After a strong start by the Holy Cross Crusaders, Lafayette’s women’s basketball team failed to bounce back, suffering a 69-56 loss at home. Even after a strong second quarter, the Leopards were unable to take the lead after their slow start.

“They were able to convert their turnovers into points for them,” senior guard Anna Ptasinski said. “They just overpowered us. Their defense was strong, and they had really good offensive players that we weren’t able to stop as well as we needed to.”

Although turnovers were almost even (17-15), the Crusaders were able to execute and outscore the Leopards. Holy Cross kept a high level of intensity, senior guard Sammy Stipa said.

“The biggest challenge was really just matching up to their aggression,” Stipa said. “That’s what we obviously lacked. That’s what made the difference between that game, who had the fight and who didn’t.”

According to Ptasinski and Stipa, this game will serve as a learning experience for the Leopards. The team has been adding new plays and different motions, and has been continuing to focus on their fundamentals.

“We have to keep working hard everyday,” Ptasinski said. “We know it’s a process, we’re going to be playing our best basketball in these next few weeks so we know what we have to work on and what we have to do better with. We know we are getting better every day, we just have to continue working hard.”

The Leopards will host their annual Play4Kay breast cancer awareness game against Bucknell on Feb. 2. The proceeds from the game will be donated to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

“We come out, we wear pink, we decorate the gym with pink,” Stipa said. “It’s for a greater cause that really brings people together not just for basketball, but to raise awareness about breast cancer.”

Stipa said she is focusing on the team reaching its potential as the season forges on.

“I want to see the team just come out and just fight, and not worry about the outcome,” Stipa said. “I want us to come out and play our own game.”