Lehigh University
Lafayette
Mountain Hawks Start League Play With Rival Lafayette Thursday
1/2/2019 3:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore Mary Clougherty led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 14 points, as three other Mountain Hawks reached double figures in scoring, a feat that Lehigh has now done four times this year. Clougherty's set a new career high in scoring with her 14 points against the Irish; breaking the 12 points she scored against Cornell earlier this season, which at the time was a new career high in scoring.
Although suffering a loss is never anything to write about, the Mountain Hawks were a part of history; as former Lehigh head coach and current Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw recorded her 900th career win as a head coach. McGraw is the fourth fastest coach in all of Division. 1 basketball (men's and women's) to get to 900 victories, as she joins Geno Auriemma, Pat Summit and Tara VanDerveer. McGraw collected 88 of her 900 wins at Lehigh, where she coached the Mountain Hawks from 1982-87.
Lehigh got its bench involved throughout the game, as 30 points were chipped in from the reserves. This is the third highest on the season, with 37 points scored by the bench against Kutztown and 36 points scored against LIU Brooklyn from the bench.
Coming out of non-league play, Lehigh stands at 8-3, with the other two losses to Villanova and Charlotte. Lehigh has not had a losing streak this season, rattling off at least two consecutive wins after its first two setbacks.
Lehigh will continue to ride the bus, as it continues a three-game road stretch, concluding at Navy on January 6. This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that Lehigh has started Patriot League play on the road when they traveled to Army West Point to battle the Black Knights in West Point, N.Y. This will also be the second straight season that Lehigh and Lafayette have started league play against each other, and the first time since the 2000-01 season that the Mountain Hawks have begun Patriot League in Easton.
Junior Camryn Buhr continues to lead Lehigh in scoring, posting 13.3 points per game so far this season. Buhr is also the leading rebounder with 6.7 rebounds per game. Hannah Hedstrom leads the Mountain Hawks in steals per game (1.9) and minutes played per game (29.4).
First meeting in 1975, Lehigh currently has a 49-44 advantage over Lafayette in the rivalry, with the Mountain Hawks winning eight of the last 10 and winners of six straight contests.
Lafayette comes into league play with a record of 5-6, with notable wins against Fairleigh Dickinson, Binghamton, Wagner and Albany. The Leopards most recently lost to LIU Brooklyn, who earned its first win of the season against Lafayette.
Natalie Kucowski continues to be the driving force for Lafayette, leading the Leopards in points per game (14.3), assists per game (2.7), rebounds per game (11.5) and blocks per game (2.2).
The Mountain Hawks and Leopards have played four common opponents this season, with both squads facing Binghamton, Monmouth, Cornell and LIU Brooklyn. Against those four squads; Lehigh went 4-0 while Lafayette went 2-2, losing to Cornell and LIU Brooklyn.
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Date: |
January 3, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 P.M. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Kirby Sports Center |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 8-3, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Notre Dame Record: | 5-6, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh 49-44 |
| Audio: | http://www.lvfoxsports.com |
| Television: | RCN 4 (Lehigh Valley) |
| Internet Video: | PatriotLeague.TV |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Lafayette Official Website |
