In their highly anticipated match up with the Chaminade Red Devils, the Lancers came out of the gate quick. Their mind and energy was centralized and the crowd was on their feet as they held their own through the first few minutes of the game.

Seniors Brian Boyd and Zach Steinberg traded early baskets with the Red Devils, maintaining their fast paced style of play. Lafayette’s fan section had their back, motivating them to push forward. They flew off screens efficiently and moved the ball spectacularly as they tried their hardest to stay in the game. But as time elapsed, Lafayette got worn down. Chaminade’s offensive match up advantages became apparent and they filled lanes and maneuvered around opponents getting to the hoop without much difficulty. They

The plan went according for Chaminade, as the no. 1 junior in the nation Jayson Tatum took control of the game. Tatum drew fouls left and right one after another, while Chaminade captured a 19-14 lead going into the second quarter.

After Tatum’s collection of and-one buckets, the momentum swapped sides in favor for the Red Devils. Junior Tyler Cook’s impressive inside game was illustrated as he flew through the lane in a contested slam. The Lancers were held scoreless in the second quarter. Tatum dropped 24 and Cook nailed eight out of ten looks, scoring 16 points.

Senior Justin Zadoks, who was guarding Tatum, said “It was tougher than I thought it would be. He has six inches on me and he has a huge wingspan, I couldn’t reach the ball and there wasn’t much that I could do to stop him.”

In the third quarter, Lafayette held them close as Chaminade barely outscored them 18-16. In the fourth, the Red Devils and Lancers both sat down their star players to allow some playing time for everyone.

Chaminade ended up winning the game by a final score of 72-40.