Lehigh University
Northwestern
Lehigh drops a tough season opener to Northwestern
11/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Billy Taylor expressed his thoughs following the game. "I was very proud with the way our guys fought tonight. I thought the first twenty minutes of defense from us was unbelievable, with great energy and focus. Right now, we're thinking about the last five minutes of the game, but ultimately, I think the first five minutes of the second half was what deciced it. Northwestern really came out (from halftime) strong and forced us into some things we weren't comfortable with."
Lehigh was dominant on the back boards, out rebounding the Wildcats 37-24, including a career-high 11 from sophomore Bryan White and nine from senior James Anderson.
Behind a spirited defensive effort, the Mountain Hawks went up early by an 18-7 margin following an Olivero three-pointer and pretty pass that led to a lay up from Olivero to junior Jason Mgebroff. Northwestern then switched its defense, and cut into the Lehigh lead, trimming it to just two points with 4:46 remaining in the half, but the Brown and White answered with two Olivero jumpers, a free throw and a three-pointer, putting Lehigh ahead 28-18 with 2:30 remaining.
Northwestern would again cut into the lead, but the Mountain Hawks did take a 28-21 lead into the locker room. Olivero finished the first twenty minutes with 16 points, including eight in a row at one point, while
As the second half began, Northwestern made its move, eventually tying the contest at 37 at the 13:54 mark, the first tie of the night, and then went up by two on its next possession. But an Olivero feed to senior Mike Fischman for a dunk tied the score at 40. Following that point, the two teams traded the lead for the remainder of the game, with neither able to pull away.
Both teams fought hard down the stretch for every rebound and loose ball, and were tied nine times in the second half. Lehigh went up one after Fischman sunk two free throws with1:58 left, and got the ball right back when White stole it. Senior Mitch Gilfillan’s three-pointer came up just short however, giving Northwestern the ball, which resulted in a Mohamed Hachad free throw to tie the game. Lehigh could not convert on the ensuing possession, setting up Vukusic’s tough contested jumper.
Lehigh recorded seven steals for the game, and forced 11 turnovers. The Mountain Hawks turned the ball over themselves 19 times, but did record four emphatic blocked shots, one each from White and
Lehigh returns to action on Monday afternoon when the Mountain Hawks take on Coppin State in the consolation round, beginning at 4:00 pm Eastern time. All of the action will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM, as well as lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon calling the action.
