PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Lafayette women's basketball took on Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena, battling the hosts to a 54-45 final score despite the loss. 

It was all about the Leopards in the first quarter. Freshman guard Haylie Adamski got the offense rolling with a triple on her first attempt of the day. Talia Zurinskas then quickly made it a five-point lead thanks to her floater at the 8:20 mark. Lafayette led 6-1 with just under four minutes to go in the period when Sauda Ntaconayigize and Teresa Kiewiet knocked down back-to-back baskets to give the Maroon and White an 11-1 advantage. Rutgers found its footing later in the quarter, but trailed the Leopards 11-4 after the first.

The Scarlet Knights put together an 18-point second stanza, outscoring Lafayette 18-9. Faith Blackstone led Rutgers in the quarter with 10 points, six of which came from downtown. A layup by junior forward Tasha Chudy tied the contest at 15 apiece with 4:15 to go. Kiewiet restored the Leopards' lead moments later with a driving layup. The hosts closed the first half with a 7-3 run, narrowly leading 22-20 at the intermission.

Rutgers ran a full-court press for a majority of the second half, which stifled Lafayette's offense at times. The hosts opened the half with a 7-2 spurt, but junior guard Rosie Scognamiglio drained a huge three-pointer at the 7:33 mark to keep the Maroon and White within striking distance (29-25). Ntaconayigize made it a four-point deficit with a layup moments later, but Rutgers' dominance on the offensive glass guided it to a 36-27 lead with 10 minutes to play. The hosts grabbed 26 offensive rebounds, which led to 14 second-chance points. 

At the final horn, the Scarlet Knights moved to 8-4 on the season and Lafayette dropped to 4-7. The fourth quarter provided spectators with some high-quality offense as both squads dropped in 18 points in the period. Nonetheless, Blackstone and Nene Ndiaye took control down the stretch and sought out the victory.

Rebounding and points in the paint were the keys to Saturday's matchup. Rutgers grabbed 21 more boards than Lafayette (54-33) and it dropped in 28 points in the paint compared to the Leopards' 12.

With the holiday season in full swing, the Leopards now face an 11-day break before commencing Patriot League play at 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve at Colgate.
 

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