Sunday, November 27
Stabler Arena
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
4-3
62
vs
73
Monmouth
2-3
1
2
3
4
F
Monmouth
17
16
28
12
73
Lehigh
15
17
25
5
62
Monmouth Holds off Lehigh 73-62 in Christmas City Classic
11/27/2016 6:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team dropped their second game in as many days at the Christmas City Classic on Sunday with a 73-62 setback to Monmouth. Junior Quinci Mann led all scorers with 21 points to go along with three rebounds and a team-high three assists. Freshman Gena Grundhoffer added 17 points and nine rebounds, freshman Camryn Buhr had six points and three rebounds, while junior Bernadette Devaney had six points, two rebounds and two assists. The win moves Monmouth to 2-3 on the season, while Lehigh drops to 4-3.
Mann was one of six players named to the all-tournament team after scoring a team-best 34 points in the two games to go along with six rebounds, four assists and one steal. She shot 40.7 percent (11-for-27) on the weekend, including 50 percent (5-for-10) from three-point range. Hartford defeated Norfolk State 61-51 in the nightcap to win the tournament.
"I think any time you lose back-to-back games, it's an opportunity to see what you need to work on," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "I think we learned a lot about ourselves and it's going to be a process with a younger team. There's a lot that we need to get better at on both the offensive and defensive ends. If we commit to getting better, then we'll improve. That's why we're playing these games and I think you can learn as much about yourself from a loss as you can from a win."
The two teams went back and forth throughout the first quarter, with Grundhoffer giving Lehigh the initial 3-0 lead on a straightaway three-pointer. Consecutive layups by Mae Williams and Hannah Hedstrom gave Lehigh a five point, 11-6 lead at the 5:50 mark before Monmouth pulled back ahead with six straight points. Devaney gave the Mountain Hawks the lead coming out of the media timeout with a layup, before Tyese Purvis hit one of her three triples on the day to give Monmouth the 15-13 lead.
Trailing by two entering the second quarter, Buhr put Lehigh back on top 21-20 with a layup two minutes into the period. After a Grundhoffer basket tied it at 23-23, Monmouth answered with an 8-0 run over the next two minutes thanks to a pair of threes from Kayla Shaw and a Helena Kurt layup. Lehigh struck back with a 7-0 run of their own over the final 3:18. Five points from Mann and a pair of free throws from Grundhoffer helped Lehigh get within 33-32 going into the half.
The Hawks and the Mountain Hawks went back and forth over the first few minutes of the third quarter, as the two teams traded four straight three pointers in as many possessions. Mann hit back-to-back threes to give Lehigh a pair of two point leads before Buhr put Lehigh up 42-41 with a jumper at the 6:56 mark. Monmouth responded with another run of 14-2 to build an 11-point lead of 55-44. Six points from Grundhoffer and a three-pointer by Hailey Pascoe moved Lehigh with four with two and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
Trailing 61-57 entering the fourth quarter, Monmouth put the game out of reach by running off the first 10 points of the frame, and holding the Mountain Hawks to just 1-of-14 shooting over the final 10 minutes. The Hawks outscored Lehigh 12-5 in the fourth to pull away for the 73-62 final.
Monmouth shot 41.4 percent on the afternoon and was 12-for-38 (31.6 percent) from beyond the arch. Lehigh held a 47-43 edge on the boards.
"We've been inconsistent with our play and taking care of the basketball," Troyan said. "That and execution down the stretch have got to be the areas where we've got to do a better job.
"They're a three-point shooting team," Troyan said of Monmouth. "A big part of our defensive game plan was taking away the three and we didn't do a very good job of defending the three-point line in this game."
Lehigh will next take to the court on Wednesday night when they will host NJIT at Stabler Arena.
All-Tournament Team
MVP: Lindsey Abed, Hartford
Sierra DaCosta, Hartford
Kayla Roberts, Norfolk State
Jordan Strode, Norfolk State
Christina Mitchell, Monmouth
Quinci Mann, Lehigh
Team Stats
MONW
LEHIGH
FG%
.414
.318
3FG%
.316
.308
FT%
.375
.762
RB
43
47
TO
20
23
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballLehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
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