Lafayette women fall in OT

It looked like a mismatch in Annapolis Thursday night as the seventh-seeded Lafayette women’s basketball team took on Navy, the second seed in the Patriot League tournament. The Mids had beaten the Leopards twice earlier in the season and were playing on their home court, so everything was in Navy’s favor.

But Lafayette ignored stigmas of tournament seeding and went toe to toe with the powerful Navy squad, matching them basket for basket. At the end of the first half, the teams found themselves in a flat-footed tie, 29-29. Even their shooting percentages were the same at 39 percent, and the longer the game stayed close, the more confidence the Leopards gained.

Throughout the entire second half neither team went ahead by more than three points, and the fans on hand saw a remarkable 24 lead changes. Lafayette had an opportunity for the upset with 1.3 seconds to go in regulation, but sharpshooting guard Maddie Peabody ‘15 missed a three.

Then came overtime, the first time a Patriot League Tournament game was forced into an extra period since 2008. Navy proved to be too much for the Lafayette squad in OT.  Navy starting guard Alix Membreno ‘14 got the Mids off to a fast start when she stole the ball from Peabody and put her team up 50-48 with a layup. When Navy’s Chloe Stapleton ‘15 knocked down a key three, she increased the Navy lead to five with little time left for a Lafayette comeback.

In the end, the Mids squeaked by 59-55. Navy’s Jude Geif ‘14, the Patriot League pre-season player of the year, led both teams with 20 points, and Membreno logged 10 points in addition to 12 rebounds.

Danielle Fiacco ‘14 was a bright spot in the loss and continued her domination on the boards. She had her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore co-captain Emily Homan ‘15 came up with 12 points and six rebounds while frosh standout Jamie O’Hare scored 11 points, grabbed five boards, and had three steals.

The Leopards concluded the season 11-19, and 4-10 in the Patriot League—an improvement over last season, when the team notched only eight wins, two in conference.