WASHINGTON, D.C. - Junior
Teresa Kiewiet collected 26 points on 9-15 shooting to pace Lafayette to a 56-41 victory at American on Saturday. The Minnesota native added in eight rebounds, two steals and an assist in a game which the Leopards led from start to finish.
Kiewiet finished one point short of tying her career high, 27, which she set last season against the Eagles (2/12).
The hosts had no answer for the Maroon and White's defense in the first quarter. The Leopards limited American to nine points and used a 23-point quarter to build momentum. Lafayette jumped out to a 12-2 advantage by the 4:28 mark, highlighted by buckets from Kiewiet (5),
Sauda Ntaconayigize (3),
Maddison Krug (2) and
Tasha Chudy (2). The Eagles shot 21.4 percent in the first 10 minutes while turning the ball over seven times. Am
Emma Heaney layup with 34 seconds left increased Lafayette's lead to 23-9 at the end of the first.
American clawed back in quarter two, outscoring the Leopards, 12-8. Ellie Pingree paved the way for the Eagles, adding in five points in the period. At 8:22, Grace Koepke started a brief run for the hosts before Madisyn Moore-Nicholson drilled a shot from beyond the arc (23-14). Shots from Pingree down the stretch cut the Leopard lead to eight. Kiewiet answered with her own jump shot with eight seconds left, giving her 11 points in the first half and Lafayette a 31-21 lead at the break.
American's Molly Driscoll led her team in the third quarter, racking up six points via the three ball. The hosts took the stanza 15-11, while holding the Leopard offense to 4-14 shooting and three turnovers. Lafayette held a six-point advantage (42-36) at the end of the third.
The Maroon and White put a bow on the contest in the fourth, holding American to five points on 14.3 percent shooting. Lafayette converted five of its 12 field goal attempts to score 14 points.
Rosie Scognamiglio's three ball with 1:42 left gave the Leopards their largest lead of the game (17) at 56-39.
The Leopards didn't allow a single Eagle to reach double figures.
Talia Zurinskas and
Haylie Adamski finished with four assists apiece for the Leopards who scored 21 points off turnovers.
Lafayette remains on the road on Feb. 28, traveling to Army for its last regular-season road trip of the season.
To keep up with the Lafayette women's basketball team, follow its social media pages.
X/@LafayetteWBB | Instagram/@lafayette_wbb | Facebook/GoLeopards
