EASTON, Pa. - Talia Zurinskas's career-high 21 points paced Lafayette in its 66-55 victory against Colgate on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. The Allentown, Pa. native shot 42.9 percent from the floor, adding in six assists and two steals.
The Maroon and White jumped out to an early 9-4 lead after Haylie Adamski knocked down a triple at 6:22. The Leopards' offense fired on all cylinders, with four of their five starters (Maddison Krug, Sauda Ntaconayigize, Zurinskas, Adamski) collecting buckets in the first. A pair of threes from Rosie Scognamiglio created breathing room, as Lafayette carried a 17-11 lead into the second quarter. The Leopards shot 43.8 percent from the field in the first period, racking up five assists in the process.
Paced by 10 points from Ella Meabon, the Raiders found their rhythm in the second. The visitors outscored Lafayette, 22-18, behind 60 percent shooting. With 4:20 on the clock, Zurinskas knocked down two shots at the line (27-20). Colgate's offense responded with a 10-point run that featured seven points from Meabon. The Leopards quickly countered to retake a 33-30 lead via triples from Adamski and Zurinskas.
The Raiders knotted the score with 33 seconds left to play with a three of their own from Laila Hankerson. A Grace Klag foul with less than a second left sent Zurinskas to the charity stripe once again. The Psychology major converted both of her attempts for a 35-33 lead at the break.
Lafayette opened the second half with a 20-point outburst, led by 10 points from Zurinskas. Krug and junior Tasha Chudy added in four points each while combining for four rebounds in the period. The Maroon and White's defense forced four turnovers, while committing zero. An eight-point scoring run towards the conclusion of the quarter granted the Leopards a 55-45 advantage.
Colgate was stifled offensively in the fourth quarter, turning in a 23.5 shooting percentage from the floor. In the stanza, Lafayette won the battle on the boards, 7-2. Adamski and Teresa Kiewiet iced the game down the stretch with free throws, as the Leopards won their final game of the regular season 66-55.
Kiewiet joined Zurinskas in double digits, ending the game with 10. Krug paced Lafayette with two blocks and six rebounds. The Maroon and White forced 18 turnovers, 12 of which came via steals. Scognamiglio (3) led the team in swipes, with Krug (2), Zurinskas (2) and Ntaconayigize (2) following suit.
With the win, Lafayette (11-18, 7-11) secured the sixth seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards will receive a first-round bye on Saturday before traveling to West Point, N.Y. on Monday to take on the three-seed Army Black Knights.
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