'xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags' />Feb. 7, 2004
Contact: Amanda Brickell
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HAMILTON, N.Y. ‘ The аIJʿª½±½á¹û women’s basketball team picked up their fifth-straight win with a 65-41 victory over Lafayette to remain atop the Patriot League standings. Sophomore Meghan Curtin (Bronx, N.Y.) led the way with a season-high 16 points.
The Raiders moved out to a 10-2 lead just under seven minutes into the game and controlled play early. However, a five-minute Raider scoring drought and seven unanswered points brought Lafayette within a basket with six minutes left in the half.
Another Lafayette surge knotted the score at 23 with 1:23 on the clock, but thanks to five points from Curtin the Raiders outscored the Leopards 7-1 in the final minute of play to send аIJʿª½±½á¹û into the locker room up 30-24.
аIJʿª½±½á¹û struggled from the field in the first half making just 33.3 percent of their shots, but 66.7 percent from behind the three-point line. Lafayette was 9-for-23 from the field shooting 39.1 percent. The Raiders committed eight turnovers in the first while forcing 13. The Leopards held the slight advantage in rebounds with 21 to аIJʿª½±½á¹û’s 18.
The Raiders busted out with a 12-point run to open the second half and moved out to a 42-24 lead, but Lafayette answered with a run of its own. Colleen Fitpatrick scored three-straight baskets to ignite a string of nine uncontested Leopard points and cut the Raiders lead in half.
аIJʿª½±½á¹û fought hard down the stretch and increased their advantage to 24 points, their largest lead of the game, with 30 seconds left to play. A tenacious Raider defense forced 26 total turnovers and held the Leopards to just eight points in the final 11 minutes of play to seal the 65-41 victory.
Curtin and Emily Braseth (E. Grand Rapids, Mich) were the lone Raiders in the double-digit scoring column. Curtin knocked down 16 while Braseth added 11 points to eclipse the 800 career-point mark, while tying her personal-best of six steals. Milaina Lagzdins (Burlington, Ont.) was the Raiders’ leading rebounder with nine boards.
Leandra Fuller (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Malissa Burke (Traverse City, Mich.) added nine points apiece to the victory and Fuller grabbed eight rebounds. Chigozie Ozor (Ann Arbor, Mich.) dished out a team-high four assists in the contest.
Lafayette was led by Fitzpatrick with 13 points and Kristen Doherty with 11. Tricia Indoe posted a game-high 11 rebounds and knocked down six points for the Leopards.
аIJʿª½±½á¹û improves to 14-7 on the season and 6-2 in the Patriot League, while Lafayette falls to 0-21 overall and 0-7 conference play picking up their 24th straight loss and 10th defeat in league contests. The Raiders will look to extend their winning streak to six games for the first time in just under 20 years in a road game against Holy Cross at 7 p.m. on Tues., Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.