PATRIOT LEAGUE AWARDS
    Guard Talia Zurinskas received all-league recognition in 2024-25.  The Allentown, Pa. native claimed a spot on the conference's all-rookie team, posting averages of 4.4 ppg and 1.0 apg in 30 games played for the Leopards. The Psychology major shot 38.6 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from deep and 77.3 percent at the line in her first season on College Hill. 

SCOUTING ST. PETER'S
    The Peacocks ended the 2024-25 season with an 11-19 record under third-year head coach Jennifer Leedham. St. Peter's posted a 9-11 record in post season play, but its run at a title came to an end in the first round vs. No. 10 seeded Iona (42-40). 
    Thursday marks the first meeting between the Leopards and Peacocks since 2018, when St. Peter's squeaked out a narrow 62-60 win in Easton (Nov. 20). Leedham's squad faced one Patriot League team last season in Army, falling 64-42 to the Black Knights.
    Looking at the visitors two-game sample size, De'Naya Rippey and Carys Roy were the leaders on offense in their loss to Fordham (70-56). Rippey finished the outing with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, while adding six steals on 5-12 shooting. Roy logged 33 minutes for the Peacocks, tallying a team-high 19 points, five rebounds and 9-of-11 shooting from the line. 
    As a team, St. Peter's shot 35.4 percent from the floor, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc and 60.7 percent from the charity stripe. The Peacocks rank 11 in the conference in scoring offense (47.5 ppg) and in defensive rating, allowing their opponents to score 79.0 points per outing.

LAST TIME OUT
    Lafayette women's basketball dropped an 82-79 final to Le Moyne in the Leopards' home opener on Nov. 9 at Kirby Sports Center. Haylie Adamski and Talia Zurinskas combined to score 42 points for the Leopards, with Adamski knocking down four 3-pointers en route to a career-high 22 points and Zurinskas contributing a career-high 20 points, nine of which came at the line.

UP NEXT
    The Leopards retake the court at 2 p.m. on Sunday as they make the trip to Loretto, Pa. to take on the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash.

2024-25 RECAP
    As a program, the 2024-25 season highlighted various notable achievements. 
Lafayette posted its best season to date in three-point field goals made, draining 190 attempts in 31 games. It also marked the second-highest season in terms of threes attempted (559) and the fifth best team three-point field goal percentage (34.0 percent).

SENIOR SNIPER
    Senior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize remains Lafayette's largest threat from downtown entering the 2025-26 season. Last year, the Quebec, Canada native led the Patriot League in three-point percentage, shooting at a highly efficient 42.0 percent clip on 119 attempts.

MAKING HISTORY
    The Leopards' home contest vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (Nov. 17) last season was the first time Lafayette women's basketball hosted a nationally-ranked opponent within the Patriot League era.

ONE TO WATCH
    Junior guard Teresa Kiewiet is a Leopard opposing team's scouting reports will hone in on to begin the season. The North Mankato, Minn. native quietly averaged 9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from beyond the arc last campaign. With the graduation of Abby Antognoli '25, Kiewiet will be relied on greatly to generate offense for the Maroon and White. 

STARTING FIVE
    Lafayette used the same starting lineup for 17 of its 31contests last season: guards Abby Antognoli, Teresa Kiewiet and Sauda Ntaconayigize, forwards Halee Smith and Tasha Chudy. Junior guard Teresa Kiewiet became a consistent starter after the Army game on Jan. 15.

FRESH FACES
    The Leopards added five newcomers in the offseason, all of whom are freshmen. Head coach Kia Damon-Olson brought in three guards in Haylie Adamski, Emma Heaney and Haley Poser. Forwards Maddison Krug and Sofia Valente rounded out the Leopards' recruiting class. 

NEW STAFF
    The Maroon and White hired assistant coach Imani Watkins in September. Prior to her arrival in Easton, she gained coaching experience at West Guilford High School as an assistant for the boys basketball team. Watkins also had a stellar collegiate and professional playing career. She concluded her college career as Binghamton's all-time leading scorer (2,125 points) and played overseas in five different countries. 

PLAY4KAY CAMPAIGN
    Lafayette women's basketball recently partnered with the Kay Yow Foundation for a season-long three-point challenge. This season, Leopard fans can pledge how much they'd like to donate for every three-pointer made by the team or their favorite player and all proceeds will directly benefit the Kay Yow Fund. To learn more visit tinyurl.com/25sqlzmv. 

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
    Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best last fall in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 97 percent GSR overall for the second straight year based on the 19 sports measured while 16 Leopard teams, including women's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent.