Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, January 11
Washington, D.C.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
12-3,4-0Patriot
64
at
63
American
6-8,2-2Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Lehigh
14
20
16
14
64
American
13
19
19
12
63
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Late game heroics propels Lehigh to fifth straight win, 64-63 at American
1/11/2020 6:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON — After trailing by four points in the final 40 seconds of the game, the Lehigh women's basketball team used clutch shots from Cameryn Benz and then Camryn Buhr with just 2.7 seconds left to end the game on a 5-0 push and come out with the 64-63 victory over American at Bender Arena Saturday afternoon.
The victory snaps a seven-game losing streak to the Eagles dating back to the 2016-17 season and keeps the Mountain Hawks (12-3, 4-0 Patriot) undefeated in league play and extends a five-game win streak.
Lehigh and American played a tightly contested first quarter with the Mountain Hawks surging ahead first, 4-0 after back-to-back jumpers from Megan Walker. Lehigh led by four, 8-4 heading into the media timeout with 4:33 remaining. The Eagles ended the quarter on a 9-6 run, with Lehigh hanging tightly to a 14-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.
With 6:30 remaining, Hannah Hedstrom got back into her rhythm from the perimeter, converting on her first 3-pointer of the afternoon to put Lehigh up by six, 24-18. The Mountain Hawks' lead stayed at six, 26-20 at the media timeout with 4:50 left in the second.
Lehigh took its largest lead of the game to that point at eight points with 1:08 left on an Emma Grothaus layup, but American ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to cut Lehigh's halftime lead to just two points, 34-32.
The Mountain Hawks shot an efficient 41.9 percent (13-for-31) from the field in the first half, but AU was 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from the field including 25 percent (3-for-12) from distance.
After Buhr extended Lehigh's lead back up to four points with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter, the Eagles went on a 7-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 39-38 with 7:00 left after Indeya Sanders scored on a fast-break jumper.
American extended its lead to as many as six points on two occasions before a Grothaus jumper brought Lehigh back within four points, 46-42 with 4:16 to play. Kaitlyn Marenyi made a 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the third quarter to give AU a seven-point, 51-44 lead, but the Mountain Hawks ended the quarter on a run of their own, scoring six unanswered points, capped off by a Grothaus layup with just five seconds left to trim the AU lead to 51-50 heading into the final stanza.
The Eagles out-scored Lehigh, 8-4 heading into the first media timeout of the fourth quarter, leading 53-50 with 4:18 on the clock. Jade Edwards went to the line and got AU ahead by five, 61-56, but Walker drilled a 3 with 1:59 left to cut the AU lead to 61-59.
Edwards put American up by four points with 40 seconds left, before Benz took a 3-point jumper off the Hedstrom inbounds pass to bring Lehigh back within one, 63-62 with 38 seconds left. With nine seconds on the clock, Edwards missed a jumper that ended up in the hands of Benz, as the Mountain Hawks called a full timeout.
With seven seconds remaining, Buhr made a move to the hoop and got a shot off and in to give Lehigh a 64-63 lead with just 2.7 seconds on the clock. Maddie Doring missed a layup for American in the final second of play, putting the finishing touches on a 64-63 comeback victory for Lehigh in Washington.
"Cam Benz hit the big three to put us within one point, got defensive stops when we needed to down the stretch and put the ball in our best player's hands, Cam Buhr, and she does that type of thing for you."
Emma Grothaus led the way for the Mountain Hawks with 14 points, adding 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Cameryn Benz added 13 points with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Camryn Buhr and Megan Walker each notched 10 points, as four players scored in double-figures for the third time this season.
Senior guard Hannah Hedstrom finished with three points, three rebounds and three assists on the game, most notably gathering a defensive board late in the third quarter to become just the second player in program history to tally at least 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. She's the first player since Jessica Mudry did so from 1992-96.
"Hannah put herself in pretty good company with one of my all-time favorite players," said Troyan. "Jess was the first player I ever recruited to come to Lehigh. She was a competitive kid, honestly and like Hannah, just left everything out on the floor and it speaks volumes to Hannah in terms of what she's done for our program."
The Mountain Hawks finished out the game shooting 42.9 percent (24-for-56) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-for-12) from beyond-the-arc and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) from the free throw line. They scored 17 points on 11 American turnovers, out-rebounded AU, 36-35 and had 24 bench points to the Eagles' 11.
The win is Lehigh's ninth straight regular season league victory dating back to the tail-end of last season and the team's fifth straight win this season, tying a season-high after the Mountain Hawks started the 2019-20 season 5-0. This is also the team's best start since the 2009-10 season when Lehigh started the year 13-2 after the first 15 games.
The Mountain Hawks have Navy up next on Wednesday evening in Annapolis for a rematch of the first league game of the season, where Lehigh came up victorious, 70-40, at Stabler Arena on Jan. 2.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Gallery: (1/11/2020) Women's Basketball at American, 1/11/20
The victory snaps a seven-game losing streak to the Eagles dating back to the 2016-17 season and keeps the Mountain Hawks (12-3, 4-0 Patriot) undefeated in league play and extends a five-game win streak.
