Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh men and women sit atop Patriot League standings
2/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Annapolis, MD – Lehigh completed a doubleheader sweep at Navy on Saturday afternoon, placing both Lehigh teams in a tie for first place atop their respective league standings.
In the women's game, junior Jessica DePalo established a career high with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including nine-of-nine from the free throw line, and Lehigh snapped its two game losing streak with a 77-53 victory over Navy on Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks’ victory keeps Lehigh in a tie atop the league standings with a 6-2 record against league opponents.
The Lehigh victory marked the Mountain Hawks seventh straight win over Navy (10-13, 3-5 Patriot League). Lehigh is now 4-0 on the road in league play.
After a quick Navy bucket to start the game, Lehigh responded and ran out to an 18-9 lead with 13:55 still remaining in the opening period. By that point, DePalo had already netted eight points en route to a 23-point first half performance. As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 62% from the floor (16-of-26) in the first stanza. Lehigh went into intermission with a 39-27 advantage. Navy came out strong in the second half, quickly reducing the Lehigh advantage to single digits, but the Mountain Hawks once again had an answer. Lehigh used an 11-0 run over the next 6:15 to build the bulge to 19 points at 54-35. The Midshipmen could not make enough of a push, as Lehigh rolled to the 24-point victory, by far its largest margin of victory all season. Although DePalo grabbed most of the attention on the afternoon, several of her teammates had afternoons to remember as well. Junior point guard Chantal St. Laurent set a new personal best with seven assists on the day. Freshman Sara Ellis matched her career high with six assists, while pulling down five boards. After Jana Ransom got in quick foul trouble, sophomore Jenny Callan came in and once again made the most of her time on the floor. Callan scored eight points while pulling down a career best 12 rebounds. Ransom – who played only 14 minutes – was stellar as well, scoring 12 points including a perfect four-of-four from the stripe. “My teammates were absolutely awesome today,” DePalo pointed out on the radio postgame show. “They did a great job of distributing the ball – both the guards and the posts – and this was a great effort from our entire team.” Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan understandably gave DePalo her due. “I can’t say enough good things about Jess,” Troyan said. “She’s shown that she’s a pretty versatile player. She’s so strong on the block, and she jumps well, too, making her extremely tough to defend.” DePalo’s 33 points left her just four shy of the Lehigh school record of 37 points in a game (Liz Feeley in 1986). The Lehigh men kept the momentum rolling, pummeling the Midshipmen in the nightcap. Lehigh used a stifling defense and red-hot shooting to cruise past Navy by a score of 66-38 at Alumni Hall on Saturday afternoon. The victory is the Mountain Hawks’ fourth straight, and it pushes Lehigh (14-7 overall, 7-1 Patriot League) into a tie for first place with Lafayette. The defeat drops the Midshipmen to 3-18 overall, and 0-8 in Patriot League play. Lehigh set the tone early in the first half, keeping the Midshipmen from any sort of offensive rhythm. Navy shot just 22% from the floor (6-of-27) in the first stanza, en route to 13 points. That Navy point total is the second fewest number of points allowed in a half by the Mountain Hawks this season (Army scored ten in the opening half against Lehigh on Jan. 25). Meanwhile, Lehigh freshman Jose Olivero scored ten in the first half, and came away with two steals as the Mountain Hawks built a 29-13 halftime advantage. Junior Earl Nurse – who scored four and pulled down four rebounds in the opening half – blocked two Navy shots. The second half proved to be more of the same as the Mountain Hawks blew the game open. Lehigh used a 15-0 run early on in the half to thwart any Navy hopes of a comeback. Two freshmen paced Lehigh in the scoring column. Jose Olivero (3-of-4) and Kyle Neptune (6-of-8) scored 12 points apiece on the afternoon. Nurse scored eight points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds in the victory. Senior co-captain Austen Rowland scored nine points, pulled down five boards, and dished out four assists in limited minutes. “When you have balance on the floor in terms of scorers, it makes it that much harder to defend against,” said Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor. “It was good to see a lot of guys get into the flow offensively.” As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 61% for the game – easily the best team shooting effort of the season. The lofty shooting percentage includes an impressive 6-of-10 effort from beyond the three point arc. The Lehigh defense held Navy to just 28% shooting, and the Lehigh D forced 18 Navy turnovers. Lehigh's 7-1 record in Patriot League games marks the best league start in school history. “We’ve got a tough road ahead of us,” Taylor cautions. “Bucknell won’t be an easy task, but we know our guys will be ready to play.” Lehigh returns to the court later this week at Bucknell. The men visit the Bison on Tuesday, while the women head for central Pa. on Wednesday. Game time is set for 7:00 from Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg each night. Radio and Internet broadcast coverage will get underway at 6:45.
