TEANECK, N.J. – Junior guard Teresa Kiewiet notched a season-high 24 points on Thursday night against FDU, but Lafayette fell short in the end, 69-61. Guards Talia Zurinskas (13) and Haylie Adamski (10) each tacked on double-figure scoring totals in the loss.

Lafayette struck first, taking an early 4-0 advantage after Adamski and Zurinskas drained their first shots of the night. The hosts battled back to trailing by a point (9-8) with 5:33 to go, but buckets by Talia Zurinskas and senior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize granted the Leopards a two-point lead (14-12) moments later. The hosts finished the period with an 8-2 run and led 20-16 after 10 minutes at Bogota Savings Bank Center.

Head coach Kia Damon-Olson's squad outscored FDU 22-10 in the second stanza. The charge was led by reigning Patriot League Player of the Week, Kiewiet, who recorded 10 points in the quarter. Zurinskas got things going with a triple at the 8:10 mark and then Lafayette took off. The Maroon and White put together an 18-10 run and kept the hosts scoreless for almost four minutes in the middle of the quarter. Heading into the intermission, the Leopards held an eight-point lead (38-30).

The Knights fought their way back into the driver's seat with a 25-point third quarter. Kailee McDonald paced FDU in the period with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, which included three triples. Lafayette trailed 55-48 with 2:14 remaining before free throws from junior forward Tasha Chudy and Kiewiet made it a four-point contest (55-51) after three quarters of play.

The hosts limited the Leopards to just 10 points in the final quarter to capture their sixth win of the season. Adamski got a second-chance layup to go early in the period, which cut FDU's lead to two points (55-53). The Knights responded with an 11-4 run, sparked by Ava Renninger and Reese Downey. For every shot Lafayette made, FDU had an answer and it managed the clock well in crunch time.

The standout keys from Thursday's game were finding teammates and shooting the deep ball. FDU dished out 13 more assists than Lafayette (16-3) and it drained 15 of its 32 shots from downtown, compared to the Maroon and White's six makes on 16 attempts.

After a five-game road stretch, the Leopards are back in Kirby Sports Center at 2 p.m. on Sunday as Marist makes the trip to Easton.
 

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