The Navy women’s basketball team lost to the Lafayette Leopards, 74-64, in a hard-fought game on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. The Leopards staged a fourth-quarter comeback to secure the win, outscoring the Mids by 30 points in the final quarter.
The game was tied at 50-50 with seven minutes left in regulation when Lafayette took control of the game, making six of their final eight shots and 12 of 16 free throws to secure the victory.
“Our offense affects our defense so much; when we’re scoring, we’re playing defense,” remarked head coach Tim Taylor. “When we’re not making shots, we all of a sudden lack on the defensive end. Lafayette made a good adjustment in the second half and had Makayla Andrews in the middle of our zone and she was able to carve it up a little bit. We weren’t able to get good rotations in the fourth quarter. The game changed when we took a seven-point lead early in the third. We had three opportunities to build on that, but we took a couple of bad shots and then turned the ball over. Instead of being able to extend the lead when we should have, they marched right back and made it a one-possession game.
Despite the loss, Navy had a well-balanced offensive effort, with four players finishing with double figures. Freshman Kate Samson led the Mids with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Sam Schofield came off the bench to contribute a career-high 14 points.
“I thought Kate played really well tonight,” commented Taylor. “She drew a lot of fouls when we were playing well early. Late in the third quarter we got them [Lafayette] into foul trouble working the ball into her in the post.”
Head Coach Tim Taylor noted that the team’s offense affected their defense, saying, “When we’re scoring, we’re playing defense. When we’re not making shots, we all of a sudden lack on the defensive end.”
“Hats off to Lafayette on doing what they did tonight,” said Taylor in closing. “You come into this matchup figuring that Andrews and Antognoli were going to get their points, but 15 points from Ntaconayigize, all from three, was huge. We weren’t expecting that. She made the difference for Lafayette tonight.”
With the regular season now over, Navy will turn their attention to the 2023 Patriot League Tournament. The Mids, seeded tenth, will face the American University Eagles in a first-round matchup on Saturday afternoon.