By Drew Friedman ‘16
Photo courtesy of Christie Behot ‘16
Everybody dreams of hitting a game-tying basket against a conference rival at the buzzer. For Alicia Manning ‘13, the dream became reality. On Saturday night in Lewisburg, she threw up a runner that narrowly beat the double zeros on the game clock and paved the way for Lafayette’s 66-61 overtime win against Bucknell.
Of course, Manning wouldn’t have had the chance to knot the score if not for her teammates’ heroics. Sharpshooting guard Maddie Peabody ‘15 again fueled the Leopard attack with four assists and 15 points, shooting 3-4 from behind the three-point arc and 4-5 at the charity stripe. Kelly Loughney ’14 pitched in with three big treys of her own and a total of 14 points. All in all, Lafayette was a remarkable 7-15 from downtown.
In the meantime, 6‘7” Danielle Fiacco ‘14 dominated in the paint, pulling down a game-high ten rebounds and blocking three Bucknell shots. Forward Emily Homan ‘15 complemented Fiacco with eight boards, though foul trouble limited her to only 23 minutes on the floor.
One of the team’s spark plugs in the game’s second half, when the Leopards outscored their opponents 34-18, was 5’11” guard Madeline Fahan ‘14. Fahan, who finished the contest with five assists, also contributed two baskets to the 10-0 surge in the beginning of the second half that cut the deficit to six points with 14:28 remaining in regulation.
Ultimately, the comeback was a team effort as the Leopards moved the ball around, allowing eight different players to get into the scoring column. The team’s 21 assists in the game was a season record.
In overtime, Lafayette continued the pace it had found in the second half and punished Bucknell 11-6. Fiacco started the action with a layup and Loughney followed with a three. Another basket by Loughney, and two free throws each from Linnel Macklin ‘15 and Peabody, and the Leopards were on their way to a Patriot League victory that none of them would ever forget.
They almost repeated the feat in the squad’s most recent matchup they faced conference rival Holy Cross. Although they ultimately fell to the Crusaders 69-58, the Leopards put together a few runs, almost turning the tables and being victorious on the road. Lafayette was down by as much as 17 late in the first half, but came within three after Fiacco assisted Macklin en route an easy layup. The efforts of co-captain Emily Homan ‘15, who tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 boards, and Macklin, who hit four three pointers, would make it seem like it was a successful game for the women. But while they showed promise on offense, the team lacked the defense they normally bring to the table. The team allowed Holy Cross to shoot 54 percent from the field in the second half, and ultimately succumbed to their own offensive deficiencies.
Coach Nolan feels the team was slightly slow on defense throughout the game, but will have no problem recovering in preparance for their next battle against Lehigh.
“I thought our team played with fight but just a step behind in execution,” Nolan said. “This group [is made up of] fighters and will regroup for Saturday.”