Wednesday, December 29
Stabler Arena
2:30:00 PM
Lehigh University
77
vs
64
Saint Peter's
Lehigh picks up 77-64 win over Saint Peter’s
12/29/2010 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team jumped out to a 21-point second-half lead before fighting off a relentless Saint Peter's comeback attempt on its way to a 77-64 win on Wednesday at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks (7-6) used a balanced attack to down a hot Peacocks' squad, who came in winners of five of their last six. Sophomore C.J. McCollum led the way with 23 points while three other Lehigh players finished in double figures as well.
“Walking away from the game, it was important we didn't relinquish the lead,” said head coach Brett Reed. “We were able to build the lead through defensive intensity, but Saint Peter's showed a lot of pride in coming back.
“I'm happy we were able maintain the lead,” he continued. “Momentum is a funny thing in the game of college basketball. We were able to turn it up and make some key defensive stops and grab the rebound at the end of the possession.”
Lehigh's 77 points is by far the most points the Peacocks have allowed all season. The most had been 69 against Seton Hall.
McCollum finished with his 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. He also added five steals, with many leading to fast break layups. Senior Michael Ojo and Gabe Knutson each chipped in with 13 while freshman Mackey McKnight added 11 for his second-straight double-figure scoring performance.
Saint Peter's was led by a monster 28-point, 12-rebound effort from Jeron Belin. Nick Leon also added 15.
The Peacocks took an early 5-1 lead, but the Mountain Hawks – led by Knutson – fought right back to even the score at seven with 15:48 to go. A Knutson foul line jumper gave him his fourth and fifth points of the game, this less than five minutes into the contest.
Saint Peter's eventually regained an 11-9 lead with 12:41 remaining, but that's when Lehigh took over as the Mountain Hawks staged an 11-0 run over the next 4:18 to open a 20-11 advantage. McCollum scored his first points in that stretch, hitting a three-pointer with 12:25 to go to give Lehigh its first lead of the game, 12-11.
Lehigh continued to build on its advantage opening it up to 31-16 with 4:50 remaining when a long Ojo three-pointer with time winding down on the shot clock fell through. That capped off another Mountain Hawk run, this time 9-1 spanning 3:04.
The teams played even down the stretch, which included three points from junior John Adams, as Lehigh took a 38-23 lead into halftime.
The Mountain Hawks continued to build on their lead early in the second half, while taking their first 20 point lead of the game at 47-24 as Ojo hit three free throws. Lehigh's run was 9-1 over the first 2:17 of the second half.
Freshman Mackey McKnight hit a three-pointer with 16:27 on the clock to make it 50-29, but Saint Peter's responded with a 12-0 run over the next 5:32 to quickly pull right back into the game. The Peacocks extended their run to 19-4, pulling within 54-48 with 9:13 to go, the closest they had been since 9:19 remaining in the first half when it was 17-11.
Lehigh answered back with five straight points, four by McCollum, to reopen a double-digit lead, 59-48 with 8:27 on the clock. McCollum hit two free throws, then made his third steal of the game at center court and went all the way for the layup.
The teams went back and forth trading baskets, with Saint Peter's pulling within three, 63-60, with 4:39 to go, but McKnight hit two free throws to make it 65-60. McCollum added seven more points over the final 3:39 to help Lehigh regain control of the game on the way to its fifth double-digit victory of the season.
The Mountain Hawks now look ahead to a three-game road trip, at Yale on Dec. 31 (2 p.m. tip) and NJIT on Jan. 4 (7 p.m.) before the Patriot League opener at American on Jan. 8. Tickets for all home games are now on sale and may be purchased on Lehighsports.com or by calling the ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME.
“Building momentum going into league play is always critical,” said Reed. “You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year and the beginning of league play.”
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