Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Easton, Pa.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Photo by: Brent Hugo
Lehigh looks for ninth straight win over Lafayette in Rivalry matchup Saturday
1/24/2020 4:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — After back-to-back Patriot League losses, the Lehigh women's basketball is looking to right the ship against longtime archrival Lafayette Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton.
The Mountain Hawks started the league campaign with a perfect 5-0 record but have since dropped consecutive contests at home to two tough opponents in Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Lehigh hasn't shot the ball well either, averaging just 33.6 percent (39-for-116) from the field in its last two games. All season, the 3-point line hasn't been too kind either, with the Mountain Hawks shooting at just a 29.1 percent (101-for-347) clip.
Emma Grothaus finally got out of her recent slump against the Crusaders on Wednesday evening, leading the way for Lehigh with 13 points and adding five rebounds. Notably, Grothaus was 4-of-6 from the foul line, as the team was 12-of-18 from the line for the game.
Camryn Buhr tallied her 14th double-digit scoring night of the season with 10 points. She has scored in double-digits in four consecutive games now, including five of her last six. Buhr maintains a stranglehold as the team's scoring leaer at 12.3 points per game. Buhr also had four rebounds, two assits and two steals in 33 minutes.
Despite allowing 74 points to Holy Cross, the emphasis for Lehigh continues to be on the defense, as the Mountain Hawks did force 24 Crusader turnovers, upping its average on the year to 18.2 turnovers forced per game. Lehigh has forced an opponent to commit 15 or more turnovers in 15 of its 18 games this season. The Mountain Hawks have committed more turnovers than their opponents just once this season.
It was an up-and-down start to the season for Lafayette through non-league play, but the Leopards have seemed to find their identity through the first seven games of Patriot League play.
Lafayette is a game above .500 in league play with a 4-3 record and is currently on a two-game winning streak, coming off victories over Army West Point on Wednesday and Navy on Saturday.
The 4-3 start to the league schedule is Lafayette's best start since the 2007-08 season.
Behind Natalie Kucowski's 17-point, 17-rebound performance, the Leopards earned a 57-52 victory over the Black Knights. The win marked Lafayette's first league victory on the road this season.
Kucowski also managed to tally five assists, two steals and six blocks in her 38 minutes to lead the way. Drew Freeland added 16 points with three rebounds, while Sarah Agnello had seven points, three assists, three steals and three rebounds.
In the victory, Lafayette only shot 32.3 percent (21-for-65) from the field, 30.7 percent (8-for-26) from the 3-point line and 70 percent (7-for-10) from the free throw line.
Saturday will mark the 96th meeting all-time of the The Rivalry between the Lehigh and Lafayette women's basketball teams. The matchup dates all the way back to Feb. 4, 1975.
The Mountain Hawks hold a 51-44 advantage in the all-time series including 37-18 in Patriot League play.
Lehigh has won eight straight games against the Leopards going back to Jan. 27, 2016. This current group of seniors in 2019-20 has never lost to the Leopards in their careers, having won six straight, including both matchups during the 2018-19 season.
Saturday's game will be live streamed through the Patriot League Network with a live audio stream available on Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus on the play-by-play call.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
The Mountain Hawks started the league campaign with a perfect 5-0 record but have since dropped consecutive contests at home to two tough opponents in Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Lehigh hasn't shot the ball well either, averaging just 33.6 percent (39-for-116) from the field in its last two games. All season, the 3-point line hasn't been too kind either, with the Mountain Hawks shooting at just a 29.1 percent (101-for-347) clip.
Emma Grothaus finally got out of her recent slump against the Crusaders on Wednesday evening, leading the way for Lehigh with 13 points and adding five rebounds. Notably, Grothaus was 4-of-6 from the foul line, as the team was 12-of-18 from the line for the game.
Camryn Buhr tallied her 14th double-digit scoring night of the season with 10 points. She has scored in double-digits in four consecutive games now, including five of her last six. Buhr maintains a stranglehold as the team's scoring leaer at 12.3 points per game. Buhr also had four rebounds, two assits and two steals in 33 minutes.
Despite allowing 74 points to Holy Cross, the emphasis for Lehigh continues to be on the defense, as the Mountain Hawks did force 24 Crusader turnovers, upping its average on the year to 18.2 turnovers forced per game. Lehigh has forced an opponent to commit 15 or more turnovers in 15 of its 18 games this season. The Mountain Hawks have committed more turnovers than their opponents just once this season.
It was an up-and-down start to the season for Lafayette through non-league play, but the Leopards have seemed to find their identity through the first seven games of Patriot League play.
Lafayette is a game above .500 in league play with a 4-3 record and is currently on a two-game winning streak, coming off victories over Army West Point on Wednesday and Navy on Saturday.
The 4-3 start to the league schedule is Lafayette's best start since the 2007-08 season.
Behind Natalie Kucowski's 17-point, 17-rebound performance, the Leopards earned a 57-52 victory over the Black Knights. The win marked Lafayette's first league victory on the road this season.
Kucowski also managed to tally five assists, two steals and six blocks in her 38 minutes to lead the way. Drew Freeland added 16 points with three rebounds, while Sarah Agnello had seven points, three assists, three steals and three rebounds.
In the victory, Lafayette only shot 32.3 percent (21-for-65) from the field, 30.7 percent (8-for-26) from the 3-point line and 70 percent (7-for-10) from the free throw line.
Saturday will mark the 96th meeting all-time of the The Rivalry between the Lehigh and Lafayette women's basketball teams. The matchup dates all the way back to Feb. 4, 1975.
The Mountain Hawks hold a 51-44 advantage in the all-time series including 37-18 in Patriot League play.
Lehigh has won eight straight games against the Leopards going back to Jan. 27, 2016. This current group of seniors in 2019-20 has never lost to the Leopards in their careers, having won six straight, including both matchups during the 2018-19 season.
Saturday's game will be live streamed through the Patriot League Network with a live audio stream available on Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus on the play-by-play call.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | January 25, 2020 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 2 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Kirby Sports Center/3,500 |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 13-5, 5-2 Patriot League |
| Lafayette's Record: | 8-9, 4-3 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh leads, 51-44 |
| TV: | RCN |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
| Internet Audio: | Lehighsports.com/watch with Matt Markus on Play-by-Play |
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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