Sunday, January 5
Boston, Mass.
1:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
8-5 (1-1PL)
64
at
71
Boston University
6-9 (1-1PL)
1
2
F
Lehigh
24
40
64
Boston University
35
36
71
Lehigh can’t overcome slow start in 71-64 loss at Boston University
1/5/2014 3:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOSTON – A late comeback attempt from the Lehigh women's basketball team wasn't enough as the Mountain Hawks fell at league newcomer Boston University, 71-64, on Sunday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks quickly found themselves down by 20 points early in the game and didn't heat up until the final few minutes as the Terriers claimed the win. Both teams are now 1-1 in league play.
"We struggled on the offensive end and BU took us out of the things we wanted to do in the first half," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "We made shots that were very uncharacteristic of us. In the second half we made better shots and did a better job, but just weren't able to convert."
Sophomore Kerry Kinek led Lehigh with 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Sophomore Elizabeth Sharlow scored 12 first-half tallies and grabbed a team-leading nine rebounds. Freshman Kayla Burton hit a few late threes to accumulate 11 points, while junior Sarah Williams notched ten second-half points.
The Mountain Hawks held a 47-42 rebound advantage and forced a season-high 27 BU turnovers while snatching a season-best 20 steals. Lehigh shot just 33.8 percent (24-of-71) from the floor, while the Terriers shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62).
BU freshman Meghan Green led the Terriers with 15 points, followed by Rashidat Agboola with 14 and Melissa Gallo with 13. Agboola led all players with 15 rebounds.
The Terriers jumped out to an early 9-0 start and held the Mountain Hawks scoreless for nearly the first six minutes of the game. A Sharlow layup put Lehigh's first two points on the board with 14:15 on the clock, but BU responded with seven more unanswered tallies.
Two more layups from Sharlow over the next three minutes put the score at 18-6 in favor of the Terriers with 11:08 to play in the opening half. After another BU basket, Burton sunk a three, but the Terriers went on a 9-0 run to take a 29-9 lead with 8:32 left on the clock.
The Mountain Hawks were down 35-17 at the final media timeout, but another layup from Sharlow ignited the Lehigh offense and helped the Mountain Hawks to a 7-0 run to close out the half. Lehigh held the Terriers scoreless through the final 3:20 and went into the locker room trailing 35-24.
A Kinek free throw got the Mountain Hawks on the board first in the second half, but BU answered right away with a Turner layup. A trio of BU three-pointers helped the Terriers to a 46-27 lead with less than 16 minutes to play before a Kinek layup put the score at 46-29 for the next two and a half minutes.
Two free throws from freshman Lexi Martins broke the scoreless drought, but a BU three-pointer seconds later gave the momentum to the Terriers once again. BU worked its way back to a 20 points lead at 51-31 with 11 minutes left on the clock.
The Mountain Hawk defense forced six turnovers over the next three minutes to pave the way for the offense to put six unanswered points on the board. BU responded with a 7-2 run in the next three minutes to keep its commanding lead at 58-39 with under six minutes to play.
Two free throws from junior Katie O'Reilly sparked a 6-0 run for the Mountain Hawks that also saw layups from Kinek and Williams, but a BU three-pointer that narrowly beat out the shot clock put the score at 62-45 with 4:33 to play.
Lehigh tried to pull together a late rally with a 9-3 run thanks to four layups from three different players to pull within 11 at 65-54 with 2:11 left on the clock. Four straight points from the Terriers' Green thwarted Lehigh's momentum until Burton hit from downtown, but Lehigh still trailed 71-57 with under a minute to play.
Lehigh closed out with a string of seven unanswered points, but the late rally wasn't enough as the Mountain Hawks were handed their first league loss of the season. Lehigh is now 8-5 overall, while Boston University improves to 6-9.
The Mountain Hawks continue their road swing on Wednesday when Lehigh travels to Army for a 7 p.m. contest. Lehigh returns home on Saturday to host league newcomer Loyola. Fans can view each game for free on the Patriot League Network and listen live on WLVR-FM (91.3) or wlvr.org.
Like Lehigh women's basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
BOSTONU
FG%
.338
.419
3FG%
.364
.333
FT%
.667
.600
RB
47
42
TO
24
27
STL
20
13
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
Wednesday, January 29
