Saturday, February 8
Baltimore, Md.
1:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
11-11, 4-7PL
50
at
47
Loyola
5-18, 2-10PL
1
2
F
LEHIGH
21
29
50
Loyola Maryland
22
25
47
Lehigh wins tight 50-47 battle at Loyola for second-straight victory
2/8/2014 3:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BALTIMORE – In a game that featured 13 lead changes and five ties, a three-pointer from sophomore Elizabeth Jordan with 5.4 seconds on the clock gave the Mountain Hawks their second-straight win and first road win since Nov. 23, 50-47 over Loyola Saturday at Reitz Arena. Lehigh moved back to .500 with the win (11-11) and improves to 4-7 in the league, while the Greyhounds fall to 5-18 overall and 2-10 in the Patriot League.
"It wasn't the best game on the offensive end for either team, but we played another really solid defensive game," said head coach Sue Troyan. "It's a great win for our program, especially because it was on the road at a tough place to play.
"The win does a lot for our confidence as a team and the momentum we'll carry into the next game" continued Troyan. "It's a big confidence builder and we're excited to face American at home on Wednesday."
Lehigh held a decisive 52-32 rebound advantage and finished the game shooting 27.4 percent (17-for-62) from the field. The Mountain Hawks went 13-for-20 from the charity stripe and just 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from three-point range. Loyola shot 31.4 percent (16-for-51) from the field and 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the free throw line.
Sophomore Elizabeth Sharlow led the Mountain Hawks with 11 points, while classmate Kerry Kinek followed with nine. Kinek also tallied a game-high and season-best 14 rebounds. Junior Katie O'Reilly and senior Lindsay Hoskins chipped in seven points apiece.
Lisa Mirarchi led the Greyhounds with nine points, while three other Loyola players chipped in eight.
The game was scoreless for the first three minutes as the two teams combined to go 0-for-8 from the field. Loyola got on the board first with two free throws from freshman Lauren Daugherty while O'Reilly followed with one less than a minute later. Junior Sarah Williams sank a three-pointer immediately following the first media timeout to make the score 4-2 with under 15 minutes left in the half.
A Sharlow layup capped off a 6-0 Lehigh run that was halted at the 13:30 mark with a layup from Loyola's Perry. Lehigh held a 13-10 lead at the under-eight media timeout as the Greyhounds found themselves in early foul trouble, putting Lehigh in the double-bonus by the 6:37 mark. Williams and freshman Lexi Martins capitalized on their chances from the charity stripe, scoring the next three Lehigh points to extend the Mountain Hawk lead to 16-10.
The Mountain Hawks found themselves in some foul trouble of their own as Lehigh racked up six team fouls within the next two and half minutes to put the Greyhounds in the double-bonus as well. Loyola used clutch free throw shooting to keep close to the Mountain Hawks and the Greyhounds were able to take a lead following a steal and fast-break layup from Mararchi that made the score 19-18 with 2:52 on the clock. A last-second Kinek jumper sent Lehigh into halftime down by one at 22-21.
The Mountain Hawks shot just 18.2 percent (6-for-33) from the field during the first half and 11.1 percent (1-for-9) from three-point range. Loyola shot 26.1 percent (6-for-23) from the floor and converted 10 of its 14 free throw opportunities.
A Sharlow layup started the scoring in the second half as the Mountain Hawks were immediately able to reclaim the lead, 23-22. Loyola quickly jumped back on top 28-25 thanks to a pair of Lehigh turnovers that the Greyhounds converted into fast-break layups with 15:23 to play.
Lehigh regained the lead at the 10:38 mark with the help of a 6-1 run that was capped off with two Hoskins free throws to put the score at 33-32. Two minutes later, Jordan extended Lehigh's streak with a three-pointer, but Loyola's Nai Brown answered with one of her own.
The Greyhounds once again found themselves in foul trouble, as the Mountain Hawks were sent to the free throw line two times over the next minute where they converted two of four chances. A Kinek layup followed as Lehigh worked its lead to five at 40-35 with 7:01 on the clock.
Back-to-back layups from Loyola's Tiffany Padgett pulled the Greyhounds back within one, before a Perry free throw at the 4:15 mark tied the game at 40. Loyola snatched back the lead once again with a Brown free throw to make the score 41-40 with 3:25 to play.
Brown followed with a layup before an O'Reilly layup snapped the 8-0 Loyola run. After two more lead changes over the next minute, a Kinek free throw made it a tie game once again at 45 all with 1:45 to play.
Sharlow snatched a steal on the ensuing Greyhound possession and converted it into two Mountain Hawk points with a layup at Lehigh went ahead 47-45 with under a minute on the clock. A Mirarchi layup tied it right back up with 30 seconds to play forcing a Lehigh timeout.
Following the timeout, Jordan hit the big shot with 5.4 seconds left on the clock to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 50-47. Loyola attempted a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc, but it fell short as Lehigh captured its second-straight win.
Lehigh returns home Wednesday night to face American at 7 p.m. inside Stabler Arena. The game will be broadcast live on Service Electric 2 Sports in the Lehigh Valley and can be viewed for free on the Patriot League Network. Tickets are available online at Lehightickets.com, including a print-at-home option, or by calling the ticket office at 610-7LU-GAME.
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Team Stats
LEHIGH
LOY
FG%
.274
.314
3FG%
.188
.400
FT%
.650
.619
RB
52
32
TO
15
12
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
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