Saturday, February 15
West Point, N.Y.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
7-19,4-10Patrio
66
at
79
Army West Point
13-12,8-6Patrio
1
2
F
Lehigh
30
36
66
Army West Point
40
39
79
Lehigh comeback attempt falls a little short at Army West Point
2/15/2020 6:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team trimmed a 14-point lead down to three in less than 13 minutes, but couldn't get over the hump as Army West Point ended the game on a 13-3 run to defeat the Mountain Hawks, 79-66 on Saturday afternoon at Christl Arena. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson continued his stellar play of late, scoring a career-high 20 points, while freshman Reed Fenton finished with 15 points – 11 coming after halftime. A pair of Black Knight seniors combined for 47 points as Tommy Funk scored 26 and Matt Wilson had 21.
"We turned the ball over 10 times in the first half," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We forced some shots. Guys didn't play within the team as much as playing within themselves, so we had to address that. Unfortunately, at the start of the second half, Tommy Funk really put his foot on the pedal and tried to give them a scoring push, which helped them extend their lead. Our guys showed tremendous fight and great character coming back after that to close that game to 66-63, and we had possession of the ball (with less than three minutes remaining)."
Wilson's 20 points came on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
"Jeameril played really, really well," said Reed. "He gave us a great deal of toughness and intensity. Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson played like seniors today, so we tried to put everybody on him. Jeameril was fighting to score, he ended up giving us six rebounds and getting tough defensive assignments. He played a strong game for us tonight."
Fenton finished 6-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-5 from long range. Sophomore Nic Lynch posted 12 points and seven rebounds, 10 points and six boards coming after halftime.
Army used an early 9-2 run, capped off by a Tucker Blackwell 3-pointer, to turn a 4-4 tie into a 13-6 Black Knights' advantage just over five minutes in. A few minutes later, the Mountain Hawks used a mini 4-0 surge to pull back within three as a Jordan Cohen jumper made the score 15-12 with 11:43 on the clock.
The Black Knights would extend their lead back to nine with four minutes remaining, but five straight Lehigh points – a Jeameril Wilson 3-pointer and Fenton layup – pulled the Mountain Hawks back within 32-28 with 2:54 left in the first half.
However, Army scored the final six points of the half to turn a 34-30 lead into a 40-30 advantage after 20 minutes of play.
The lead swelled early in the second half, reaching 14 on two different occasions. Still trailing by 13 (58-45) with 13:12 remaining and 10 (61-51) with 11:31 on the clock, the Mountain Hawks used a four-point surge to get back within two possessions. Jeameril Wilson converted a jumper and junior James Karnik followed with a layup and the foul less than 30 seconds later, making the score 61-55.
The teams went back-and-forth over the ensuing minutes, with Army's lead hovering between five and eight. Then, the Mountain Hawks had one last push, scoring five consecutive points, capped off by a Fenton baseline drive and finish, to pull within 66-63 with 3:14 remaining.
Lehigh had the ball back looking to pull within one, or tie, but a turnover led to an Army 3-pointer mere seconds later. That sparked a 13-3 run, erasing any doubt down the stretch. As part of the run, the Black Knights made eight free throws to help cinch the victory.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 49.1 percent from the field (27-of-55), including 31.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-16). Army came in at 57.1 percent (28-of-49) and 37.5 percent from long distance (6-of-16). The Black Knights held a 31-29 edge on the glass. After 10 first-half turnovers, Lehigh had just two in the second half.
"I'm really proud of our guys that they could make the adjustment, they could play a better brand of basketball together and they could show the heart and commitment to get us back into the game," said Reed. "Unfortunately, we didn't convert in that key spot and we dug ourselves a hole in the first half."
Lehigh returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Colgate. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Gallery: (2/15/2020) Men's Basketball at Army, 2/15/20
"We turned the ball over 10 times in the first half," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We forced some shots. Guys didn't play within the team as much as playing within themselves, so we had to address that. Unfortunately, at the start of the second half, Tommy Funk really put his foot on the pedal and tried to give them a scoring push, which helped them extend their lead. Our guys showed tremendous fight and great character coming back after that to close that game to 66-63, and we had possession of the ball (with less than three minutes remaining)."
