Saturday, November 23
Moraga, Calif.
8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. locally)
Lehigh University
3-4,0-0Patriot
66
at
77
Saint Mary's
5-1,0-0WCC
1
2
F
Lehigh
32
34
66
Saint Mary's (CA)
35
42
77
Lehigh gives Saint Mary’s all it can handle in 77-66 defeat
11/23/2019 11:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. – The Lehigh men's basketball team played preseason top 25 team Saint Mary's tightly until the final whistle, but the Gaels held on in the end for the 77-66 victory on Saturday at McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary's created a bit of separation in the second half, going up by 13. However, the Mountain Hawks wouldn't go away, pulling back within seven on multiple occasions in the final minute, but the Gaels hit enough free throws to keep Lehigh at arm's length. Senior Jordan Cohen was stellar to lead the Mountain Hawks' offense, scoring a season-high 26 points while dishing five assists.
"We played against a very good team. This was a team coming off a conference tournament championship over Gonzaga," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "That tells you about the stature of this program. We did take the game to them and didn't back down. In the first half, we took care of the ball, got quality shots and spaced the floor, but in the second half, we had some lapses where turnovers were a little too high and we were trying to make a few too many plays. Saint Mary's didn't necessarily have a high volume of offensive rebounds, but they were timely and could have been the difference in the game."
Along with Cohen's 26 points, junior James Karnik had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in seven games this season, and ninth of his career. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range.
"I was really happy for Jordan," said Reed. "We've needed Jordan to step to the forefront; he going to be a performance leader for us. He doesn't have to make every play for us, but we need him to be a critical cog. Tonight, he stepped forward with a great deal of confidence, was aggressive and tried to make some plays."
Lehigh scored the most points by any team against the Gaels this season (which includes an overtime game in which Wisconsin scored 63). The Mountain Hawks also held Saint Mary's to 68 points before the Gaels connected on nine free throws in the final minute with Lehigh fouling to extend the game.
The Mountain Hawks had a chance from the very beginning. Saint Mary's actually opened an early 12-4 lead, but Lehigh responded with a 14-4 run to take its first lead of the contest. Cohen scored nine of the points in the run, which ended with a Wilson basket to give the Mountain Hawks an 18-16 advantage with 10:06 on the first-half clock.
A Jordan Ford 3-pointer gave the Gaels the lead back with 8:14 left in the first. Saint Mary's wouldn't trail the rest of the game, but Lehigh made the perennial West Coast Conference power earn it.
A Wilson trey with 5:23 on the clock pulled the Mountain Hawks back within one at 27-26.
The Gaels extended their lead back to seven, but four straight Lehigh points to end the half, capped off by a pretty give-and-go ending in a Cohen layup following a timeout, pulled Lehigh within 35-32 at the half.
Cohen scored on Lehigh's first second-half possession to pull within one, but Saint Mary's slowly extended its advantage from there. The margin reached double figures with 11:49 on the clock and 13 with 8:42 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks continued to battle.
A Marques Wilson layup with 4:40 remaining got Lehigh back within single digits at 62-54.
The Mountain Hawks pulled within seven twice in the final minute, but couldn't pull any closer as Saint Mary's hit nine free throws in the final 57 seconds for the 77-66 final.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 49.0 percent from the field (24-of-49) and 33.3 percent from 3-point range (4-of-12). Saint Mary's finished at 41.1 percent (23-of-56) and 40.0 percent from long distance (10-of-25). Final rebounds were tied at 29 apiece.
"We've got a lot of building material that if we can continue to put it together, it's going to be a positive season," said Reed. "This is a team that is defending with pride, this is a team that's trusting each other and they're executing some of the small things.
"I believe we have the pieces. I see these guys embracing each other and one thing I liked is when things started getting a little sticky out there, we had guys stepping into the challenge and encouraging each other. There was some good leadership on the floor, there was some good energy on the floor and for the most part, pretty good communication."
