Wednesday, December 4
Loretto, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
3-6,0-0Patriot
69
at
77
Saint Francis (Pa.)
4-4,0-0NEC
1
2
F
Lehigh
42
27
69
Saint Francis (PA)
36
41
77
Photo by: JD Cavrich
Lehigh drops another competitive contest, 77-69 at SFU despite several big performances
12/4/2019 10:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LORETTO, Pa. – Senior Jordan Cohen, junior James Karnik and freshman Reed Fenton combined for 53 points, but it wasn't enough in the end as the Lehigh men's basketball team fell to a second-half Saint Francis (Pa.) rally, 77-69 on Wednesday evening. Cohen scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half to help the Mountain Hawks open a 42-36 halftime advantage, but Lehigh shot just 36.4 percent in the second half (and only 13.3 percent from 3-point range) while turning the ball over eight times. Wednesday wrapped up Lehigh's four-game road swing as the Mountain Hawks return home Saturday to host Yale at 7 p.m.
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"We weren't able to convert in those moments in the second half," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I love the ball movement and I love our opportunities. They were squared up, catch-and-shoot shots, but we couldn't knock them down. It's a matter of converting.
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"You can live with made or missed shots, but I was really disappointed with the number of turnovers in the second half," Reed continued. "In the first half, we were controlling the game and had momentum. Then, we lost a little bit of that momentum due to turnovers. We need to come out of the locker room and be able to execute, take care of the ball, extend the lead and push forward versus letting another team back into it."
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Cohen's 22 points marked his third straight game eclipsing 20 points, a career-high streak. He was 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the first half to help spark the offense. Meanwhile, Karnik tallied his fourth double-double of the season (in nine games), scoring 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, and grabbing 13 rebounds to tie a career high.
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"James has been a warrior for us and he's done a really nice job," said Reed. "He's rebounded the ball, he's bringing a presence and he's generally one of our better communicators as well. We knew Jordan and James would have to be performance leaders for us and in the last few games, they've really tried to answer that call."
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Playing an hour from his hometown of Latrobe, Pa., Fenton scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Freshman Evan Taylor added nine points.
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The Mountain Hawks scored the game's first four points behind baskets from Cohen and Karnik. Fenton finished a baseline dunk to give the Mountain Hawks a 9-4 advantage, with the lead reaching eight (13-5) after a pair of Taylor free throws with 13:24 left in the first half.
The Red Flash pulled within five, but two 3-pointers in just over a minute – from Fenton and Cohen – gave Lehigh a 26-17 lead with 7:45 on the clock.
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Cohen later added two more treys in the span of 22 seconds to help the Mountain Hawks retake a nine-point, 34-25 advantage, with 4:31 left in the first.
Saint Francis pulled within four with less than 10 seconds remaining, but on the other end, Cohen drew a foul and hit 2-of-3 free throws to give Lehigh a 42-36 halftime lead.
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Lehigh extended its lead to eight very early in the second half, but the Red Flash responded with an 8-0 run to pull even at 46 apiece.
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Saint Francis took its first lead of the game (54-53) following a 3-pointer with 12:15 left in the second half. The Mountain Hawks kept fighting back to within one, eventually tying the score at 64 following a Cohen layup with 4:15 remaining. Then less than a minute later, Karnik finished a thunderous dunk to give the Mountain Hawks a 66-64 edge.
But on the other end, Saint Francis' Isaiah Blackman knocked down a trey to give the Red Flash the lead for good. Lehigh remained within two possessions for most of the ensuing minutes, when the Mountain Hawks were forced to foul.
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For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 45.9 percent from the field (28-of-61), including 31.8 percent from 3-point range. Saint Francis finished at 42.9 percent (27-of-63) and 22.7 percent from long distance (5-of-22). The Mountain Hawks held a 39-35 edge in rebounds. Lehigh had 15 turnovers while Saint Francis made just seven.
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"We need to figure out how to refine small things," said Reed. "This was a single possession game. We didn't make enough plays, Saint Francis did and it led to a little bit of separation and the free throw game. It was anybody's game for a long period of time."
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The Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host Yale on Saturday at 7 p.m. It's Home Alone Night along with a Toys for Tots Drive. Fans who donate a toy receive FREE admission to the game. Wear an Ugly Sweater to be chosen for on-court contests. To purchase tickets, please click here.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
ÂGallery: (12/4/2019) Men's Basketball at Saint Francis (Pa.)
