Lehigh University
Bryant
Lehigh makes it four in a row; beats Bryant 78-61
12/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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SMITHFIELD R.I. – The Lehigh women’s basketball team keeps on rolling as it defeated the Bryant Bulldogs 78-61 on a snowy Sunday afternoon from the Chace Athletic Center. The Mountain Hawks didn’t let the 20+ inches of snow in Smithfield affect their game as they outscored the Bulldogs 42-30 in the second half to secure the win. Senior Alex Ross led the way with her impressive shooting from beyond the arc as she finished with 21 points, all coming on three-pointers (7-for-14). Lehigh improves to 9-2 on the season while Bryant falls to 3-7.
“Bryant played very hard today,” head coach Sue Troyan said. “They did a good job of not letting us get any clean looks in the first half, but we were able to take care of the ball better in the second half and get some open looks from three.”
Troyan continued on Ross, “Alex was really in the zone today. She looked at me in the first half and asked if she was shooting too much, I told her to shoot more. She hit four in the second half and had a really nice game for us.”
Three other players finished in double figures for the Brown and White, as junior Erica Prosser netted 18 points, classmate Courtney Dentler scored 13 and sophomore Emily Gratch added 14. Prosser also dished out four assists and set a career-high with seven steals.
Lehigh finished the game shooting 44 percent from the field, which included shooting 39 percent from beyond the three-point line. The Mountain Hawks defense forced 28 turnovers, but Bryant won the battle of the glass 38 to 34.
The Bulldogs were led by senior Jaime Campbell who finished with a career-high 23 points off the bench and she also collected a game-high eight rebounds. The only other Bryant player in double figures was sophomore Lekia Cowen with 12 points. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the floor, but only hit on 26 percent of their three-pointers.
The Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early 18-9 lead in the game, but Bryant came storming back as it used a 10-2 run to pull within one point of the Brown and White. That’s the closest the Bulldogs could get as Lehigh took a 36-31 lead into the locker room.
Dentler led the Mountain Hawks with 11 points at the half and only three other players scored for Lehigh: Prosser (eight), Gratch (eight), and Ross with nine.
Leading all scorers in the first half was Campbell who had 13 points and four rebounds.
Lehigh is now one win better than it was at this point last season, but knows there is still room to grow.
“We feel good where we’re at this point in the season,” Troyan said. “The good thing is I know we have the ability to get a lot better as we head further into the season.”
The Mountain Hawks will head home for the Christmas holiday and will return to action on December 29, for the first day of the 13th annual Christmas City Classic. Lehigh will welcome Wagner, IUPUI and St. Bonaventure to Stabler Arena for the classic. The Brown and White will face Wagner at 4:30 p.m. on the opening day of the tournament. Tickets are available in advance by calling 610-7LU-GAME or online at Lehighsports.com, and on game day at the Stabler Arena box office 60 minutes prior to tip-off.
Mountain Hawks Basketball Post-Game Extra
