Saturday, February 29
Baltimore, Md.
5 p.m.
Lehigh University
10-20, 7-11PL
74
at
71
Loyola
15-16, 7-11PL
1
2
F
Lehigh
41
33
74
Loyola Maryland
32
39
71
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Lehigh wins third straight, earns PL Tournament home game following win at Loyola
2/29/2020 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE – The Lehigh men's basketball team used an 18-4 first-half run to open a double-figure lead and wouldn't look back, leading the rest of the way in a 74-71 victory at Loyola Saturday. With the Mountain Hawks' third straight win and fifth in their last seven games, they finish the regular season 7-11 in Patriot League play, tied for eighth place (with the Greyhounds) and earning the No. 8 seed due to sweeping the regular season series. The teams will square off for a third time this Tuesday when the Mountain Hawks host Loyola in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are now on sale at LehighTickets.com.
Junior James Karnik led the way with a season-high 20 points, along with 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double, his sixth of the season and 12th of his career. Karnik was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He also had three big blocks.
"We needed James to come through, particularly at the free throw line to close out the game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Statistically speaking, that was one of the biggest differences right there – the points we were able to convert from the line (Lehigh was 16-of-19 while Loyola was 5-of-14). Credit James for stepping up with confidence. He had missed some in the last game, but he's been working on his stroke, his release and shooting it with a great deal of confidence. I'm really proud of his effort."
Sophomore Jeameril Wilson continued his strong play, posting 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, along with eight boards and four assists (to tie a career high). Junior Marques Wilson added 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds, helping offset foul trouble from senior and leading scorer Jordan Cohen, who played only 21 minutes and didn't score.
"There were some times and phases when Marques was out there and the ball was moving in a beautiful way," said Reed. "He found people and got them in the right spots. It's really reassuring at this stage of the year that if we can be thrown a curveball, such as foul difficulty, we can still have somebody step up into that moment and have other guys complement and support."
The Mountain Hawks finished the month of February 5-4, improving their February record since 2016 to 32-9.
Trailing 14-10 just under seven minutes in, a jumper from freshman Reed Fenton helped spark a 10-0 rally. The run included four points apiece from Fenton and Karnik to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 20-14.
The success continued as the Mountain Hawks scored four of the next six points to take an eight-point, 24-16 advantage following a Jeameril Wilson jumper with 8:22 on the first-half clock.
Lehigh's lead reached double figures on multiple occasions, getting as high as 12 at 36-24. Loyola rallied to within seven with less than 30 seconds remaining, but a layup from freshman Jakob Alamudun as the first half expired gave the Mountain Hawks a 41-32 halftime advantage.
The Mountain Hawks increased their lead in the second, reaching 13 just over two minutes in following Karnik's second dunk of the game, and two Marques Wilson free throws.
Lehigh continued to lead for the remaining minutes, taking as much as a 14-point lead as a Nic Lynch layup made the score 63-49 with 8:51 remaining. The Greyhounds made a late push to as close as three and had a catch-and-shoot 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but it was off the mark.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 45.0 percent from the field (27-of-60), including 26.7 percent from 3-point range (4-of-15). Loyola finished at 42.3 percent (30-of-71), including 21.4 percent from long distance (6-of-28). Lehigh held a 41-40 edge on the glass.
The Mountain Hawks now turn their attention to the Patriot League Tournament as No. 8 Lehigh will rematch with No. 9 Loyola on Tuesday, Mar. 3, but this time in Stabler Arena. Tickets are available online and can be purchased here.
Season ticket holders can click here to access a renewal application to purchase tickets in their season ticket location. Their seats will remain on hold until Monday, March 2 at midnight before they are released to the general public.
"I'd say we're probably one of the hottest teams in the Patriot League right now. It hasn't been without sacrifice, it hasn't been without work and it hasn't been without contributions from a lot of different people within our program," said Reed.
"Tonight, we had some moments when we were excellent. We also had some moments when we lacked consistency. I hope the team can continue to push forward, have that consistency and have that toughness, to give us an opportunity to watch these guys together for at least four (plus) more games."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Junior James Karnik led the way with a season-high 20 points, along with 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double, his sixth of the season and 12th of his career. Karnik was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He also had three big blocks.
When James Karnik hits the open floor, you know what he's going to do! pic.twitter.com/7nJ56AOUmi
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 1, 2020
"We needed James to come through, particularly at the free throw line to close out the game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Statistically speaking, that was one of the biggest differences right there – the points we were able to convert from the line (Lehigh was 16-of-19 while Loyola was 5-of-14). Credit James for stepping up with confidence. He had missed some in the last game, but he's been working on his stroke, his release and shooting it with a great deal of confidence. I'm really proud of his effort."
Sophomore Jeameril Wilson continued his strong play, posting 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, along with eight boards and four assists (to tie a career high). Junior Marques Wilson added 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds, helping offset foul trouble from senior and leading scorer Jordan Cohen, who played only 21 minutes and didn't score.
"There were some times and phases when Marques was out there and the ball was moving in a beautiful way," said Reed. "He found people and got them in the right spots. It's really reassuring at this stage of the year that if we can be thrown a curveball, such as foul difficulty, we can still have somebody step up into that moment and have other guys complement and support."
The Mountain Hawks finished the month of February 5-4, improving their February record since 2016 to 32-9.
Trailing 14-10 just under seven minutes in, a jumper from freshman Reed Fenton helped spark a 10-0 rally. The run included four points apiece from Fenton and Karnik to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 20-14.
The success continued as the Mountain Hawks scored four of the next six points to take an eight-point, 24-16 advantage following a Jeameril Wilson jumper with 8:22 on the first-half clock.
Lehigh's lead reached double figures on multiple occasions, getting as high as 12 at 36-24. Loyola rallied to within seven with less than 30 seconds remaining, but a layup from freshman Jakob Alamudun as the first half expired gave the Mountain Hawks a 41-32 halftime advantage.
The Mountain Hawks increased their lead in the second, reaching 13 just over two minutes in following Karnik's second dunk of the game, and two Marques Wilson free throws.
Lehigh continued to lead for the remaining minutes, taking as much as a 14-point lead as a Nic Lynch layup made the score 63-49 with 8:51 remaining. The Greyhounds made a late push to as close as three and had a catch-and-shoot 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but it was off the mark.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 45.0 percent from the field (27-of-60), including 26.7 percent from 3-point range (4-of-15). Loyola finished at 42.3 percent (30-of-71), including 21.4 percent from long distance (6-of-28). Lehigh held a 41-40 edge on the glass.
The Mountain Hawks now turn their attention to the Patriot League Tournament as No. 8 Lehigh will rematch with No. 9 Loyola on Tuesday, Mar. 3, but this time in Stabler Arena. Tickets are available online and can be purchased here.
Season ticket holders can click here to access a renewal application to purchase tickets in their season ticket location. Their seats will remain on hold until Monday, March 2 at midnight before they are released to the general public.
"I'd say we're probably one of the hottest teams in the Patriot League right now. It hasn't been without sacrifice, it hasn't been without work and it hasn't been without contributions from a lot of different people within our program," said Reed.
"Tonight, we had some moments when we were excellent. We also had some moments when we lacked consistency. I hope the team can continue to push forward, have that consistency and have that toughness, to give us an opportunity to watch these guys together for at least four (plus) more games."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
LOYOLA
FG%
.450
.423
3FG%
.267
.214
FT%
.842
.357
RB
41
40
TO
16
15
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
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