Saturday, January 2
Boston, Mass.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
73
at
66
Boston University
Lehigh holds off late rally for 73-66 win at Boston University
1/2/2016 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOSTON – The Lehigh women's basketball team was able to hold off a fourth-quarter Boston University rally to claim a wire-to-wire 73-66 victory Saturday afternoon at Case Gym. Senior Elizabeth Jordan scored a career-high 17 points behind five three-pointers to give Lehigh a big first-half cushion. The Mountain Hawks move to 1-1 in the Patriot League with the win and 8-5 overall, while the Terriers fall to 0-2 in league play and 0-13 overall.
"BU is a tough team that is really hungry for a win and has been close in a lot of games," said head coach Sue Troyan. "Liz was a big spark offensively in the first half and I'm proud of how our kids competed down the stretch when BU fought back. Our seniors did a good job of keeping the team together when it got close."
Jordan's team-best 17 points came from a 5-for-7 showing from downtown. Sophomore Quinci Mann followed with 16 points. Junior Lexi Martins recorded her tenth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Seniors Kerry Kinek and Elizabeth Sharlow both dished a team-best four assists.
Boston University's Sarah Hope went 5-for-5 from downtown for a team-best 18 points, while Kara Sheftic followed with 15 points.
The Mountain Hawks finished the game shooting 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the field, 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from three-point range and 74.1 percent (20-for-27) from the free-throw line. The Terriers went 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the field, 70 percent (7-for-10) from downtown and 50 percent (7-for-14) from the charity stripe. BU held a narrow 38-37 rebound advantage.
Martins drained a three on Lehigh's first possession which was followed by a Mann layup to put Lehigh up 5-0 before BU got on the board with a layup at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter. Neither team scored in the next two and a half minutes until a Martins floater with 5:37 on the clock. The Terriers scored the next four points to pull within one at 7-6, but Lehigh closed the opening term on a 10-3 run. The streak saw three-pointers from Jordan and sophomore Bernadette Devaney in addition to a last-second bank shot from junior Kayla Burton that gave Lehigh a 17-9 lead.
A pair of Jordan treys opened the second quarter to put Lehigh ahead 23-11 and force BU to call a timeout with 8:14 left in the half. Treys from Burton and Jordan along with a Martins layup and free throws from Devaney followed to help cap a 13-3 quarter-opening streak that gave Lehigh a 21-point lead at 33-12 with 5:49 to play. The Terriers then responded with a 10-3 run over the next two minutes to cut Lehigh's lead to 36-22 with just under four minutes left on the first-half clock. The teams traded two baskets apiece to close out the second quarter as the Mountain Hawks carrier a 40-26 lead into halftime.
A three-pointer from freshman Hailey Pascoe and four points from Mann put seven of the second half's first nine points on the board as the Mountain Hawks stretched their lead to 47-28 just over three minutes into the third quarter. The Terriers answered with an 8-2 run over the next three minutes that wound the clock down to 4:48 and trimmed Lehigh's lead to 49-36. BU was within 12 at 52-40 three minutes later, but the Mountain Hawks closed the term on a 7-1 run thanks to baskets from Martins, Mann and Sharlow to carry a 59-41 lead into the final quarter.
The Terriers opened the fourth quarter with three-straight treys to pull within at 61-50 with under eight minutes to play. BU kept making its shots and turned out several strong defensive stands to then string together a 9-2 run that pulled the Terriers within four at 63-59 with under four minutes left in the game as BU was within single digits for the first time since the first quarter. Each team was only able to add a single made free throw in the next two minutes as Lehigh clung to a 64-60 lead with 2:05 to play.
Mann scored the next four points for Lehigh, but BU made its next two attempts as well. A layup from Courtney Latham with 45 seconds remaining pulled the Terriers within two at 68-66. Martins was sent to the charity stripe on Lehigh's next possession where she converted one of two chances to put the score at 69-66 before Lehigh came up with a big stop on the defensive end. The Terriers were then forced to foul down the stretch and senior Amina Affini went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to close out the 73-66 victory for the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks will return home to Stabler Arena for the first time in over a month Wednesday when Lehigh hosts Loyola at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Service Electric 2 Sports and online via the Patriot League Network.
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