Lehigh University
No. 6 Colgate
Colgate rallies to top Lehigh in PL semifinal contest
3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
“You have to give [Colgate] credit,” DePalo said following the loss. “They executed on key possessions late in the game, and time ran out on us.”
Thanks in large part to DePalo, Lehigh, the No. 2 seed, built a 36-25 lead at halftime. The senior scored 18 first half points on 9-of-17 shooting to propel her team to the early lead. Lehigh used a tough defense to hold the Raiders – the league’s highest scoring team – in check. Colgate shot just 28% in the first half.
Despite the double-digit advantage, Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan knew the game wasn’t over at the break. “We told [our team] at halftime that there were still 20 minutes left,” Troyan explained. “[Colgate is] that good, and they’ve been there before.”
The Raiders, the defending league champions, began to get into an offensive rhythm in the second half. Down 54-42 with
From then on, Lehigh never again held a lead.
“Basketball has great endings, and not-so-great endings,” DePalo pointed out. “Today wasn’t a good ending for us.”
DePalo’s 30 point effort was just three shy of her career high. She leaves Lehigh in fourth place in all-time scoring with 1,466 career points. Her 639 career boards are fifth all-time.
Sophomore Sara Ellis finished the game with 11 points, while classmate Adrienne Blount added eight points and a personal best nine boards. Senior Mary Frances Hynoski registered eight boards in her final game at Lehigh.
The Raiders were led by the play of Allison Lipinski. She scored 25 points – including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc – in the victory.
Colgate moves on to face Holy Cross in the Patriot League championship on Wednesday night in
