Lehigh University Athletics
Thursday, November 14
11:00:00 AM
Lehigh University
2-1
73
vs
79
Villanova
3-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 32 | 30 | 17 | 79 |
| Lehigh | 34 | 28 | 11 | 73 |
Villanova outlasts Lehigh 79-73 in overtime thriller
11/14/2013 2:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team dropped a tough overtime game to Villanova on Education Day, presented by Wells Fargo, Thursday at Stabler Arena. The Wildcats tied the game late to force overtime and were able to walk away with a 79-73 win to remain undefeated on the season. Three Mountain Hawks scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Kerry Kinek with a career high 23, but it wasn't enough as Lehigh (2-1) fell for the first time this season.
"I'm very proud of how they competed today," said head coach Sue Troyan. "They fought really hard and this is a game that we can learn a lot from. It was a test for our defense and I liked a lot of the things that our kids did today."
<%--WBB Education Day 11/14/2013 Gallery--%>
Kinek also contributed eight rebounds and two steals. The sophomore has now scored 20-plus points for three straight games for the first time in her career. Teammate Katie O'Reilly scored 17 points, tying her career high, along with four rebounds and three assists. Freshman Kayla Burton posted a new career high in both points (12) and assists (five).
For Villanova, Emily Leer led the way with 24 points. Caroline Coyer posted 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Devon Kane recorded 12 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The first half was tightly contested with both teams trading baskets the majority of the time. Lehigh's full court press forced Villanova, a NCAA tournament competitor a season ago, to just 30 percent shooting (10-of-30) including just 5-of-19 from the three point line. Lehigh shot 32 percent (9-of-28) in the first half, including 3-of-9 from deep.
As time was winding down in the opening half, freshman Kiernan McCloskey found sophomore Elizabeth Sharlow who hit a big three-pointer as time expired to give Lehigh a 34-32 lead after 20 minutes.
Lehigh came out of halftime firing, with the help of Kinek who scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half. The Mountain Hawks led almost the entire second half until Villanova hit a pair of threes closing the gap with two minutes left to tie the game at 62.
The Wildcats were holding the ball with ten seconds left and attempted a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, but a block from O'Reilly gave Lehigh the ball back with 2.2 seconds left on the clock. The Mountain Hawks couldn't get down the court before the buzzer went off, as Lehigh and Villanova went into overtime for the fourth time in the last six meetings between the programs.
Villanova made just two field goals in overtime, a three-pointer by Leer and a jumper by Caroline Coyer but Lehigh connected on just 4-of-12 in the extra period. The Wildcats put the game away at the free throw line, connecting on 12-of-14 free throws from overtime to improve to 3-0 on the season.
The game served as the fourth annual Education Day, presented by Wells Fargo. Lehigh hosted over 3,600 school children in a crowd of 3,920. The children were able to participate in educational activities surrounding a Division I basketball game.
"With 3,600 students learning life skills, this program has a huge impact on our community and it means a lot for us at Wells Fargo to help make this day possible," says Laura Haffner, the president of the Lehigh Valley Wells Fargo. "I also can't say enough about Lehigh University and their staff. Our Wells Fargo team works with the University on a wide variety of initiatives and the results we see make us proud to be their partner."
Lehigh University would like to thank St Luke's University Health Network, the South Side Boosters, and the Athletics Leadership Academy' for supporting Education Day.
The Mountain Hawks return to action next Tuesday when they will host Mt. Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. at Stabler Arena. The game will be aired live on both the Patriot League network and WLVR-FM with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Like Lehigh women's basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Story by Cody Newton '14
"I'm very proud of how they competed today," said head coach Sue Troyan. "They fought really hard and this is a game that we can learn a lot from. It was a test for our defense and I liked a lot of the things that our kids did today."
For Villanova, Emily Leer led the way with 24 points. Caroline Coyer posted 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Devon Kane recorded 12 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The first half was tightly contested with both teams trading baskets the majority of the time. Lehigh's full court press forced Villanova, a NCAA tournament competitor a season ago, to just 30 percent shooting (10-of-30) including just 5-of-19 from the three point line. Lehigh shot 32 percent (9-of-28) in the first half, including 3-of-9 from deep.
As time was winding down in the opening half, freshman Kiernan McCloskey found sophomore Elizabeth Sharlow who hit a big three-pointer as time expired to give Lehigh a 34-32 lead after 20 minutes.
Lehigh came out of halftime firing, with the help of Kinek who scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half. The Mountain Hawks led almost the entire second half until Villanova hit a pair of threes closing the gap with two minutes left to tie the game at 62.
The Wildcats were holding the ball with ten seconds left and attempted a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, but a block from O'Reilly gave Lehigh the ball back with 2.2 seconds left on the clock. The Mountain Hawks couldn't get down the court before the buzzer went off, as Lehigh and Villanova went into overtime for the fourth time in the last six meetings between the programs.
Villanova made just two field goals in overtime, a three-pointer by Leer and a jumper by Caroline Coyer but Lehigh connected on just 4-of-12 in the extra period. The Wildcats put the game away at the free throw line, connecting on 12-of-14 free throws from overtime to improve to 3-0 on the season.
The game served as the fourth annual Education Day, presented by Wells Fargo. Lehigh hosted over 3,600 school children in a crowd of 3,920. The children were able to participate in educational activities surrounding a Division I basketball game.
"With 3,600 students learning life skills, this program has a huge impact on our community and it means a lot for us at Wells Fargo to help make this day possible," says Laura Haffner, the president of the Lehigh Valley Wells Fargo. "I also can't say enough about Lehigh University and their staff. Our Wells Fargo team works with the University on a wide variety of initiatives and the results we see make us proud to be their partner."
Lehigh University would like to thank St Luke's University Health Network, the South Side Boosters, and the Athletics Leadership Academy' for supporting Education Day.
The Mountain Hawks return to action next Tuesday when they will host Mt. Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. at Stabler Arena. The game will be aired live on both the Patriot League network and WLVR-FM with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Like Lehigh women's basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Story by Cody Newton '14
Team Stats
VILLAN~1
LEHIGH
FG%
.359
.333
3FG%
.295
.333
FT%
.741
.792
RB
44
50
TO
17
18
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Friday, February 27
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