EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette took a 7-0 lead and never looked back, cruising to a 69-54 victory over Monmouth on Wednesday evening at Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards held Monmouth to 31% shooting from the field and 25% from beyond the arc.
Jim Mower paced Lafayette with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 from the field, including five three pointers while Rob Delaney dished out a career-high 11 assists.
Lafayette (5-7) sprinted out to an early 7-0 lead on a pair of free throws from J.D. Pelham, a Ryan Willen lay-in and a left wing three-pointer by Seth Hinrichs. Holding a 12-4 lead, Mower drove the left baseline and threw down a right-handed slam, putting the home side ahead by double digits at the 14:21 mark.
Lafayette matched its largest lead (24-11) in the opening 20 minutes on a three by Joey Ptasinski with 9:22 showing, but Monmouth (2-11) responded with nine straight points, capped by Will Campbell's jumper at 4:44. Mower's three from the top of the key ended the 9-0 Monmouth run and the Leopards scored 11 of the final 16 first-half points to take a 35-25 advantage into the break.
In the second half Lafayette maintained control of the game and never relinquished its double-digit lead. A 10-3 spurt to begin the second half that included three pointers by Hinrichs and Nick Petkovich gave Lafayette a 17-point lead with 15:10 remaining.
Leading 47-33, Willen grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession and then connected on a right-wing trey, forcing a Monmouth timeout with 12:06 to play. On the night, Lafayette held the edge on the glass, 40-37, led by Petkovich's nine rips.
Lafayette took its largest lead with 4:30 remaining on a triple by Ptasinski, which put the Leopards up by 22. The three was one of 14 on the night for Lafayette and gave Ptasinski 11 points.
Campbell led Monmouth with 12 points and Jesse Steele scored 11 as the only two Hawks in double figures.
Lafayette concludes the 2011 calendar year on Friday, Dec. 30, when it travels to New York, N.Y. to take on Columbia at 7 p.m.
Photo Above: Dexter's Alan Flannigan and other members of the Lafayette team gather for a pre-game huddle. (Lafayette College Photo)
