THE OPENING TIP
*    On Saturday, the Leopards welcome Army in the Lafayette women's basketball team's annual Play4Kay game.

*    In the last meeting this season, Army defeated the Leopards 75-56 on Jan. 2 in West Point. Senior Jess Booth led the Leopards with 18 points and junior Makayla Andrews contributed 14.

*    The Leopards' strong start could not push them through to a mid-week victory, as Loyola pulled away late to a 66-55 final on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. Junior Makayla Andrews remained the Leopards' steady shooter, leading with 16 points while adding eight rebounds. In her first game back since facing Lehigh on Feb. 4, sophomore guard Abby Antognoli reached double figures with 11 points.

*    Junior guard Makayla Andrews has scored in double figures in three consecutive games with 18 total this season.

*    Lafayette travels to Colgate on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip.

SCOUTING ARMY
    Army is 11-13 overall and 9-5 in Patriot League play this season. The Black Knights are coming off of a 50-47 overtime win over Colgate on Wednesday. The Black Knights are currently tied with Lehigh for third in the league, both having 9-5 records.
    Senior forward Sabria Hunter is Army's leading scorer (14.3 ppg) and rebounder (12.6 rpg), averaging a double-double on the season. Freshman Reese Ericson, who has been the conference rookie of the week four times in 2022-23, is dishing out 3.0 assists per game. 

LAST TIME OUT
    Despite a strong start by the Leopards, Loyola pulled away late to a 66-55 final on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center.
    Junior Makayla Andrews remained the Leopards' steady shooter, leading with 16 points while adding eight rebounds. In her first game back since facing Lehigh on Feb. 4, sophomore guard Abby Antognoli reached double figures with 11 points.
    Graduate student Taleah Dixon led Loyola with 20 points. The Greyhounds' season leading scorer and rebounder Lex Therien contributed a double-double, netting 17 points and grabbing 20 boards. Loyola outrebounded the Leopards 40-27.
    Lafayette controlled momentum in the first, shooting 73 percent (11-for-15) from the floor as they led 25-19 at the end of the first quarter. Andrews guided the Leopards with eight points.
    Loyola opened the second with a 6-2 run up to 5:43, shrinking the Leopards' lead to 27-25. Loyola held a 32-31 advantage at halftime.
    In the third quarter, the teams remained evenly matched as Andrews netted six and freshman Kay Donahue chipped in five points to send the game tied 47 apiece into the final quarter. 
    Loyola opened the fourth with a 13-4 run paced by Dixon with six points, taking a 60-51 lead with 1:03 left on the clock.
    Antognoli went 2-for-2 from the line as the Leopards picked up a steal off of a Loyola inbound under Lafayette's basket as Sauda Ntaconayigize dropped in a layup to bring Lafayette within five, 60-55 with 52 seconds remaining.
    Bri Rozzi put in a layup with 35 seconds left, to hand Loyola a 62-55 lead. As the Leopards were forced to foul, Therien and Kelly Ratigan capitalized on their trips to the charity stripe, securing the 66-55 victory.

ANDREWS STAYS STEADY
    Junior guard Makayla Andrews averaged 21.5 points last week, netting 22 against Holy Cross and 21 at Boston U. Andrews netted 16 points and grabbed 8 boards on Wednesday against Loyola.
    The Neptune, N.J. native has scored in double figures in 18 out of 24 games, including five outings with 20 or more points.

DONAHUE STEPPING UP
    Freshman guard Kay Donahue has stepped up at point guard over the last five games, averaging 24.6 mpg. Prior to Colgate on Jan. 28, Donahue was averaging only 8.5 mpg.
    The rookie had a career-high eight point outing against Loyola on Wednesday.

PLAY4KAY
    Saturday is Lafayette women's basketball's annual Play4Kay game. Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting ALL cancers affecting women with support through giving strength, courage, and hope.The Leopards will be wearing pink uniforms to signify their support for women fighting cancer and in honor of Kay Yow.

FINAL STRETCH
    Including this afternoon's game, the Leopards have four regular-season games remaining in the 2022-23 season. Two of Lafayette's games will be home contests, and the Leopards have a record of 6-5 at Kirby Sports Center. The opening round of the Patriot League Tournament begins on March 4.

SENIOR DAY
    Senior guard Jess Booth will be honored prior to the Bucknell game on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. Booth has played in 59 games in her career, accumulating 567 points.