Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks double up again at Stabler
1/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Bethlehem, PA – The Mountain Hawks maintained their perfect records at Stabler Arena Wednesday night in Patriot League play, as both the men and women’s teams got victories over the visiting Bucknell Bison. Lehigh’s teams are both 2-0 to start league play for the second straight season, with big games coming up this weekend at American.
Clutch free throw shooting by the men’s players in the final minute helped preserve their 75-70 win over Bucknell. Four players combined to make 7-10 free throws in the last sixty seconds to help Lehigh beat the Bison for the fourth straight time. Lehigh led by as much as 16 in the second half, but a furious rally by the Bison made it interesting in the end. With the win, the Mountain Hawks maintain their perfect start to the Patriot League season.
As has been the case all season for Lehigh, the team was led by their dynamic guard combo of senior Austen Rowland and freshman Jose Olivero. The two have combined to lead the team in scoring in 11 of 15 games so far this season, and Wednesday night was no different. The two combined to score 38 points on the night – 20 for Olivero and 18 for Rowland.
Both team shot the ball well in the first half, with each team making more than half of their shots from the field. The teams traded baskets and the lead for most of the half, until Lehigh went on a 9-3 run to end the half with a 41-33 lead.
In the second half, Lehigh turned on the jets, starting the half on another 9-3 run to push the lead out to 50-34. But Bucknell would not go quietly, as the Bison would get all the way back to within three at 68-65 with just one minute left. But missed opportunities and clutch free throws helped Lehigh to their second straight 2-0 start in the Patriot League. Last year the Mountain Hawks started out 5-0.
Head coach Billy Taylor said the team did what it needed to do to win. “We made the big plays when we needed,” said
Lehigh’s defense held Kevin Bettencourt, Bucknell’s returning Patriot League Freshman of the Year, to just 10 points. Charles Lee and Donald Brown picked up the slack, with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Brown’s points came on a perfect 10-10 shooting from the field (he missed his only free throw attempt).
In the women’s game, Bucknell came to town knowing they would need to stop Jessica DePalo to have any chance of winning. They didn’t come close, as DePalo had her way in the paint the entire night to lead the team to their second straight win, 69-58. DePalo shot an incredible 14-20 from the field for a career-high 28 points, her second career-best in as many games. The Mountain Hawks improved to 5-9 on the season, 2-0 in the Patriot League. Bucknell falls to 7-8 (0-2).
Although Bucknell sprinted to a 12-4 lead to start the game, a steady diet of DePalo and freshman Sara Ellis brought the Mountain Hawks back. The two combined for 14 straight points to give Lehigh the lead back at 18-16, and they would stay in front until the break, leading 27-25.
In the second half, DePalo really got heated up, hitting 8-10 from the field. It was a similar story for the Mountain Hawks to their win over Navy on Saturday, as hot shooting helped to keep Bucknell from making a game of it. Bucknell would take a 41-36 lead with 14:03 left, but then a 14-3 Lehigh run would put the Mountain Hawks ahead to stay 50-44.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 50% from the field, including 62.5% in the second half. Meanwhile, the Lehigh defense harassed the Bison into 39.7% shooting, including only 1-13 from behind the arc. Lehigh also did a good job defending Desire Almind, the nation’s leading rebounder, holding her to 15 points and 10 rebounds, both below her season averages (18.3 and 14.9).
“Boxing out Almind was a focal point for us,” said senior Jana Ransom, who chipped in with 14 points on the night. “We wanted to hold her below her usual totals, and I thought we stayed focused and accomplished that.”
DePalo wasn’t the only Mountain Hawk to set her second straight career high. Ellis also re-upped her mark, hitting 3-7 from three-point range on the way to 15 points.
Said Ransom, “When Sara gets it going from outside like that, it really opens things up inside for us.”
Both teams will travel to
