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.

SCOUTING RIDER
    The Broncs ended the 2024-25 season with a 7-22 record under former head coach Lynn Milligan.  In April, Jackie Hartzell became Rider's 20th head coach in program history, after arriving from Arcadia University where she recorded a 54-26 record over three seasons.
    Thursday marks the 30th meeting between the former East Coast Conference foes. The last time these two teams faced one another was on Nov. 11, 2017 in Easton, which resulted in a 60-45 win for Lafayette.
    Rider lost eight members of its 2024-25 roster to graduation or the transfer portal, including their top four scorers from a season ago. Out of those returning,  Aliya McIver and Emilee Tahata are key players entering this season. McIver played in 28 games for the Broncs, averaging 3.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.2 spg in 23.7 minutes per outing. Tahata also contributed valuable minutes for Rider last season with a stat line of 5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 1.1 apg. 
    As a team in 2024-25, Rider shot 39.8 percent from the floor, 25.1 percent from beyond the arc and 69.9 percent from the charity stripe. The Broncs ranked 10th in the conference in scoring offense and 11th in defensive rating, allowing their opponents to score 65.1 points per outing. Rider's season came to a close in a nail-biting 67-65 loss to Niagara on Mar. 8.

LAST TIME OUT
    Lafayette began the 2025-26 season at Villanova on Nov. 3, resulting in a 70-38 victory for the Wildcats. Guards Sauda Ntaconayigize (15) and 
Teresa Kiewiet (12) had solid starts to their seasons, combining for 27 points. Freshman forward Maddison Krug also had a promising start to her career, notching the start and registering five rebounds, a block and a steal.

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. 

UP NEXT
    The Leopards retake the court at 11 a.m. on Sunday as they host Le Moyne at Kirby Sports Center for their home opener. 

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).

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.