EASTON, Pa. – A record-setting 22-point, 20-rebound performance by senior standout Jennifer Coleman (Richmond, Va.) wasn't enough on Wednesday night as the Navy women's basketball team was tripped up late on the road against Lafayette. Tied 51-51 with 2:35 left in regulation, the host Leopards (8-14, 4-8 PL) closed out the Mids (7-15, 4-8 PL) on a 7-0 run to earn the victory by a score of 58-51 at the Kirby Sports Center.
 
Coleman entered her name in the single-game record books on Wednesday night as she became the first Midshipmen since Connie James in 1990 to grab 20 or more rebounds and is now one of seven players all-time to reach that figure. In the category of defensive rebounds in a single game, Coleman's 20 defensive boards shattered the previous record of 15 set by James on Jan. 31, 1990 versus Marymount. Offensively, Coleman scored all 14 points for Navy in the first quarter on her way to 22 for the game. Sydne Watts (So., Canton, Ga.) joined her in double-figures as she tallied 12 points in 34 minutes of action.
 
"That's a tough result," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "Lafayette made plays at the end of the game. We had an opportunity with two minutes to go in a tie game and we were in-transition; I liked the thought of keeping the ball live, but in hindsight, maybe we should've taken a timeout. That empty possession and their response with a three, gave them the lead and the win.
 
"We didn't do a good enough job finishing at the rim tonight. We missed too many layups. I think the biggest stat that you can look at was that we missed 37 shots and only got three offensive rebounds; they missed 41, but got 14 offensive rebounds. That's the difference in the game. They kept us from getting second chances; we had too many one-and-done possessions in the second half."
 
The action on Wednesday began with the edge going to the host Leopards as they broke out to a 11-4 lead over the first six-plus minutes. A jumper and three-pointer on consecutive possessions by Coleman drew the Mids within two, 11-9 at 3:21. Lafayette responded to Coleman's trey with a three-pointer of its own to go back ahead by five. A 5-2 run to close out the quarter courtesy of a fast break layup and a three-pointer by Coleman tightened it to a 16-14 decision at the end of the first quarter. Coleman was responsible for all 14 of Navy's points as she was 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range. Additionally, she had seven rebounds over this stretch.
 
The second quarter was all Navy as the Mids opened the period on an 8-2 run that was bolstered by three-pointers from Lindsay Llewellyn (Jr., North East, Md.) and Kristina Donza (So., Jackson, N.J.). Ahead 22-18 at 6:23, Navy held Lafayette to just five more points the rest of the period. That staunch defensive effort helped invigorate the Mids' offense as they pulled out to an eight-point advantage of 31-23 going into halftime. Coleman netted 19 of those points to go along with 12 rebounds to record her 17th double-double of the season in just 20 minutes of play.
 
A three-pointer by Watts on Navy's third possession of the second half gave the visitors their largest lead of the game of 34-23 at the 8:28 mark of the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Mids, that basket by Watts was followed up by just one made field goal for the next 7:58. With Navy's offense in a lull, Lafayette was able to run off an 18-3 streak to pull ahead 41-37 with 58 seconds to go in the third quarter. A late jump shot by Donza with 30 seconds left drew the Mids within two, 41-39 at the end of three quarters of play. As a team, Navy shot just 3-of-16 from the field in the stanza.
 
Down, but not out, the Mids tied the Leopards less than three minutes into the fourth quarter as Mimi Schrader (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) recorded an individual 5-0 run to even the score at 44-44 by 7:32. A 5-0 rebuttal by Lafayette over the next 85 seconds put the hosts back in front until a 7-2 run by Navy between 4:16 and 2:35 knotted the game once again. Getting out in-transition after a steal and then a long rebound helped the Mids net four easy points before Watts tied the score at 51-51 with a three-pointer from the wing. From that juncture down the stretch, Lafayette scored the final seven points to register the 58-51 win.
 
For the game, Lafayette outshot Navy, 35.9 percent (23-64) to 33.9 (19-56) from the field, though the Mids outshot the Leopards, 34.8 percent (8-23) to 26.7 (8-30) from three-point range and 62.5 percent (5-8) to 44.4 percent (4-9).
 
In the rebounding battle, Lafayette grabbed 18 more caroms than Navy with a final tally of 50 versus 32 for the Mids. The Leopards also held a significant 14-to-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. Coleman finished with a career-high 20 rebounds, all on the defensive end. Lafayette's Makaila Wilson grabbed 18 rebounds with six on offense and 12 on defense.
 
Navy had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio on Wednesday night with 11 assists and 10 turnovers. Coleman led the Mids in that category as well with four helpers.
 
Navy will now turn its attention to its rivals Army with the 2022 Star up for grabs on Saturday morning at West Point. In a nationally-televised contest on CBS Sports Network, the Mids and Black Knights will tip off at 11 a.m. at Christl Arena.