Lehigh University
Swarthmore
Mountain Hawks get back on winning track
12/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bethlehem, PA – Lehigh got back on the winning track with an 82-58 victory over Swarthmore on Wednesday evening at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks jumped all over the Garnet by opening up on a 17-7 run, and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. With the win, Lehigh improves to 2-3 on the season, while Swarthmore falls to 2-3.
Leading the way offensively for the Mountain Hawks was freshman Jose Olivero with 12 points on five of nine shooting. Junior Nick Monserez netted a career high 10 points as he hit on four of six shots. Lehigh never allowed the Garnet to come within 10 points after the first nine minutes, and opened its first half lead up to as many as 16 points. Monserez scored all of his points in the opening stanza as the Mountain Hawks led 39-27 at intermission. Matt Gustafson knocked in seven points for the Garnet in the first 20 minutes.
The second half saw much of the same, as Lehigh continued to run its sets on offense and stifle the Garnet on defense. The Mountain Hawks swiped a season high 12 steals on the evening, led by senior Ra Tiah, who recorded seven thefts for the game. Junior Earl Nurse and senior Austen Rowland both hit double figures as they put in 11 points. Junior Dayne Mickelson grabbed a team high seven rebounds and Tiah dished out six assists. For Swarthmore, Dillon McGrew scored a team high 11 points, while Gustafson netted ten.
Head Coach Billy Taylor said that coming off of the game with No. 3 UConn did not change the way that his team prepared for the Garnet. “We prepare for each game the same way, treat each opponent the same way. It was good to see our guys come out and play hard the whole way through.”
Lehigh returns to action on Saturday when the Mountain Hawks welcome Harvard to Stabler Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30.
