EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette hosted the Mountain Hawks for Rivalry 111 on Saturday afternoon, besting its rival, 73-59. Talia Zurinskas paced the Maroon and White offensively, racking up 19 points, four assists and three rebounds. Teresa Kiewiet and Haylie Adamski collected 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Both teams opened the contest with their best defensive efforts in quarter one. Between the two rivals, 14 turnovers were committed within the first 10 minutes (Lafayette 10, Lehigh 4). The Mountain Hawks struck first, courtesy of Belle Bramer's layup 13 seconds into the game. With the score sitting at 6-0 at the 5:34 mark, Adamski knocked down one of her four threes to put the Leopards on the board. A seven-point stretch towards the conclusion of the quarter granted the visitors a 15-8 advantage. In the period, Lehigh shot 46.2 percent  (6-13) to Lafayette's 30 percent (3-10).

The Leopards turned in a 22-point quarter in the second to flip the lead. Kia Damon-Olson's squad allowed nine Mountain Hawk points, all of which came via the triple. Lafayette used an 11-point run to take a 19-15 lead. Zurinskas started the rally with 8:41 on the clock, converting both of her opportunities at the line. In the period, the sophomore guard notched eight points, six of which came on back-to-back possessions. Senior Sauda Ntaconayigize played all 10 minutes in the quarter, collecting six points and two steals. 

Lehigh was unable to find the bottom of the net for the first four minutes of the frame. Alana Reddy's three-point attempt finally fell the visitors' way to cut the deficit to one (19-18) with 6:16 before half. 40 seconds later, Reddy drilled another shot from beyond the arc, changing the score in favor of Lehigh (21-19). The Maroon and White responded with a stretch of eight points to recapture a 27-21 lead. Gracyn Lovette stopped the bleeding for Lehigh with a three before Rosie Scognamiglio hit a triple of her own as time expired. At the break, Lafayette controlled the game, 30-24.

The Maroon and White continued their offensive success in quarter three, dropping another 22-point frame. Lafayette shot 8-12 from the field while limiting Lehigh to 6-11. With the Leopards holding 47-37 advantage at the 2:00 mark, the Mountain Hawks relied on Whitney Lind to knock down a three. Buckets from Kiewet and Maddison Krug put a bow on the quarter, pushing the gap to 52-40 entering the fourth.

The two foes combined for 40 points in the final 10 minutes of action. Lafayette put the game away late, building its lead up to 17 prior to a three at the buzzer from Lily Fandre solidified the 73-59 final. The Leopards held a lead for 25:23 to the visitors' 13:04. 

Lafayette remains at home on Wednesday, welcoming Holy Cross for the program's Athlete Ally Day.


To keep up with the Lafayette women's basketball team, follow its social media pages.

X/@LafayetteWBB | Instagram/@lafayette_wbb | Facebook/GoLeopards