EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette women's basketball battled American to a 70-60 final on Saturday at Kirby Sports Center, but fell to 8-13 on the season at the final horn.

Guards Teresa Kiewiet (16) and Haylie Adamski (15) both finished in double digits in the scoring column and Maddison Krug grabbed a team-high eight boards.

Saturday's matchup also served as the women's basketball program's annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Game. Prior to tip-off, a handful of Lafayette women's athletic teams hosted a sports clinic in Kamine Gymnasium that included fun activities and a chance for participants to engage with student-athletes. The event was organized by the women's lacrosse program.

In the first half, sophomore point guard Talia Zurinskas guided Lafayette to an early 5-3 lead, after knocking down her first two shots of the day. American immediately flipped the switch, recording an 8-0 run to take an 11-5 lead with four minutes to go in the first period. Lafayette battled back to a one-point deficit (14-13), after Kiewiet got a driving layup to fall, but American's Molly Driscoll hit a late triple (0:23) to give the Eagles a 17-13 advantage after 10 minutes.

Kia Damon-Olson's group put together a 20-point second quarter. The visitors led by as many as nine points (25-16) in the stanza before Lafayette found some offensive rhythm. Freshman guard Emma Heaney started a 10-3 Leopards' run at the 2:55 mark with a mid-range jumper, while classmate Haley Poser scored five-straight points to make it a one-point game (31-30). Both sides traded three-pointers with just a minute to go, but the Eagles held onto a tight 34-33 lead heading into the break.

Grace Koepke got the Eagles going with a turnaround jumper to start the second half. Guards Rosie Scognamiglio (2) and Adamski (3) then got back-to-back buckets to drop, handing the Leopards a 38-36 lead with 7:45 to go in the frame. American fought back to take a 49-44 advantage at 1:42, but points from Kiewiet (3) made it a two-point contest (49-47) when the third stanza expired.

The Eagles netted 21 points in the fourth quarter and held the Maroon and White to 13 to capture their sixth win of the season. Koepke was instrumental in the final quarter, recording eight points, a rebound and a block. Lafayette now sits at 4-6 in Patriot League play with Saturday's defeat.

Hitting the glass and points in the paint were the highlights of Saturday's matinee. American won the battle on the boards 50-31 and scored 32 points in the paint compared to the Leopards' 20.

The Maroon and White return to action at 6 p.m. on Wednesday as they make the trip to Annapolis, Md. for the second meeting of the season with Navy.
 

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