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"We weren't able to convert in those moments in the second half," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I love the ball movement and I love our opportunities. They were squared up, catch-and-shoot shots, but we couldn't knock them down. It's a matter of converting.
Â
"You can live with made or missed shots, but I was really disappointed with the number of turnovers in the second half," Reed continued. "In the first half, we were controlling the game and had momentum. Then, we lost a little bit of that momentum due to turnovers. We need to come out of the locker room and be able to execute, take care of the ball, extend the lead and push forward versus letting another team back into it."
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Cohen's 22 points marked his third straight game eclipsing 20 points, a career-high streak. He was 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the first half to help spark the offense. Meanwhile, Karnik tallied his fourth double-double of the season (in nine games), scoring 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, and grabbing 13 rebounds to tie a career high.
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"James has been a warrior for us and he's done a really nice job," said Reed. "He's rebounded the ball, he's bringing a presence and he's generally one of our better communicators as well. We knew Jordan and James would have to be performance leaders for us and in the last few games, they've really tried to answer that call."
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Playing an hour from his hometown of Latrobe, Pa., Fenton scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Freshman Evan Taylor added nine points.
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The Mountain Hawks scored the game's first four points behind baskets from Cohen and Karnik. Fenton finished a baseline dunk to give the Mountain Hawks a 9-4 advantage, with the lead reaching eight (13-5) after a pair of Taylor free throws with 13:24 left in the first half.
ÂReed Fenton, WELCOME HOME! Fenton throws down the slam to put the Mountain Hawks up by five. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/g7w3UfFs7k
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2019
The Red Flash pulled within five, but two 3-pointers in just over a minute – from Fenton and Cohen – gave Lehigh a 26-17 lead with 7:45 on the clock.
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Cohen later added two more treys in the span of 22 seconds to help the Mountain Hawks retake a nine-point, 34-25 advantage, with 4:31 left in the first.
ÂAgain!! Cohen drills another trey to stop the Red Flash Run. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/hqcukYk2wh
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2019
Saint Francis pulled within four with less than 10 seconds remaining, but on the other end, Cohen drew a foul and hit 2-of-3 free throws to give Lehigh a 42-36 halftime lead.
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Lehigh extended its lead to eight very early in the second half, but the Red Flash responded with an 8-0 run to pull even at 46 apiece.
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Saint Francis took its first lead of the game (54-53) following a 3-pointer with 12:15 left in the second half. The Mountain Hawks kept fighting back to within one, eventually tying the score at 64 following a Cohen layup with 4:15 remaining. Then less than a minute later, Karnik finished a thunderous dunk to give the Mountain Hawks a 66-64 edge.
Jordan Cohen. Wow 😮 To tie it up, 64 apiece at our final media timeout. Watch live: https://t.co/u56CJiQBIH. #SCTop10 #PLTop3 pic.twitter.com/uUgoFTefp1
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2019
ÂJames Karnik the dunk, and the lead! pic.twitter.com/coJm6Sn5Ti
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2019
But on the other end, Saint Francis' Isaiah Blackman knocked down a trey to give the Red Flash the lead for good. Lehigh remained within two possessions for most of the ensuing minutes, when the Mountain Hawks were forced to foul.
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For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 45.9 percent from the field (28-of-61), including 31.8 percent from 3-point range. Saint Francis finished at 42.9 percent (27-of-63) and 22.7 percent from long distance (5-of-22). The Mountain Hawks held a 39-35 edge in rebounds. Lehigh had 15 turnovers while Saint Francis made just seven.
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"We need to figure out how to refine small things," said Reed. "This was a single possession game. We didn't make enough plays, Saint Francis did and it led to a little bit of separation and the free throw game. It was anybody's game for a long period of time."
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The Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host Yale on Saturday at 7 p.m. It's Home Alone Night along with a Toys for Tots Drive. Fans who donate a toy receive FREE admission to the game. Wear an Ugly Sweater to be chosen for on-court contests. To purchase tickets, please click here.
Â
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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ÂWe caught up with Coach @BrettReed following tonight's contest at Saint Francis (Pa.). pic.twitter.com/BQWYUZMJ72
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2019
Team Stats
Lehigh
SFU
FG%
.459
.429
3FG%
.318
.227
FT%
.600
.857
RB
39
35
TO
15
7
STL
1
6
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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