EASTON, Pa. – Senior guard Abby Antognoli finished with a team-high 17 points in Lafayette's 74-65 defeat to Army on Wednesday morning at Kirby Sports Center. Wednesday's contest was the Leopards' fifth-annual School Day Game. Prior to tip-off, 1,300 fifth and sixth grade students from the Easton Area School District filled the stands to cheer on the Maroon and White after an early morning sports clinic.

Guards Kay Donahue (13) and Talia Zurinksas (10) both finished in double figures for Lafayette, combining for 23 points. Fiona Hastick led all scorers with 20 points and was one of four Black Knights to score in double digits.

The Leopards were first to put points on the board thanks to a Sauda Ntaconayigize layup, but the visitors quickly responded with a 5-0 run. At the 6:23 mark, Ntaconayigize knocked down a triple to bring Lafayette within one point (8-7). The Black Knights held a five-point lead with 3:11 to go before Zurinskas got a triple to fall. The Allentown, Pa. native notched a career-high 10 points, while adding a rebound and an assist in 13 minutes. Army concluded the quarter with an 8-0 run, taking a 23-12 advantage after the first.

Lafayette hit back-to-back shots to open the second session, courtesy of Donahue and Antognoli. Both team's traded baskets on the next few possessions before a Teresa Kiewiet three-pointer brought Lafayette's deficit back down to eight points (29-21). Cael Tade and Hastick responded with consecutive buckets to grant the Black Knights their largest lead of the game (14 points) with 3:40 to go in the half. After 20 minutes in Easton, the visitors led 37-29.

Army outscored the Leopards 18-14 in the third period, led by Hastick's seven points. The stanza began with a made jumper by Antognoli and then both teams went quiet for two minutes. Lafayette trailed 41-31 before Zurinskas and sophomore forward Tasha Chudy converted jumpers to reduce its deficit to six points (41-35). The Black Knights restored their 14-point advantage after Hastick and Tade dropped in a pair of treys. Army led 55-43 with one quarter left.

Hastick (seven) and Tade (five) combined for 12 points in the final quarter to lead Army to its fourth Patriot League win. The battle on the glass was a big key in Wednesday's contest. The Black Knights grabbed four more boards than the Leopards (33-29) and they just edged the second-chance points margin, 18-14.

Lafayette is back in action at 2 p.m. on Saturday as it travels north to Hamilton, N.Y. to face the Colgate Raiders.

 
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