PLAYER OF THE WEEK
    Junior guard Teresa Kiewiet was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on Dec. 1 for her performances at Pitt (11/25) and NJIT (11/30). The Engineering major averaged 21 ppg across both games and dropped in a season-high of 23 points and a 53.3 shooting percentage against the Highlanders. 

SCOUTING FDU
    The Knights have started the 2025-26 season with a 5-3 record and collected their third-straight win (63-50) last time out. FDU posted a 11-3 record in non-conference play last season and a 16-0 mark in the NEC. 
    Thursday marks the 15th meeting between the Leopards and Knights in their respective histories. Lafayette has only faced FDU three times since head coach Kia Damon-Olson has been at the helm. In last year's matchup, the Leopards fell in a close contest (69-62).
    Looking at the hosts' eight-game sample size,  Ava Renninger and Leah Crosby were the leaders on offense in their win vs. Monmouth. Renninger finished the outing with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds on 7-15 shooting from the floor and 4-8 from deep in 40 minutes. Crosby only logged 24 minutes for the Knights, netting 11 points on 4-8 shooting and grabbing five rebounds. Akeelah Lafleur and Reese Downey contributed valuable minutes against the Hawks as well. Lafleur scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and Downey tallied 10 points and four rebounds. 
    As a team, FDU shot 44.4 percent from the floor, 44.0 percent from beyond the arc and 50.0 percent from the charity stripe against the Hawks. The Knights rank third in the NEC in scoring offense (64.0 ppg) and in defensive rating, holding their opponents to score just 60.1 points per outing.

LAST TIME OUT
    Lafayette women's basketball continued non-conference action at NJIT on Nov. 30, resulting in a 71-60 defeat at the hands of NJIT. Backcourt partners Teresa Kiewiet and Talia Zurinskas combined for 41 points in the loss. Kiewiet led the way with a season-high 23 points on 8-15 shooting. Freshman forward Maddison Krug also filled up the stat sheet, recording two points, a career-high 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists and steals. 
 
SHOOTERS SHOOT
    Leopard guards Sauda Ntaconayigize, Rosie Scognamiglio and Haylie Adamski are all shooting 40 percent or better from downtown this season. Ntaconayigize leads the pack, shooting at a 42.5 percent clip and Scognamiglio is right behind her with 42.1 percent. Adamski has made 40.4 percent of her attempts this season and was named a Patriot League Honorable Mention on Monday (12/1). 

UP NEXT
    The Maroon and White return home at 2 p.m. on Sunday as Marist makes its way to Easton for the Leopards' final home game in 2025. 
    
SENIOR SNIPER
    Senior Sauda Ntaconayigize remains Lafayette's largest threat from deep 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. 

STARTING FIVE
    Lafayette used the same starting lineup for 17 of its 31 contests last season: guards Abby Antognoli, Teresa Kiewiet and Sauda Ntaconayigize, forwards Halee Smith and Tasha Chudy. This season, Talia Zurinskas, Kiewiet, Ntaconayigize, Haylie Adamski and Chudy have earned the largest amount of starts. 

CONFERENCE RANKINGS
    The Leopards currently sit fourth in scoring offense (64.0 ppg) and fifth in team defense, holding their opponents to an average of 64.1 ppg. Head coach Kia Damon-Olson's group is also leading the league in three-point percentage (37.1) and ranks second in free-throw shooting (78.2 percent). 

ONE TO WATCH
    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. 

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 this fall in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 97 percent GSR overall for the third straight year based on the 19 sports measured while 16 Leopard teams, including women's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent.

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. 

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).