Lehigh University
Colgate
Lehigh wins sixth straight league game at home
1/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
 |
“This was a good win for us tonight,” head coach Billy Taylor said afterwards. “Every one of these (league) games is going to be a struggle; it’s going to be a battle, so we knew it would be tough tonight.” He added, “Give credit to Colgate because they made shots, but we were able to do enough to get this win and gain some momentum heading into the weekend against
Lehigh shot 48 percent from the field on the evening, but just 11-of-18 from the free throw line. Sophomore Phil Anderson added 10 points for the Brown and White, while freshman Marquis Hall hit for eight points, handed out five assists and grabbed five rebounds. Simon sank a game-high 28 points for the Raiders, including eight three-pointers, while Kendall Chones scored 12.
Both teams struggled out of the gate with the first points of the game not being scored until 18:25 remained in the first half as
Following two jumpers from Olivero and a dunk by freshman Zahir Carrington, the Mountain Hawks found themselves in front by nine with 3:39 left in the half. A pair of free throws by Olivero would push the lead to ten with 2:30 left, but a jumper from Chones and a free throw by Todd Checovich made it a seven point game, with Lehigh in front 30-23 heading into the halftime break. Olivero sank 15 of his points in the opening half, with no other Mountain Hawk hitting for more than five points. Kendall Chones scored 11 points for the Raiders, who shot just 36 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Lehigh sank 46 percent of its attempts and grabbed 16 rebounds.
In the second half, Lehigh was again able to extend its lead to double digits, going ahead by 13 with 15:24 remaining on a jumper from Hall. Colgate got the lead under double digits and down to six on a three by Kyle Chones at the 11:05 mark, but Lehigh quickly went on an 8-0 run keyed by a pair of three’s from Neptune and Hall, which made the score 52-38 in favor of the home team with 9:24 to go.
Colgate refused to go away though and made Lehigh earn its third league victory, cutting it to a three-point game with two seconds to go on yet another three from Simon. Olivero sank one free throw to put Lehigh in front by four, and Simon nailed a three from near mid-court at the buzzer to make the final margin a single point.
The Mountain Hawks return to action on Saturday afternoon when archrival
On Thursday, January 18, fans are invited to meet Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor, as well as select student-athletes at the monthly Lehigh basketball luncheon. The event will take place at Starters Restaurant on Route 378 in
