EASTON, Pa. - Freshman guard Caleb Williams led Lafayette to its first victory of the season, 65-63, against Penn during the 2024-25 home opener at Kirby Sports Center.

Williams posted a career-high 17 points on a 4-of-11 shooting performance to go along with four 3-pointers. Mark Butler and Alex Chaikin followed up as the remaining two Leopards in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Lafayette led Penn for the entirety of the first half. Joshua Wyche (7) and Chaikin (5) fueled the Leopard advance through the opening 10 minutes, leading the Quakers 20-15 by 7:10.

Williams, Butler and Ryan Pettit all contributed to a 9-8 spurt to close out the remainder of the half on top. Chaikin knocked down the final bucket, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, for the 29-23 advantage going into the locker room.

Williams opened the second period with a 3-pointer, before a 9-0 Penn run that gave the Quakers their first lead, 33-32, at 14:51. Lafayette bested the Quakers 16-13 down to the eight-minute mark, trailing by two, 48-46.

Leopard classmates Malik Rasul and Williams each knocked down a 3-pointer to re-take the lead, 51-50 just two minutes later. Williams then netted twin shots from beyond the arc and three at the charity stripe to give Lafayette a final push towards victory at 1:21, holding a 61-58 advantage.

The Quakers' Sam Brown put up a 3-pointer and later added two free throws with 22 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 63 apiece.

Lafayette head coach Mike McGarvey drew up one final play in which Butler drew contact on a layup and sunk both game-winning free throws with two seconds left for a 65-63 final.

Penn shot 37.5 percent from the field and made 14-of-24 from the charity stripe. Ethan Roberts led four opponents in double figures with 14 points and seven assists.

The Quakers out-rebounded the Maroon and White 39-36, including a 16-12 margin on the offensive glass. 

The Leopards, who played their home opener without Devin Hines, Chris Rubayo and Justin Vander Baan, next travel to Cornell on Saturday for a noon tip-off.

 
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.