Lehigh University
Holy Cross
Mountain Hawks start slow, fall to Crusaders
2/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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“We had control of our destiny, but we didn’t go about things the right way,” said a disappointed Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor after the game. “We went the first thirty [minutes of the game] lacking the passion, intensity, and desire we need at this time of year for the second straight game.”
The setback also represents Lehigh’s first back-to-back Patriot League losses of the season.
Holy Cross left little doubt early, hitting three quick three-pointers out of the gates, to build a fast 9-2 lead. The Crusaders used the remainder of the half to build upon the lead, connecting on 5-of-10 three-point tries.
The Crusaders built a 16-point advantage on a Keith Simmons fast-break lay-up that began with a blocked shot and a nice feed from Kevin Hamilton to take a 29-13 lead with 2:23 still to play in the opening half. Holy Cross built a 19-point lead, before a pair of Kyle Neptune free throws cut the deficit to 17 at the break.
Lehigh went the final 9:09 of the first half without connecting on a field goal, and during that span, Lehigh was also held scoreless for 5:27. The Mountain Hawks’ 16 points were the fewest first half points in a league game, and the fewest first half points scored by a Lehigh team since scoring only 15 at
Lehigh turned the ball over ten times during the first half, leading to 12 Crusaders points.
The Mountain Hawks hit only five first half field goals on 20 attempts – including just one-of-nine beyond the three-point arc. The visitors were 5-of-10 from the free throw line. Jose Olivero led Lehigh with five points over the first 20 minutes.
Trailing by 20 at 39-19, the Mountain Hawks went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 15 points with just over 13 minutes to play. However, the Crusaders answered with a five-point run of its own, building the cushion back to 20, and eventually up to, 21 points.
Lehigh refused to give in, and slowly began to whittle the lead. After Torey Thomas missed a three, Lehigh junior Kyle Neptune skied for the rebound in traffic, taking the ball coast-to-coast for a lay-up, cutting the deficit to just twelve – 47-35 – with 8:45 to play. LU continued to nudge closer, trimming the Holy Cross lead to single digits with a pair of Jose Olivero free throws at the 7:19 mark.
The Crusaders were out-rebounded by Lehigh in much of the second half, but some key offensive boards down the stretch helped the home team extend its lead back to double digits while using some valuable clock in the process.
The game was quite physical and tightly-whistled throughout. In all, there were 50 fouls called in the game.
Lehigh shot just 34% for the game, connecting on 2-of-14 three-point field goal tries.
Senior captain Mitch Gilfillan, bothered by an ankle injury suffered Wednesday at Bucknell, played 14 first half minutes, but he did not see any action after halftime.
Four Holy Cross players scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Thomas. The Crusaders shot 35% from the game.
“The good news is, this team has found a way to respond to adversity time and time again,”
Lehigh will open the Patriot League tournament on Friday as the third seed, and the Mountain Hawks will take on No. 6 Colgate at the
For tournament ticket information, contact the Lehigh ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
