ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Lafayette Women's Basketball team dropped a close game to the Navy Midshipmen on Wednesday night, 55-53. 
 
The Leopards were led by senior Sydney Sabino who totaled a career-high 15 points, going 5-12 from beyond the arc and adding three steals. Senior Natalie Kucowski recorded her 49^th career double double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Her career rebounding total is now at 1,124 and moves her into third all-time on the Patriot League Career Rebounding list.
 
Freshman Makayla Andrews tied her career-high points and rebounds putting in eight and three, respectively. She also had a career-high two steals.
 
Freshman Kayla Drummond made her first collegiate appearance, totaling four points over five minutes of action. She also pulled down one rebound.  
 
Lafayette (0-4 Central, 2-6 PL) got on the board first off a three-pointer from junior Nicole Johnson. Navy (2-0 South, 5-2 PL) responded with a jumper less than 30 seconds later to put the score at 3-2, in favor of the Leopards. Sophomore Jess Booth put in her first basket of the game a minute later to put the Leopards up by three. Navy followed up with a layup to pull within one.
 
Booth struck again with another layup to keep the momentum going for the Leopards, guiding them to a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
It would be a two and half minutes into the second quarter before either team could get a shot in. Navy got a three-pointer in for the first points of the second 10 minutes of action, sparking a Midshipmen 12-0 scoring run to bring the score to 19-14.
 
Kucowski was the first Leopard of the quarter to break through as she drew a foul and headed to the line for two, making both. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native then put in a beautiful shot from beyond the arc to tie the game up 19-19.
 
The Midshipmen took a 26-20 lead with 2:10 left to play in the half but, Sabino hit back-to-back threes to put the game at a 26-26 tie with just nine seconds left in the half.
 
Navy put in a shot right at the buzzer to send the game into halftime with Navy up 28-26.
 
Sabino continued to stay hot from beyond the arc at the start of the third quarter, hitting her fourth three of the night less than a minute into the quarter to pull the Leopards back in the lead. Navy put in a basket to retake the lead, 30-29, but it was followed up by Kucowski making one from the charity stripe to tie up the game at 30. Drummond then put in her first collegiate basket to put the Leopards ahead 32-30.
 
Navy tied the game up once again but Drummond put in another basket to put the Leopards back in the lead 34-32. Andrews closed out the third quarter with four points to give the Maroon and White a 38-37 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
 
Sophomore Reilly Campbell got the Leopards on the board quickly in the fourth. The Midshipmen countered with a layup of their own but Sabino hit her fifth three of the game to keep the Leopards out in front 43-39.
 
After being tied 45-45 with 5:29 left to play in the game, Booth put the Leopards back in the lead 47-45. Navy responded with two points to tie the game back up, and after a basket by both the Leopards and Midshipmen, the two sides would find themselves tied up once again, 49-49.
 
The game would be tied again, 51-51, with 1:57 left to play.
 
With 1:33 left on the clock, the Midshipmen drew a foul and made both of their extra shots to go up by three. Johnson had a last chance effort for the Leopards, putting in a layup to bring the score to 54-53, but it wasn't enough for the Leopards to hold on as the Midshipmen put the ball through the next for the final points of the night, bringing the final score to 55-53.
 
Up next for the Maroon and White is a home-and-home weekend series against Bucknell. They are set to travel to Lewisburg on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip and then will welcome the Bison to Kirby for a 4 p.m. tip-off on Sunday.