Lehigh University Athletics
Road victories keep hoopsters undefeated and in first place
1/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Washington, DC – The Lehigh basketball teams went to the nation's capital and came back undefeated and in first place in the Patriot League. The men and women won two different games, as the men needed overtime to defeat American, while the women pulled away early and held on late for the win over the Eagles.
Road wins in the Patriot League don’t come cheap, so it was no surprise the men's team had to work overtime on Saturday afternoon to gain a 63-58 victory over the American Eagles. Austen Rowland scored 20 points in front of a very hostile crowd, including five in the extra period to keep Lehigh (10-6, 3-0) perfect in conference play. Lehigh came out firing all cylinders early, as the Mountain Hawks built a quick 12-4 advantage less than five minutes into the contest. The Mountain Hawks connected on five of their first six shots from the floor – including five quick points apiece from Rowland and Jose Olivero – to take the early lead. However, the Eagles responded, and American held a slim 30-29 advantage at halftime. Although Lehigh shot 50% from the floor in the first stanza (10-of-20), the Eagles shot 42% and did a great job of hanging on to the basketball, committing only two first half turnovers. Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the second half, as both defenses stepped up. Lehigh converted on just 7-of-24 shots (29%) in the second frame, and American was just 8-of-23 (35%). The Eagles had a chance to win the game but an AU jumper fell off as time expired, sending the contest to an extra session. In overtime, Lehigh hit some clutch shots to pick up the victory. Rowland began the extra session with a big three point basket. Clinging to a two-point advantage with 1:08 remaining, Jose Olivero then sank a shot from the left elbow with just one second on the shot clock to seal the Mountain Hawks victory. Rowland was the man for Lehigh, despite constant harassment from the crowd. “It pumped me up,” said Rowland. “I like when the crowd is on me, it gets me going.” Rowland gave credit to the team’s defense for the win. “Our defense shut them down, especially Dayne (Mickelson), who really locked down on (Jernavis) Draughn. Once he stopped Draughn from getting baskets inside, we really started to do well.” “It was a total team performance,” said head coach Billy Taylor. “When you are on the road, in front of a tough crowd, you have to make the big plays to win, and that’s what we did today. Austen had a big game in his homecoming. He was the difference maker out there.” Draughn led American (8-9, 2-1) with 17 points and nine rebounds. For the Mountain Hawks, Jose Olivero had 11 first-half points plus the overtime basket for a total of 13 on the game. In the women's game, freshman Sara Ellis scored a career high 19 points as Lehigh moved into sole possession of first place in the Patriot League with a 69-55 victory over American at Bender Arena on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, Lehigh goes to 3-0 in Patriot League play for the first time in school history. The Mountain Hawks now sit at 6-9 overall, while American falls to 7-8 overall, 2-1 in Patriot League play. In the first half, Lehigh came out strong and used a nine-zero run to build an early 9-2 advantage and the lead ballooned to as many as 16, which was the margin at halftime with Lehigh ahead 38-22. The Mountain Hawks were extremely successful from long range in the opening half, particularly Ellis, who connected on four three pointers en route to 12 first half points. As a team, the Mountain Hawks hit seven of ten shots from behind the arc. Junior Jessica DePalo pumped in nine first half points as she hit four of seven shots in the half. DePalo ripped down a team high six boards in the half as well and Ellis led the team with three helpers in the half. Lehigh hit 58 percent of its shots in the opening stanza and held the Eagles to just 39 percent from the field. The Mountain Hawks did commit nine turnovers, but it did not matter as the hot shooting propelled them to the big lead. American was led on offense by Kim Salem with six points and she also grabbed two rebounds. In the second half, the Eagles did make a push on the offensive end, but Lehigh’s defense and foul shooting down the stretch helped the Mountain Hawks come away with the victory. American did cut the Lehigh lead down to six points, but the cool hand of Ellis and sophomore Dawn Gorynski kept the Mountain Hawks ahead for good. DePalo finished with 19 points on the afternoon, while Gorynski hit for 13 and dished out two assists. DePalo pulled down nine boards and had two steals. Lehigh hit 56 percent of its shots on the day and held the Eagles to just 36 percent shooting. The Lehigh women will now take a step out of conference play as the Mountain Hawks play host to Brown on Tuesday from Stabler Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 and the game can be heard live on Lehigh’s website. Meanwhile, the men return to action on Friday night, when Lehigh visits archrival Lafayette. Tip-off is set for 8:00 from the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, with live coverage on Patriot League TV, WFMZ-TV in the Lehigh Valley, Oldies 1470 AM, and lehighsports.com.
