The women’s basketball team played host to bottom-ranked American University on Feb. 12. The game was a matter of personal pride for the Leopards, as the Eagles had beaten Lafayette College just two weeks earlier for their first and only win of the season. The team did not just need to win; they needed to make a statement.
Sophomore guard Teresa Kiewiet helped the Leopards make that statement.
“During the game, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the points I scored, but I did feel like offensively, things were flowing pretty well for me,” Kiewiet said. “Hearing my teammates in my ear after every shot was great.”
Kiewiet put together a dominant 27-point showing, shooting 80% from the floor and shattering her career high in points in what became a 72-55 win for the Leopards. The game felt like something of a breakout for the sophomore guard, but according to Kiewiet, her success this season started long before then.
“It might have seemed like I just stepped right into it, and went from nothing to a starter,” Kiewiet said. “But to the people who saw me at practice and in workouts, it was always there. It was just about translating it into the game.”
Described as a “silent killer” by senior guard Abby Antognoli, Kiewiet has emerged as a rising star for the Leopards this season, scoring 289 points on 44.2% shooting, giving her the highest shooting percentage among Lafayette’s starters this year.
“It was nice to finally have things click,” Kiewiet said. “I think I was just more comfortable on the court this year, within our offense, but also just with the girls, I think I just knew what to expect.”
Before breaking out at Lafayette, the North Mankato, Minnesota, native says that her love of basketball started with her family, in particular her dad and older sister.
“It was an everyday thing for us,” Kiewiet said. “We went to the local rec gym every day after school, and just always working and trying to beat your older sister, that kind of thing.”
Basketball eventually led Kiewiet to Lafayette, where she joined the team as a freshman last season. Kiewiet only saw limited minutes in her first year, but was slowly beginning to see her role increase as the season progressed. But on Jan. 20, 2024, she suffered a broken hand in a game at Bucknell University, an injury that would sideline her for 12 of Lafayette’s final 13 games.
“I felt like I was just getting going,” Kiewiet said. “To miss pretty much the rest of the season, that was tough. But I think the coaches poured into me a lot of confidence, and we had a lot of discussion about where they wanted to see me grow.”
After a disappointing freshman year, Kiewiet says she spent the summer working on her three-point shooting and defense, as well as her ability to run the offense.
“I felt like I had a good understanding of what I needed to do to get where I wanted to be, and it was just about executing,” Kiewiet said.
Kiewiet highlighted the team’s out-of-conference clash against Big Ten opponent Rutgers as being the moment she felt her hard work pay off. Kiewiet came off the bench in that game, knocking down 4-of-4 from three-point range as the Leopards narrowly lost.
“I was like ‘Yeah, I can do this,’” Kiewiet said. “If I can compete against a Big Ten school, then we can compete with Patriot League teams. I think that was a big confidence boost for me.”
Kiewiet would earn a starting spot on Jan. 15, nearly one year after her injury. Once she earned the spot, Kiewiet did not let it go, starting the last 16 Patriot League games for the Leopards and becoming an integral part of head coach Kia Damon-Olson’s starting five. In her 16 starts, Kiewiet led the team in scoring in seven games, more than any other player.
Antognoli says that she knew Kiewiet would make an impact this year if she got the chance.
“I always have seen Teresa’s potential, and I knew once she had the opportunity to have more of a role, she would thrive in it,” Antognoli said.
With Lafayette losing two starting seniors next year in Halee Smith and Antognoli, the Leopards will turn to players like Kiewiet alongside returning starters junior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize, sophomore guard Kay Donahue and sophomore forward Tasha Chudy to step into leadership roles, something Kiewiet said she’s prepared for.
“Usually, I think I’m more of a lead by example type of person, but I need to become more of a vocal leader for us,” Kiewiet said. “Being more of a ball handler for us, being able to push it in transition, being able to get to the basket and create, that’s where I need to grow.”
Above all, Kiewiet heavily emphasized her teammates’ role in what became an incredible sophomore season.
“A lot of credit goes to my teammates for it,” Kiewiet said. “We have a great group of girls who want to see all of us succeed and I really couldn’t do it without them.”