Wilson's 20 points came on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
"Jeameril played really, really well," said Reed. "He gave us a great deal of toughness and intensity. Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson played like seniors today, so we tried to put everybody on him. Jeameril was fighting to score, he ended up giving us six rebounds and getting tough defensive assignments. He played a strong game for us tonight."
Jeameril Wilson is at another level right now. This driving basket gives him 14 points and pulls the Mountain Hawks within 50-38. Watch: https://t.co/WUw3LKqhd3 pic.twitter.com/zih7NsbSsy
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2020
Jeameril Wilson is doing it all. What. A. Block. Mountain Hawks currently within 63-57 with 7:50 remaining. We've got a good one. Watch: https://t.co/WUw3LKqhd3 pic.twitter.com/cDhorkwRWN
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2020
Fenton finished 6-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-5 from long range. Sophomore Nic Lynch posted 12 points and seven rebounds, 10 points and six boards coming after halftime.
Army used an early 9-2 run, capped off by a Tucker Blackwell 3-pointer, to turn a 4-4 tie into a 13-6 Black Knights' advantage just over five minutes in. A few minutes later, the Mountain Hawks used a mini 4-0 surge to pull back within three as a Jordan Cohen jumper made the score 15-12 with 11:43 on the clock.
TOUGH finish for Jordan Cohen to pull the Mountain Hawks within 15-12 at the under-12 media timeout. Watch: https://t.co/WUw3LKqhd3 pic.twitter.com/bXYph2UTRC
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2020
The Black Knights would extend their lead back to nine with four minutes remaining, but five straight Lehigh points – a Jeameril Wilson 3-pointer and Fenton layup – pulled the Mountain Hawks back within 32-28 with 2:54 left in the first half.
However, Army scored the final six points of the half to turn a 34-30 lead into a 40-30 advantage after 20 minutes of play.
The lead swelled early in the second half, reaching 14 on two different occasions. Still trailing by 13 (58-45) with 13:12 remaining and 10 (61-51) with 11:31 on the clock, the Mountain Hawks used a four-point surge to get back within two possessions. Jeameril Wilson converted a jumper and junior James Karnik followed with a layup and the foul less than 30 seconds later, making the score 61-55.
The teams went back-and-forth over the ensuing minutes, with Army's lead hovering between five and eight. Then, the Mountain Hawks had one last push, scoring five consecutive points, capped off by a Fenton baseline drive and finish, to pull within 66-63 with 3:14 remaining.
Nic Lynch cleans up the loose change and the Mountain Hawks are within five! Less than four minutes currently remain. Watch: https://t.co/WUw3LKqhd3 pic.twitter.com/QorRAHPlZq
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2020
Lehigh had the ball back looking to pull within one, or tie, but a turnover led to an Army 3-pointer mere seconds later. That sparked a 13-3 run, erasing any doubt down the stretch. As part of the run, the Black Knights made eight free throws to help cinch the victory.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 49.1 percent from the field (27-of-55), including 31.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-16). Army came in at 57.1 percent (28-of-49) and 37.5 percent from long distance (6-of-16). The Black Knights held a 31-29 edge on the glass. After 10 first-half turnovers, Lehigh had just two in the second half.
"I'm really proud of our guys that they could make the adjustment, they could play a better brand of basketball together and they could show the heart and commitment to get us back into the game," said Reed. "Unfortunately, we didn't convert in that key spot and we dug ourselves a hole in the first half."
Lehigh returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Colgate. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
ARMY
FG%
.491
.571
3FG%
.313
.375
FT%
.538
.708
RB
29
31
TO
12
11
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballLehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, November 12
2025-20226 Lehigh Men's Basketball Season Preview
Thursday, October 30
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