Lehigh and American played a tightly contested first quarter with the Mountain Hawks surging ahead first, 4-0 after back-to-back jumpers from Megan Walker. Lehigh led by four, 8-4 heading into the media timeout with 4:33 remaining. The Eagles ended the quarter on a 9-6 run, with Lehigh hanging tightly to a 14-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Megan Walker's second basket put Lehigh up 4-0. She has four points early on. Watch: @PatriotLeagueTV. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/xf2X8neh5C
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 11, 2020
With 6:30 remaining, Hannah Hedstrom got back into her rhythm from the perimeter, converting on her first 3-pointer of the afternoon to put Lehigh up by six, 24-18. The Mountain Hawks' lead stayed at six, 26-20 at the media timeout with 4:50 left in the second.
Lehigh took its largest lead of the game to that point at eight points with 1:08 left on an Emma Grothaus layup, but American ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to cut Lehigh's halftime lead to just two points, 34-32.
The Mountain Hawks shot an efficient 41.9 percent (13-for-31) from the field in the first half, but AU was 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from the field including 25 percent (3-for-12) from distance.
After Buhr extended Lehigh's lead back up to four points with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter, the Eagles went on a 7-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 39-38 with 7:00 left after Indeya Sanders scored on a fast-break jumper.
American extended its lead to as many as six points on two occasions before a Grothaus jumper brought Lehigh back within four points, 46-42 with 4:16 to play. Kaitlyn Marenyi made a 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the third quarter to give AU a seven-point, 51-44 lead, but the Mountain Hawks ended the quarter on a run of their own, scoring six unanswered points, capped off by a Grothaus layup with just five seconds left to trim the AU lead to 51-50 heading into the final stanza.
My, oh my! Cameryn Benz with the unreal layup underneath the basket to cut the American lead to just three late in the third. Sensational play by the senior forward. Watch: @PatriotLeagueTV. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/tOYxZFknrQ
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 11, 2020
The Eagles out-scored Lehigh, 8-4 heading into the first media timeout of the fourth quarter, leading 53-50 with 4:18 on the clock. Jade Edwards went to the line and got AU ahead by five, 61-56, but Walker drilled a 3 with 1:59 left to cut the AU lead to 61-59.
Edwards put American up by four points with 40 seconds left, before Benz took a 3-point jumper off the Hedstrom inbounds pass to bring Lehigh back within one, 63-62 with 38 seconds left. With nine seconds on the clock, Edwards missed a jumper that ended up in the hands of Benz, as the Mountain Hawks called a full timeout.
BENZ FOR THREE!!! We have a great ending in store after Cameryn Benz knocks down the trey. One-point game. Watch: @PatriotLeagueTV. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/CFu80H4SXX
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 11, 2020
With seven seconds remaining, Buhr made a move to the hoop and got a shot off and in to give Lehigh a 64-63 lead with just 2.7 seconds on the clock. Maddie Doring missed a layup for American in the final second of play, putting the finishing touches on a 64-63 comeback victory for Lehigh in Washington.
"They're all close games when you get to Patriot League play," said head coach Sue Troyan. "There's so much parity in our league this year that you need to protect your home court and you need to squeak out wins like this on the road. It helps when you have seniors who make plays at the end of the game.Camryn Buhr. 'Nuff said. The senior put Lehigh out in front, 64-63 with 2.7 seconds left on the clock. She does it again. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/7Y3Kn0Igcp
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 11, 2020
"Cam Benz hit the big three to put us within one point, got defensive stops when we needed to down the stretch and put the ball in our best player's hands, Cam Buhr, and she does that type of thing for you."
Emma Grothaus led the way for the Mountain Hawks with 14 points, adding 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Cameryn Benz added 13 points with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Camryn Buhr and Megan Walker each notched 10 points, as four players scored in double-figures for the third time this season.
Senior guard Hannah Hedstrom finished with three points, three rebounds and three assists on the game, most notably gathering a defensive board late in the third quarter to become just the second player in program history to tally at least 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. She's the first player since Jessica Mudry did so from 1992-96.
"Hannah put herself in pretty good company with one of my all-time favorite players," said Troyan. "Jess was the first player I ever recruited to come to Lehigh. She was a competitive kid, honestly and like Hannah, just left everything out on the floor and it speaks volumes to Hannah in terms of what she's done for our program."
The Mountain Hawks finished out the game shooting 42.9 percent (24-for-56) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-for-12) from beyond-the-arc and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) from the free throw line. They scored 17 points on 11 American turnovers, out-rebounded AU, 36-35 and had 24 bench points to the Eagles' 11.
The win is Lehigh's ninth straight regular season league victory dating back to the tail-end of last season and the team's fifth straight win this season, tying a season-high after the Mountain Hawks started the 2019-20 season 5-0. This is also the team's best start since the 2009-10 season when Lehigh started the year 13-2 after the first 15 games.
The Mountain Hawks have Navy up next on Wednesday evening in Annapolis for a rematch of the first league game of the season, where Lehigh came up victorious, 70-40, at Stabler Arena on Jan. 2.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Lehigh
Americ
FG%
.429
.410
3FG%
.333
.273
FT%
.706
.875
RB
36
35
TO
11
11
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballMHT EP10 - Women's Basketball
Friday, February 27
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
Tuesday, February 17
Interview after win vs Colgate 1/10
Saturday, January 10
Interview after Bucknell win 1/3/25
Saturday, January 03
