Saturday, November 30
New York, N.Y.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
3-5,0-0Patriot
64
at
68
Columbia
3-5,0-0Ivy League
1
2
F
Lehigh
32
32
64
Columbia
32
36
68
Columbia pulls out close one against Mountain Hawks
11/30/2019 8:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – In a back-and-forth game that went down to the wire, Columbia used a late 7-0 run to take a 65-58 lead, which proved too much for the Lehigh men's basketball team to overcome as the Mountain Hawks dropped their third straight game (all on the road), 68-64 on Saturday. Lehigh struggled to contain Columbia's leading scorer Mike Smith, who finished with 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Senior Jordan Cohen led the Mountain Hawks with 20 points, his second straight game with 20+ points. He came ever-so-close to pulling Lehigh even in the final minute, but an offensive foul was called against Cohen to wipe out a basket.
"We weren't able to control [Smith] and he pretty much took over the game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "He accounted for so much of their point production tonight – from what he was able to convert and also, his assist numbers as well (6). I thought we did a poor job on some of our defensive on-ball screen execution in the first half. When he didn't score, he was throwing it to the open man because we were a little bit too low and out of position in some of our coverages. It allowed some of their shooters to start feeling pretty good about their shots.
"In the second half, a lot more of it was isolation basketball where through cleared angles and cleared sides because of movement, they gave him the space he needed. We didn't do a good enough job neutralizing him."
Cohen shot 9-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Senior James Karnik continued his strong play with eight points and 12 boards to tie a season high. Freshman Evan Taylor added eight points, seven coming before the first media timeout, and junior Marques Wilson scored seven.
"Jordan can be a shot maker," said Reed. "He had some of the space that he needed and he was assertive and aggressive, which is a really positive sign for us. We need him to continue to play at that level. The fact that he's put it together in back-to-back games is a really promising sign for us."
The Mountain Hawks got off to a strong start. Taylor began the game with a 3-pointer while freshman Jake Betlow rounded out the run, knocking down a trey of his own for a 17-8 advantage with 12:22 left in the first half.
The Lions began to catch fire midway through the stanza. With Lehigh leading 19-11, Columba went on a 13-2 run, using 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to open a 24-21 lead with 7:35 on the first-half clock.
The Lions led for the remainder of the half, extending their advantage to five, but Cohen went on a personal 5-0 run in the final minute as his 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining evened the score at 32 following 20 minutes of play.
The game of runs continued in the second half. Columbia enjoyed a strong start, retaking a five-point lead in the opening minutes. Trailing 49-44, Lehigh went on a 10-2 run to take a 54-51 lead with 9:22 remaining after four consecutive Cohen points.
A Marques Wilson basket gave the Mountain Hawks a 56-55 advantage with 7:24 remaining, but Columbia used a 10-2 run (which included a 7-0 run to break a 58-58 tie) to take its largest lead, 65-58, with 3:17 remaining.
Lehigh clawed back, scoring four straight points, and had a chance in the final minute down just three. Cohen drove hard to the hoop, but was called for an offensive foul with 35 seconds remaining to wipe out the basket.
Columbia followed by hitting enough free throws down the stretch for the victory.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 46.8 percent from the field (29-of-62), including 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-19). Columbia finished at 47.3 percent (26-of-55) and 40.9 percent from long distance (9-of-22). The Mountain Hawks won the battle of the boards, 34-29.
"In the big picture, I thought the ball actually moved from side-to-side on the floor a little bit better today," said Reed. "We had some more clean and open opportunities. We played off each other a little bit more than we had in some previous games when we had to orchestrate some sets."
The Mountain Hawks wrap up their four-game road swing on Wednesday when they travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) for a 7 p.m. opening tipoff.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Gallery: (11/30/2019) Men's Basketball at Columbia, 11/30/19
"We weren't able to control [Smith] and he pretty much took over the game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "He accounted for so much of their point production tonight – from what he was able to convert and also, his assist numbers as well (6). I thought we did a poor job on some of our defensive on-ball screen execution in the first half. When he didn't score, he was throwing it to the open man because we were a little bit too low and out of position in some of our coverages. It allowed some of their shooters to start feeling pretty good about their shots.
"In the second half, a lot more of it was isolation basketball where through cleared angles and cleared sides because of movement, they gave him the space he needed. We didn't do a good enough job neutralizing him."
Cohen shot 9-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Senior James Karnik continued his strong play with eight points and 12 boards to tie a season high. Freshman Evan Taylor added eight points, seven coming before the first media timeout, and junior Marques Wilson scored seven.
Evan Taylor with seven early points, including this pretty finish. pic.twitter.com/ZclTJoKaDZ
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 30, 2019
"Jordan can be a shot maker," said Reed. "He had some of the space that he needed and he was assertive and aggressive, which is a really positive sign for us. We need him to continue to play at that level. The fact that he's put it together in back-to-back games is a really promising sign for us."
The Mountain Hawks got off to a strong start. Taylor began the game with a 3-pointer while freshman Jake Betlow rounded out the run, knocking down a trey of his own for a 17-8 advantage with 12:22 left in the first half.
The kickout, the swish by Betlow! Mountain Hawks currently lead 17-11 at the under-12 media timeout. Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/0EzW5EXTRZ pic.twitter.com/3FRyJ3EhN1
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 30, 2019
The Lions began to catch fire midway through the stanza. With Lehigh leading 19-11, Columba went on a 13-2 run, using 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to open a 24-21 lead with 7:35 on the first-half clock.
The Lions led for the remainder of the half, extending their advantage to five, but Cohen went on a personal 5-0 run in the final minute as his 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining evened the score at 32 following 20 minutes of play.
Jordan Cohen 👌🏼 pulls us even at 32-32 at the half at Columbia! Jordan with 1️⃣0️⃣ first-half points. pic.twitter.com/fsP3GgQaOU
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 30, 2019
The game of runs continued in the second half. Columbia enjoyed a strong start, retaking a five-point lead in the opening minutes. Trailing 49-44, Lehigh went on a 10-2 run to take a 54-51 lead with 9:22 remaining after four consecutive Cohen points.
Jordan Cohen at it again. Another "how did he finish that?" shot! Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/0EzW5EXTRZ pic.twitter.com/M2PZucfBnN
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 30, 2019
A Marques Wilson basket gave the Mountain Hawks a 56-55 advantage with 7:24 remaining, but Columbia used a 10-2 run (which included a 7-0 run to break a 58-58 tie) to take its largest lead, 65-58, with 3:17 remaining.
Lehigh clawed back, scoring four straight points, and had a chance in the final minute down just three. Cohen drove hard to the hoop, but was called for an offensive foul with 35 seconds remaining to wipe out the basket.
Big play here as Cohen is called for an offensive foul. If it was called a block, Cohen would be going to the line looking to tie with 35.0 seconds to go. pic.twitter.com/5kfIAjs5Po
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 30, 2019
Columbia followed by hitting enough free throws down the stretch for the victory.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 46.8 percent from the field (29-of-62), including 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-19). Columbia finished at 47.3 percent (26-of-55) and 40.9 percent from long distance (9-of-22). The Mountain Hawks won the battle of the boards, 34-29.
"In the big picture, I thought the ball actually moved from side-to-side on the floor a little bit better today," said Reed. "We had some more clean and open opportunities. We played off each other a little bit more than we had in some previous games when we had to orchestrate some sets."
The Mountain Hawks wrap up their four-game road swing on Wednesday when they travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) for a 7 p.m. opening tipoff.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Lehigh
CU
FG%
.468
.473
3FG%
.263
.409
FT%
.500
.583
RB
34
29
TO
13
12
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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