Mountain Hawks set for Saturday showdown at Colgate
1/18/2013 1:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a hard-fought effort against American, the Lehigh women's basketball team will look to get back to its "winning ways" when it travels to Hamilton, N.Y. for a match-up with the Raiders of Colgate on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks had won four straight before falling to American, but have won 13 of the last 14 tilts against the Raiders. Tip-off for Saturday's game is 4 p.m. at Wesley M. Cotterall Court.
After taking a 25-20 lead into halftime courtesy of 13 first half points from freshman Kerry Kinek, the Eagles started the second half with a 14-0 run over the first five minutes, pestering the Lehigh offense with a stubborn full court pressure defense. The Mountain Hawks rallied several times, closing the gap to within three points on multiple occasions, but could never retake the lead down the final stretch.
Kinek finished the game with 19 points, tying a career-high set on December 3 at Loyola (Md.), but American featured four players in double figures, led by Alexis Dobbs with 13. The Eagles' bench made a significant impact in the game, outscoring the Mountain Hawks 16-7, while also holding a 30-24 edge in the paint, an area that Lehigh thrives on.
Lehigh will now look to rebound against Colgate and will also look to continue its recent success on the road. The Mountain Hawks have won three consecutive road games, including a two-point victory over Patriot League-foe Holy Cross last Saturday to open league play. Last season, Lehigh opened with a win against Holy Cross before falling to American in the second game of the Patriot League season. Following those two games, Lehigh won its first match-up against Colgate by a final score of 85-82 in double overtime.
The Mountain Hawks are led by Kinek who is averaging 12.1 ppg and 8.6 rbg to pace the Lehigh offensive attack. On the road, Kinek is averaging a double-double with 13.4 ppg and 10.0 rbg, including a 13-point performance against Holy Cross in the Patriot League opener. Sophomore Katie O'Reilly is averaging 11.2 ppg over her last nine games including six double digit performances, pushing her season average to 8.6 ppg. The Mountain Hawks have done exceptionally well in the rebounding facet, posting a +6.0 in the rebounding margin (42.5-36.5). Lehigh has also done a better job of holding onto the ball lately, averaging just 16.5 turnovers per game over its past four games which are about two turnovers below its season average (18.4).
Lehigh holds the edge in the all-time series against Colgate, 31-22, and are winners of 13 of the last 14 contests between the two schools spanning from February 15, 2006 to January 14, 2012. Lehigh fell to Colgate last season in the Hamilton, N.Y. 77-71 to snap the 13-game streak, defeating the Mountain Hawks for the first time since February 1, 2006 when Colgate topped Lehigh, 71-69, in overtime.
Colgate will enter Saturday's game riding a three-game losing streak after falling to Bucknell on Wednesday night on a buzzer-beater, 53-51. Tied at 51 with 7.3 seconds to play, Bucknell's Audrey Dotson hit a jumper just inside the foul line as time expired to give the Bison a 53-51 victory and drop Colgate to 6-10, 0-2 Patriot League on the season.
The Raiders' loss to Bucknell continues their three-game skid as they have tied the longest losing streak of their 2012-13 campaign (also November 24-December 1). Colgate has had success from long range and will enter Saturday's game as the third-best three-point shooting team in the Patriot League, posting a 32.5 percent clip from beyond the arc.
The Raiders feature the sophomore combination of Missy Repoli and Mirah Jones, each over seven points per game, while Lynch leads the team with 8.6 ppg. Reid ranks 11th in the Patriot League with 5.7 boards per contest, while the Raiders are +0.8 in the rebounding facet this season.
After Saturday's game, Lehigh will return to Stabler Arena to face the Bucknell Bison on Wednesday, January 23 at 7 p.m. which will be FREE Child Admission night.
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Date:
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January 19, 2012
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Opponent:
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Colgate Raiders
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Tip-off:
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4:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Wesley M. Cotterall Court/1,760
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Location:
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Hamilton, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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9-8 overall, 1-1 Patriot League
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Colgate's Record:
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6-10 overall, 0-2 Patriot League
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 31-22
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:45 PM
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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Season Preview - Women's Basketball
Friday, October 31
Chasing Greatness: The Road to the Patriot League Title - Part 2
Thursday, May 15
Chasing Greatness: The Road to the Patriot League Title - Part 1
Wednesday, May 14
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
Wednesday, March 19
