LATEST HEADLINES

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Lafayette comes up short
The Leopards had their chances, but it was Wagner that made the plays down the stretch.

Leading by 1 with less than two minutes to go, Lafayette was in position to open its season with a win over visiting Wagner. But after Bilal Abdullah's bucket with 1:50 left gave the 'Pards a 67-66 lead, Lafayette went 0 for its next 3 shots and was outrebounded 4-1 down the stretch, allowing the Seahawks to escape with a 74-70 win.

Monmouth, which shot just 39.4 percent (26-66) form the field all night, went 2 for 2 from the field in the final 1:50 and hit 4 of 6 at the foul line, after hitting just 15 of 26 prior to that point. Adding to Lafayette's woes, the Seahawks got one of their 18 offensive rebounds after one of those missed free throws.

Lafayette's only rebound in the last 1:52 came with 6 seconds left and the game already decided. Matt Betley (team-high 17 points and 7 rebounds) put back that offensive board, accounting for the Leopards' only field goal (1-4) in the final stretch.

The Leopards outscored Wagner from the floor, hitting 27 of 63 field goal tries (42.9 percent), including 8 threes (on 23 attempts, 34.8 percent) while holding the Seahawks to an icy 3 for 17 (17 percent) from the arc. Lafayette also shot better from the foul line, hitting 66.7 percent to Wagner's 59.4 percent. But Wagner (19-32) got to the stripe 20 more times than the 'Pards (8-12).

Lafayette was also hurt on the boards, losing the rebounding battle 49-41.

Andrew Brown had 14 points, 7 assists (just 1 turnover) and 6 rebounds for Lafayette. But Brown was just 4 for 12 from the field, two of his misses coming in the last two minutes. Bilal Abdullah added 13 for the Leopards.

Durell Vinson, in his first game back after a one-year suspension, led Wagner with a 22 point-14 rebound double-double, going 10 for 12 from the field.
Box score | Morning Call | SI Advance

Labels: ,

Published at 8:22 AM by Hoop Time.
Help Hoop Time