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Mountain Hawks travel to Columbia on Saturday to face the Lions. Gametime is set for 4 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Gallery: (11/23/2019) Men's Basketball at Saint Mary's
"We played against a very good team. This was a team coming off a conference tournament championship over Gonzaga," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "That tells you about the stature of this program. We did take the game to them and didn't back down. In the first half, we took care of the ball, got quality shots and spaced the floor, but in the second half, we had some lapses where turnovers were a little too high and we were trying to make a few too many plays. Saint Mary's didn't necessarily have a high volume of offensive rebounds, but they were timely and could have been the difference in the game."
Along with Cohen's 26 points, junior James Karnik had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in seven games this season, and ninth of his career. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range.
"I was really happy for Jordan," said Reed. "We've needed Jordan to step to the forefront; he going to be a performance leader for us. He doesn't have to make every play for us, but we need him to be a critical cog. Tonight, he stepped forward with a great deal of confidence, was aggressive and tried to make some plays."
TOUGH finish for Jordan Cohen then James Karnik takes the charge on the other end and the Mountain Hawks are within 12-6 at our first media timeout - 14:42 left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/myC6RPD0Gx
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
Lehigh scored the most points by any team against the Gaels this season (which includes an overtime game in which Wisconsin scored 63). The Mountain Hawks also held Saint Mary's to 68 points before the Gaels connected on nine free throws in the final minute with Lehigh fouling to extend the game.
The Mountain Hawks had a chance from the very beginning. Saint Mary's actually opened an early 12-4 lead, but Lehigh responded with a 14-4 run to take its first lead of the contest. Cohen scored nine of the points in the run, which ended with a Wilson basket to give the Mountain Hawks an 18-16 advantage with 10:06 on the first-half clock.
A Jordan Ford 3-pointer gave the Gaels the lead back with 8:14 left in the first. Saint Mary's wouldn't trail the rest of the game, but Lehigh made the perennial West Coast Conference power earn it.
A Wilson trey with 5:23 on the clock pulled the Mountain Hawks back within one at 27-26.
Jeameril Wilson FOR 3 and the Mountain Hawks are PUMPED pic.twitter.com/yapcwUYdwP
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
The Gaels extended their lead back to seven, but four straight Lehigh points to end the half, capped off by a pretty give-and-go ending in a Cohen layup following a timeout, pulled Lehigh within 35-32 at the half.
What a way to end the half!! Tremendous play call out of the timeout and the Mountain Hawks are within 35-32 of Saint Mary's at the half. What a game. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/9QfaDz6CU5
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
Cohen scored on Lehigh's first second-half possession to pull within one, but Saint Mary's slowly extended its advantage from there. The margin reached double figures with 11:49 on the clock and 13 with 8:42 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks continued to battle.
A Marques Wilson layup with 4:40 remaining got Lehigh back within single digits at 62-54.
How did he finish that? Great move by Marques. Watch: https://t.co/237U8i4RI2 pic.twitter.com/9mpeCnd6JT
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
The Mountain Hawks pulled within seven twice in the final minute, but couldn't pull any closer as Saint Mary's hit nine free throws in the final 57 seconds for the 77-66 final.
Mountain Hawks will NOT go away. Karnik finishes the alley-oop and Lehigh is back within seven in the final minute. Watch: https://t.co/237U8i4RI2 pic.twitter.com/I8425JBJTL
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 49.0 percent from the field (24-of-49) and 33.3 percent from 3-point range (4-of-12). Saint Mary's finished at 41.1 percent (23-of-56) and 40.0 percent from long distance (10-of-25). Final rebounds were tied at 29 apiece.
"We've got a lot of building material that if we can continue to put it together, it's going to be a positive season," said Reed. "This is a team that is defending with pride, this is a team that's trusting each other and they're executing some of the small things.
"I believe we have the pieces. I see these guys embracing each other and one thing I liked is when things started getting a little sticky out there, we had guys stepping into the challenge and encouraging each other. There was some good leadership on the floor, there was some good energy on the floor and for the most part, pretty good communication."
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Mountain Hawks travel to Columbia on Saturday to face the Lions. Gametime is set for 4 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Coach @BrettReed's thoughts following tonight's hard-fought contest at Saint Mary's. pic.twitter.com/q81kFVXUZC
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2019
Team Stats
Lehigh
SMC
FG%
.490
.411
3FG%
.333
.400
FT%
.824
.778
RB
29
29
TO
14
5
STL
3
11
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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