WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior guard Abby Antognoli scored 16 points as one of four Leopards in double figures in Lafayette's 75-69 Patriot League loss on Saturday afternoon.
 
Antognoli was 7-of-16 floor, adding in a pair of 3-pointers for the Leopards. Junior Sauda Ntaconayigize chipped in with 12 points and also knocked down a pair of treys. Sophomores Tasha Chudy and Teresa Kiewet contributed 10 points apiece in 53 combined minutes.
 
The teams played evenly through the first quarter with Kiewet nailing her lone 3-pointer of the game with just under a minute left in the first session. The shot brought the Leopards within four (24-20) at the quarter break, despite seeing Holy Cross shoot 63 percent from the floor in the early going.
 
As the second quarter opened, Chudy's layup pulled the Leopards within two (24-22) at 8:07. Holy Cross then embarked on an 8-2 run over the next three minutes capped by a Kendall Eddy field goal. The hosts led 32-24 half way through the second quarter.
 
The Leopards (4-11, 1-3) responded with a 7-2 spurt that ended with an Antognoli three, as Lafayette cut it to 34-31 with 3:52 left before halftime. A Meg Cahalan 3-pointer with two seconds left before halftime left Holy Cross with a 42-35 margin.
 
Half way through the third quarter, the Leopards tied the game. A pair of free throws by Chudy and a mid-range jumper by Antognoli knotted the game at 49-49. Holy Cross answered with a 5-0 run, but Halee Smith and Antognoli field goals kept the deficit to one, 54-53, entering the final stanza.
 
The Leopards' first basket of the fourth quarter was an and-one that Kiewet converted to tie the game (56-56) for the final time with 9:25 left. The Crusaders scored the game's next bucket three minutes later when Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly knocked down a three to lead 59-56. Lafayette cut it back to one (59-58) on the next possession via two foul shots by Ntaconayigize with 6:09 left.
 
Holy Cross used a 10-2 spurt over the next four minutes to led 69-60 lead with 2:23 left. The Leopards didn't quit. Smith and Chudy responded with consecutive baskets that trimmed the Holy Cross advantage to 69-66 with 31 ticks left. Lafayette was forced to foul and Holy Cross closed out the 75-69 final with six free throws.
 
Eddy led all scorers with 19 points for the Crusaders who improve to 10-5, 3-1. The Crusaders were credited with assists on 22 of 28 buckets, led by Kaitlyn Flanagan with 10. Holy Cross shot 48 percent from the floor compared to 45 percent from Lafayette. The biggest disparity came from long range where Lafayette was held six three three's (33%) and the hosts knocked down 11 (44%).
 
The Leopards will be back at Kirby Sports Center on Wednesday when they host the School Day Game at 11 a.m.