The Lafayette women’s basketball team (2-7 overall, 0-0 Patriot League) was trampled by Columbia (7-2) this past Saturday 91-43.
Lafayette finished with a field goal percentage of 29.4 percent, sinking just 15 of its 51 shots. Columbia, who lost to Princeton in last year’s Ivy League Championship game, hit 36 of its 63 shots for a 57.1 percent field goal percentage. In addition, three of their players ended the game with double-digit point totals.
“We need to work through our offense to find higher percentage shots. This way, we’ll be able to put more points on the board,” sophomore guard Halee Smith said.
Smith also emphasized the importance of defense.
“We didn’t do well finding ways to keep the game close defensively when our shots weren’t falling,” she said.
The home team’s impressive shooting display began in the first quarter when the Lions exploded for a 20-1 run while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor. They ended the quarter with a 25-3 lead.
Turnovers in the second quarter certainly didn’t help as Lafayette tried to turn the game around. Columbia’s 17 points from turnovers helped them head into halftime with a crushing 43-8 lead.
“Columbia was able to run on us and get a lot of easy transition points, so we have to keep the defense in mind when our offense isn’t quite working out for us,” Smith said.
Junior guard Makayla Andrews led the Leopards with 11 points, scoring just below her average of 13.0 ppg. She has the highest point total on the team this season with 117, and her field goal percentage stands at .500.
Smith, a transfer from Quinnipiac, scored 10 points. She hit three of the five three-point shots she attempted, moving her season three-point percentage to .333.
The Maroon and White were at their best in the fourth quarter, scoring 26 points compared to just nine in the previous. They displayed an amazing 83.33 three-point percentage thanks to makes from Smith, sophomore guard Abby Antognoli and senior guard Jessica Booth.
Head Coach Kia Damon-Olson will want to make that kind of scoring a habit, as Lafayette currently holds the lowest average points per game of any Patriot League team. The Maroon and White are averaging 53.5 points per game, while Lehigh’s 74.4 is the highest in the league. The Leopards play their first conference opponent on Dec. 30.
“No one likes losing, so we aren’t happy about the outcome of the game. But the season is long, and we have more games to worry about,” Smith said. “We are using the game to learn what we can do better.”
Chemistry will remain a crucial component for the future success of the team.
“I think we are still finding out how to play with each other,” Smith said. “We have a fairly young group, and that comes with some adjustment.”
The Leopards were supposed to host Notre Dame yesterday for the school’s first-ever meeting. However, the game was postponed in accordance with “health and safety protocols.” They are looking to find a possible date to reschedule.
“Notre Dame is a top team, and we need to be prepared right out of the gate,” Smith said.
