Comeback attempt falls just short in 59-55 loss to American

Saturday, January 9

2 p.m.

Lehigh University

9-6, 2-2PL

American

4-11, 2-2PL

American

Lehigh

Comeback attempt falls just short in 59-55 loss to American

1/9/2016 4:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team trailed defending champion American by 16 with under seven minutes to play and was able to pull back within two in the final seconds, but the Mountain Hawks' rally fell just short as the Eagles earned a 59-55 victory Saturday afternoon in Stabler Arena. Lehigh falls to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in Patriot League play with the loss, while American improves to 4-11 overall and 2-2 in league action.

"American has had our number over the last three seasons and we knew they would be a tough matchup," said head coach Sue Troyan. "American took us out of what we wanted to do offensively and we really struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first half. It was a two possession game at the end, but the first half was really the difference in the game."

Junior Lexi Martins led Lehigh with her 12th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. Sophomore Quinci Mann followed with 14 points and three assists, while senior Elizabeth Jordan chipped in nine points. Lauren Crisler led a trio of double-figure scoring Eagles with 18 points.

Lehigh finished the game shooting 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the field, highlighted by a 50.0 percent (15-for-30) second-half clip. The Mountain Hawks went 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from three-point range and 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from the free-throw line. American shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-for-13) from downtown and 50.0 percent (4-for-8) from the charity stripe. American held a 40-32 rebound advantage.

Lehigh scored its first three points of the game from the free throw line before a Mann three-pointer tied the score at 6-6 and accounted for the Mountain Hawks' first field goal at the 5:13 mark of the opening quarter. Lehigh took a 9-8 lead following a trey from Jordan, but the Eagles held the Mountain Hawks to just two free throws the rest of the term and closed the quarter on a 10-2 run including a last-second half-court shot from Maria Liddane to carry an 18-11 lead into the second quarter.

Baskets from Mann and Martins helped Lehigh score four of the second quarter's first seven points to pull within six at 21-15 with 5:09 on the clock. The Eagles rattled off the next six points to extend their lead to 27-15 before a Martins free throw at the 2:41 mark broke the streak. A Mann three-pointer ended the half as American carried a 27-19 lead into the locker room.

The Mountain Hawks shot just 20.0 percent (5-for-25) from the field in the opening half, while American finished the opening half with a 38.7 (12-for-31) field goal percentage.

Freshman Hailey Pascoe sunk a jumper to open the second half before senior Kerry Kinek tossed in back-to-back layups to string together a 6-0 run and cut American's lead to 27-25, forcing the Eagles to call a timeout at the 7:30 mark of the third quarter. American answered with a 12-5 run over the next 6:36 to jump back ahead by nine at 39-30 with 1:02 remaining in the quarter before Jordan hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull Lehigh back within three at 39-36. The Eagles drained a three-pointer with 13 seconds left in the quarter to carry a 42-36 lead into the fourth quarter.

American scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take its largest lead of the game at 52-36 with 6:57 left on the clock. A conventional three-point play from Martins then sparked a 16-4 Mountain Hawk run that trimmed the American lead to 56-52 with 1:06 to play. The streak saw nine points from Martins as the Mountain Hawks went 7-for-8 from the field. A Mann three-pointer had Lehigh within two at 57-55 with 14 seconds to play, but American made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the 59-55 victory.

Next up, the Mountain Hawks hit the road to take on first-place Bucknell Wednesday at 7 p.m. Free video will be available on the Patriot League Network.

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