Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh splits doubleheader at Lafayette
1/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Easton, PA - Lehigh split an action-packed doubleheader of basketball in Easton Friday night. In the first game, the Lehigh women defeated Lafayette 64-53 to run their Patriot League mark to 4-0. In the nightcap, the men lost an overtime thriller 111-104 in a game that saw the lead see-saw back and forth the entire night.
In the women's game, all five starters for the Mountain Hawks hit for double figures, and the balanced effort led to Lehigh's 64-53 victory over Lafayette. Jessica DePalo and Dawn Gorynski led the team with 13 points apiece, helping Lehigh (7-10, 4-0) stay perfect and in first place in Patriot League play.
Leading scorer DePalo was held in check for the first half, as she took an accidental elbow above her left eye and was visibly bothered by it. DePalo had only two points in the first half, but her teammates picked up the slack as the Mountain Hawks cruised to a 30-23 lead at the break. Lehigh played stellar defense, holding Lafayette (0-17, 0-4) to just 29.6% shooting in the first stanza. In the second half, Lehigh maintained control by pounding the boards inside and taking advantage of second chance opportunities. DePalo shook off the early injury to score 11 second half points to help Lehigh expand their lead to as many as 14. For the game, the Mountain Hawks outrebounded the Leopards 40-28, leading to a 19-3 lead in second chance points. "We got off to a great start," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "I was confident in our depth, but we knew they were going be tough so we had to come out and play hard." Joining DePalo and Gorynski in double figures was Mary Frances Hynoski, who tallied season-highs with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Jana Ransom had 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Sara Ellis had 10. Colleen Fitzpatrick led Lafayette with 13 points and 7 rebounds. In a men's game that lived up to every bit of its pre-game hype, Lehigh and Lafayette tussled to the end in a battle for Patriot League supremacy, and forty minutes wasn’t enough to decide a winner. When the dust settled, Lafayette (13-4, 4-0) was able to hold off a fantastic Lehigh (10-7, 3-1) comeback, winning in overtime 111-104. Though Lehigh led for most of the first three-quarters of the game, Lafayette took what appeared to be a nearly insurmountable lead of ten points with just 3:33 left to play. But a 19-9 run by the Mountain Hawks sent the game to OT, where their efforts fell just short. The first half saw both teams playing exceptionally well, with neither team building a lead bigger than five points. Both teams held the lead four times, and the game was also tied four times. The Mountain Hawks spread the ball around very effectively, getting baskets from eight different players. Austen Rowland led the charge with 14 in the stanza. Lehigh shot 57% in the half and did a great job getting the ball inside, scoring 20 points in the paint. In the second half, Rowland continued to spark the Mountain Hawk offense as the team built a 61-53 lead midway through. But Lafayette would rally, hitting seven straight free throws to close within 61-60, then took the lead 62-61 on a bucket by Rob Dill. Lafayette would go on to build a 10-point lead with just over four minutes remaining, but Lehigh would not give up. Rowland and Olivero scored again and again to bring the team back, each hitting crucial 3’s to lead the comeback. Olivero would hit a three with 25 seconds left to pull within one. Then after Marcus Harley hit 1-2 from the free throw stripe, Olivero would race downcourt and get fouled, nearly making the shot for a chance at a three-point play. Olivero would calmly sink two free throws with 11 seconds left to tie it up at 90, and Lafayette would get two shots as the clock wound down to win it but could not score, and the game went to an extra frame. In the overtime, Justin DeBerry took over for Lafayette, hitting a fallaway three pointer and making two steals to put the Leopards ahead to stay. Lafayette outscored Lehigh 21-14 in the overtime. “It was a well played game by both teams,” said Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor. “We have things we need to correct for sure, but I am proud of our effort.” For the game, Rowland had a career-high 35 on the night he went over the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career. Lehigh’s freshman class played outstanding as well, as each member scored in double figures. Olivero finished the night with 17 points, and both Jason Mgebroff and Kyle Neptune had career bests with 14 and 13 points, respectively. DeBerry led Lafayette with 26 points, including a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe. Sean Knitter had 19 points in a supporting role for the Leopards, who move into sole possession of first place in the Patriot League with the victory. Lehigh will be back in action on Sunday when both teams travel to West Point to take on Army. The women's game will tip-off at 1:00, and the men will begin at 3:15. The women's game will be broadcast on 91.3 WLVR, and the men's game will be broadcast on WKAP 1470. Both games can also be heard on Lehigh’s website at www.lehighsports.com.
