EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette downed Niagara, 59-47, for its second victory of the inaugural Lafayette Classic and third-straight victory in 2024-25 on Saturday afternoon in Kirby Sports Center.

The Leopards' top performance came through Justin Vander Baan, who netted a team-high 11 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks.

For the second day in a row, Lafayette recorded a season-high in free throws, 14-of-17 for 82.4 percent, with five coming in the final minute of the contest to seal the game.

The first half began as a defensive battle as the Purple Eagles took an initial 3-0 lead by the 14-minute mark.

The Leopards retaliated using a 3-pointer and tip-in bucket by freshman Alex Chaikin to steal the advantage, 9-5 at 10:03.

Despite a 13-12 Niagara stretch, four points by Caleb Williams kept Lafayette out front at the end of the low-scoring half, 21-18.

In the second half, Andrew Phillips, Malik Rasul and Luka Savicevic knocked down back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from 15:25 to 14:05 to continue Lafayette's offensive push to a 38-25 lead and force a Niagara timeout.

Niagara then shot six-of-six from the charity stripe, which was quickly shut down by Williams beyond the arc to keep an 11-point advantage, 49-38, at the six-minute mark.

The Purple Eagles got as close as 52-47 at 1:24, but were unable to halt the Leopards any further in the 59-47 final thanks to a handful of foul shots by Chaikin and Butler.

The opponents shot 25.4 percent from the field on 59 attempts and were held to three buckets beyond the arc. Zion Russell led two Purple Eagles in double figures with 11 points.

The Maroon and White shot 31.7 percent from the field and drilled seven 3-pointers.

The Leopards host Binghamton in the third straight day of Classic competition on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. following Niagara versus Long Island at noon.


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