LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Lafayette women's basketball continued its non-conference slate at Rider on Thursday night, but fell 65-58 in a nail-biting affair.

The Leopards scored on their first trip down the floor, but Rider grabbed an early 8-5 lead courtesy of a triple by Aliya McIver. Lafayette then put together a 6-0 run thanks to baskets by junior forward Tasha Chudy (4) and sophomore guard Talia Zurinskas (2). Both Leopards finished in double figures, as well as guards Sauda Ntaconayigize and Teresa Kiewiet. With one minute to go, Zurinskas knocked down a mid-range jumper that gave the visitors a 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Rider opened the second stanza with a 15-6 spurt, leaving the Maroon and White behind 25-17 with 5:24 to go. After Zurinskas knocked down a pair of free throws, Ntaconayigize made a pair of her own and drained a triple to cut the hosts' lead to one (25-24). Back-to-back buckets by Kristina Ekofo Yomane handed the Broncs a six-point advantage (30-24), but freshman Haylie Adamski, Chudy and Ntaconayigize all found the bottom of the hoop to tie the game at 30 apiece heading into halftime.

The Broncs pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Lafayette 25-8. It was a collective effort from the hosts on offense who were hot in the period, shooting 62.5 percent from the field. The Maroon and White's cold shooting (3-13) dug themselves a 55-38 deficit with 10 minutes to play in Alumni Gymnasium.

Head coach Kia Damon-Olson's squad found its momentum in the final quarter, netting 20 points to Rider's 10. After an initial basket by the Broncs with 9:18 to go, Lafayette recorded a 10-0 run. It began with baskets by Kiewiet and Ntaconayigize and with 4:45 remaining, a layup by Chudy made it a nine-point game (57-48). The hosts' offense started to click in crunch time, which stalled Lafayette's attempt at a comeback.

Rider's three-point shooting and assist totals guided it past a hungry Leopards' squad. The Broncs knocked down eight more triples than the visitors (10-2) and setup their teammates 11 more times (14-3).

Lafayette is back in action at 11 a.m. on Sunday for its home opener vs. Northeast Conference foe Le Moyne.
 

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