Lehigh University
Army
All five starters hit double figures in win over Army
1/14/2006 6:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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The LU victory leaves both the Mountain Hawks and Black Knights with a 2-1 record in Patriot League play on the season. Lehigh now stands at 7-9 overall; Army drops to 8-8.
“I thought we responded well [from a disappointing loss on Tuesday night],” said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan after the win. “We knew we needed to get more players involved in the offense, and we did that here tonight.”
The first half was a defensive struggle, and Lehigh claimed a slim 23-19 advantage at the half. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, and both teams turned the ball over quite a bit. Lehigh held Army to just 30% shooting in the first half, while forcing 12 Black Knights turnovers. Meanwhile, the Mountain Hawks shot only 36% themselves, while committing 11 miscues.
Lehigh freshman guard Tricia Smith led the Mountain Hawks with eight points in the first half, while senior captain Jenny Callan chipped in six and pulled down nine rebounds. Army’s Alex McGuire led all scorers with ten in the first half.
After missing her first four three-point attempts in the first half, Ellis connected on a three-ball at the 14:30 mark to surpass former teammate Carli Toliver ’05 as Lehigh’s career three-point field goals leader. That basket also put the Mountain Hawks up by seven.
Sophomore point guard Claire Sullivan ignited the Lehigh offense in the second half. A clutch Sullivan lay-up on a fast break with 13:02 to play put the Lehigh lead into double figures for the first time.
In all, Lehigh scored 20 points in the paint in the second half to hold off Army. Callan recorded her eleventh double-double of the season, scoring ten and pulling down 12 rebounds. Sullivan recorded her first career double-double, finishing with ten points and ten assists. Sullivan becomes the first Lehigh point guard to register a double-double via points and assists since the inception of Patriot League play sixteen years ago.
Smith scored a personal-best 15 to pace the Mountain Hawks on the night. Junior Adrienne Blount added 12, and Ellis finished with 11.
“We knew Tricia could score, and tonight she had the opportunity to do that,” Sullivan said on the radio post-game show following the win. “This was an important game for us, and we had to prove to ourselves that we could hold onto a lead late.”
As a team, Lehigh shot 43% from the floor on the night, and the Mountain Hawks sunk 10-of-12 free throw attempts.
McGuire scored a career high 18 points to lead the Black Knights.
Lehigh returns to the Stabler Arena hardwood on Wednesday night, as the Mountain Hawks host Bucknell in a Patriot League game. Tip-off is set for 7:05 pm, and tickets can be purchased on-line at Lehighsports.com or by calling (610) 7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
Photo (c) 2006, Chris Christian/Lehigh Athletics.
