Bethlehem, PA – The Mountain Hawks could not stop Marshall’s hot shooting, falling Tuesday afternoon 68-55 in the first round of the Christmas City Classic. The Thundering Herd shot 9-14 from behind the arc, including 7-10 in the first half. Lehigh falls to 1-8 on the season, while Marshall improved to 8-1.
Lehigh kept it close for most of the first half, trailing by as little as 28-24, but Marshall went on a 16-8 run to end the stanza to make it 44-32 at the half. Jess DePalo had 12 points to lead the Mountain Hawks in the first half. The Mountain Hawks started the second half on a 5-0 run to close within seven at 44-37, but Marshall would pull away again and lead by double digits for most of the rest of the game.
For the game, DePalo finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds, and Mary Frances Hynoski was the only other Mountain Hawk in double figures with 11. Katie Knable was nearly flawless from the field for Marshall, finishing the night with 22 points on 6-8 shooting from the floor, including 3-3 from three-point land, and a perfect 7-7 from the line. Lehigh did play well in the paint, finishing with a 34-20 advantage down below.
The Mountain Hawks will play in the Christmas City consolation game Wednesday at 1:00 against Mount St. Mary’s, an 81-64 loser to Ole Miss earlier in the day. Marshall will take on Ole Miss for the title at 3:30. Lehigh’s game will be broadcast live on 91.3 WLVR, and can also be heard on Lehigh’s website at www.lehighsports.com.
