Devaney and Grundhoffer Net 20 as Lehigh Pulls Away from Loyola for Key Win

Wednesday, February 21

Bethlehem, Pa.

6 p.m.

Lehigh University

14-13, 8-8PL

Loyola

7-20, 5-11PL

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Loyola	9	21	14	11	55
Lehigh	16	16	15	17	64

Game Notes

Devaney and Grundhoffer Net 20 as Lehigh Pulls Away from Loyola for Key Win

2/21/2018 9:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior Bernadette Devaney tied a career-high with 20 points and sophomore Gena Grundhoffer also scored 20 to help the Lehigh women's basketball team pull away from Loyola 64-55 on Wednesday at Stabler Arena. Devaney shot 5-of-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while Grundhoffer was 5-for-11 on the offensive end and led the team with nine rebounds. Senior Quinci Mann also scored in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Camryn Buhr tallied seven points and six rebounds. The Mountain Hawks outshot Loyola 42.2 percent to 40 percent from the field and were 5-of-13 from downtown. Lehigh held a 36-33 edge in rebounds and a one-point advantage in points off turnovers, plus shot 14-for-19 from the free throw line.

The win clinches a first round bye for the Mountain Hawks in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh now sits at 14-13 (8-8 PL) while Loyola (7-20, 5-11 PL) drops their fifth straight.

"I was proud of our poise," said head coach Sue Troyan. "It could have gone either way. On the sideline they were focused in timeouts, they knew what they had to do and I thought they really did a good job coming out and executing, which was neat to see. If you're not doing those things and engaged or confident in what you're doing, it can go either way."

Mann hit an early three-pointer before Loyola tied it up 6-6 going into the media timeout at 4:43. Devaney answered a Loyola triple with a three of her own to get the lead back 11-9, which sparked an 8-0 Lehigh run to end the quarter. Cameryn Benz and Mann combined for three free throws and Buhr nailed a pull-up jumper in the closing seconds to make it 16-9 after one.

A Grundhoffer layup got the lead back to seven early in the second quarter, 20-13. Loyola then went on a 7-0 run, with five of the points coming off turnovers, forcing a Lehigh timeout at the 6:11 mark. Both team traded buckets following the timeout before Grundhoffer drained a straightaway three and a layup to make it 27-22. She made it eight straight after hauling in a rebound and going coast-to-coast with juke move, and hit the ensuing free throw after a foul to go up 30-22.

Loyola responded with an 8-2 run to close the half as Lehigh led 32-30. Both teams shot over 40 percent in the opening half, with Lehigh leading the way at 45.8 percent. The Lehigh bench also outscored the Loyola bench 11-0 with seven from Devaney and four from Benz.

"It was a game that Gena really needed," Troyan said. "She's been struggling a little bit to find the basket on a consistent level, but to have her see the ball go through the basket, hit some mid-range jumpers and some free throws, it was a really important game for her confidence going into the last two games."

Two straight Lehigh turnovers led to four quick points for Loyola, giving them a 36-32 lead two minutes into the third quarter. Lehigh missed seven shots in a row as Loyola's run extended to 18-4 and gave them the 40-34 lead. Devaney broke the run with back-to-back threes to tie it, then retied it 42-42 with a layup at the 2:05 mark. Lehigh closed the frame with five straight points, starting with Mariah Sexe retying the game in the final minute with two free throws. Grundhoffer hit three free throws with one second left after being fouled attempting a shot at the horn to give Lehigh the 47-44 edge after three.

"Bernie's playing like a senior guard should," Troyan said. "She just has a good sense for the game and it's like having a coach out on the floor. She made big shots when we needed them and had those two big threes when we were down by six. Quinci did a great job of finding her and she hit back-to-back threes to tie it up. She had some big drives and finishes that we ran for her and really played a great floor game."

Devaney made it a 7-0 Lehigh run to make it 49-44 in the opening minute of the fourth. Loyola cut it to one on two separate occasions at the 7:52 and 3:39 marks, but Lehigh closed the game on a 9-2 run thanks to a Buhr jumper, and eight straight points from the charity stripe, including three from Grundhoffer and four from Devaney.

Lehigh will stay in the valley for their next game this Saturday afternoon at Lafayette. Tip off from the Kirby Sports Center in Easton is set for 2 p.m.

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