By Michael Kelley ’14
Photo by Ally Hill ’15| The Lafayette
Through 10 games this season, the Lafayette men’s basketball team (3-7) has seen several second half leads slip through their hands. But on Wednesday night against St. Francis Pa. (0-7) at the Kirby Sports Center, the Leopards flipped the script when they rallied from a 15-point deficit to win 61-58.
Forward Dan Trist ‘15 led the way once again with 16 points, 10 of which came in the second half comeback, while point guard and captain Tony Johnson ‘13 added 12 points, three assists, and two steals. It is the fifth game this season that Trist has led the team in scoring. In three others, he was forced to sit out due to an ankle injury.
“I just executed. I was just really proud of our guys,” said Trist. “We played down most of the game and we came back and won a really gutsy game.”
“All season, we struggled against pressure [from] up in your face teams.”
Lafayette struggled mightily in the first half, shooting a measly 23.1% from the floor (6-26). P oor shooting allowed St. Francis to jump out to a 31-23 halftime lead.
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy,” saidO’Hanlon. “I don’t know if we matched their energy or aggressiveness to start. At the end of the day, we really came out in the second half and played the way I think we’re capable of.”
Early in the second half, St. Francis completed a 10-4 run to run their lead to 41-26. From there, it was all Lafayette. The Leopards scored the next nine points, highlighted by Bryce Scott’s ‘16 three-pointer. At the 11:32 mark, a Trist hook shot closed the lead to four. And with 2:18 remaining, forward Seth Hinrichs ‘15 completed an old-fashion three-point play to give Lafayette its first lead of the night at 55-53.
A St. Francis three-pointer took the lead right back, but free throws down the stretch by point guard Joey Ptasinski ‘15 and Hinrichs capped off the comeback victory.
Rebounding went in favor of the Leopards, 32-27, as did the turnover battle, 13-15.
“I thought that was a good win for us. We have to keep getting better obviously,” said O’Hanlon.
Last Saturday, Lafayette lost to Long Island University – Brooklyn 71-60, a team they defeated 98-94 in double OT earlier this season. The Blackbirds frontcourt dominated the game, with Julian Boyd (20 points, 10 rebounds) and JamalOlasewere (15 points, 11 rebounds) both registering double-doubles. The win was LIU’s 29th straight on their home court.
Trist and forward Levi Giese led the way for Lafayette with 15 and 14 points respectively, while Hinrichs contributed 10. Lafayette was dominated on the boards 40-27.
The first ten games for Lafayette has surely had its ups and downs, but for a young team learning on the fly, many would consider it a success, especially with nationally recognized programs such as Kentucky, Morehead State, and Maryland on the schedule. Seven more non-conference games remain before the Leopards begin Patriot League play against Navy on January 12, by far the most important part of the season, when every game matters to win favorable seeding in the Patriot League Tournament.
Tonight, the Leopards travel to Teaneck, N.J. to play Fairleigh Dickinson University before hosting Sacred Heart at home on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
“They just come fast and furious,” said O’Hanlon of the upcoming schedule.
Stepping Up: Several freshmen have made key contributions for O’Hanlon, including guards Zach Rufer and Bryce Scott, who average 15.9 and 16.7 minutes per game respectively. As O’Hanlon declared at the season’s start, “These young guys are going to have to play, whether they’re ready or not.” And play they have. Not lighting up the stat sheet by any means, Rufer (2.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Scott (5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg) provide consistent performances while starters such as Johnson and Ptasinski rest on the bench.
Sophomore forward Alan Flannigan has also contributed for Lafayette, averaging 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game coming off the bench.
