in this season's earlier meeting. Walter Whyte and Javante McCoy are Mahoney's major complements, putting up 12.4 points each per outing. McCoy has been stellar since the start of Patriot League play, averaging 15.5 points per game in conference action.

A WINNING CAMPAIGN
Lafayette's victory over Holy Cross on Saturday gave the Maroon and White their 16th win of the 2019-20 season, securing a winning season. The Leopards have not recorded a winning record since their championship run in 2014-15 when that team went 20-13 on its way to the NCAA Tournament. Lafayette went 9-9 in Patriot League action that year and the Leopards have not finished with a regular-season conference mark above .500 since going 10-4 in the 2012-13 campaign. 

PLAYOFF PUSH 
Lafayette heads into the final four games of the regular season in a tie for fourth in the Patriot League standings. The league's top-four seeds earn a home game in the quarterfinal round, while staying in the top six secures not having to play in the tournament's First Round. The Leopards are just one game clear of that bottom four with Navy and Bucknell sitting at 7-7 and 7-8, respectively, in conference play, and their competition for the top four is looking to be American and Army, sitting at 9-5 and 8-6, respectively in league action.