BALTIMORE – Jess Booth scored 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half, as Lafayette overcame a halftime deficit to pull away for a 70-45 victory over Loyola University Maryland in the regular season finale for both teams on Sunday night.
Isabella Therien supplied 10 points and eight rebounds, while Caramina Tañedo netted a career-high eight points for the Greyhounds, who led 30-29 at the break but were outscored 41-15 over the final 20 minutes. Loyola (0-12 PL, 0-6 South) will be the No. 8 seed for this year's Patriot League tournament, traveling to top-seeded Bucknell for a quarterfinal matchup at 4 p.m. next Sunday.
Natalie Kucowski added 12 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Leopards (5-7 PL, 1-5 Central), who completed a 4-0 season sweep of Loyola. Lafayette will travel to Boston University as the No. 7 seed in next weekend's quarterfinals.
Therien and Tañedo scored all 18 of their points in the first half, as the Greyhounds entered the intermission with a lead for a third time this season. A layup by
Emily McAteer made it 34-33 in favor of the home side with 8:44 left in the third quarter. The Leopards, though, went on to end the frame on a 16-3 run, and they outscored Loyola by a 21-8 margin in the fourth.
Charia Roberts chipped in seven points and six rebounds off the bench, while fellow freshman
Bella Steidle added four points, including her first collegiate 3-pointer midway through the second quarter.
Bri Rozzi matched a career-high with five assists, and she was one short of her career-best with six rebounds while making her seventh start of the season.
The winner of next weekend's Loyola/Bucknell matchup will face either No. 4 Lehigh or No. 5 Holy Cross in the semifinals on Thursday, March 11. The Bison (8-0 PL, 6-0 Central) will be playing in their first game since Jan. 31 next weekend.