Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Program record 16 3-pointers key in Lehigh's 89-71 win over American
1/11/2021 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Also ties Patriot League record for 3-pointers made in a single game
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It was a record-breaking day for the Lehigh women's basketball team, and much like the current run they are on, the team couldn't be stopped. A single game program-record and Patriot League-record tying 16 3-pointers made was the difference maker as the Mountain Hawks defeated American, 89-71 to start the 2020-21 season with a 4-0 record for the second consecutive season.
Lehigh shot the ball efficiently from all aspects of the game, going 46.9 percent (30-for-64) from the field, 44.4 percent (16-for-36) from beyond-the-arc and 86.7 percent (13-for-15) from the free throw line to upend the Eagles.
"The 3-pointer is a big part of our offense, honestly," said head coach Sue Troyan. "When we put together our offensive gameplan this fall, we really put a lot of thought into who we had as freshmen, who we had returning and where we thought we would be most effective. We really felt that we had a lot of kids that were offensive threats and were capable 3-point shooters and that's a big part of our offense that we put in.
"Each game, they are getting more and more comfortable with learning the offense. I think we could break the record again before the season is over."
The first quarter was a lot of back-and-forth action, but American held on to the lead for the first five or so minutes before a Frannie Hottinger two-pointer gave Lehigh the 10-9 advantage with 4:24 left. The Mountain Hawks were able to use a timely 3-pointer from freshman Mackenzie Kramer to take a two-point lead into the second quarter.
The Mountain Hawks opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run as the Eagles called a timeout with 8:31 left on the clock, trailing 27-20. From that timeout until the 2:33 mark in the quarter, Lehigh was in the midst of a 17-6 run after Megan Walker drilled a 3-pointer to make it a 44-28 ballgame.
Lehigh outscored AU 26-16 in the second, helping the team to a 46-34 halftime lead. The Mountain Hawks managed to have 11 first half 3-pointers and were led by Hottinger's 17 first half points.
In the third, the Eagles cut the deficit to as little as three points with 6:38 left, but the Mountain Hawks found their groove once again, going on an 11-4 run with three minutes left, leading by 10, 62-52. Two free throws by Mary Clougherty had Lehigh leading the way, up 14 heading into the final frame of play.
For the most part, the fourth quarter belonged to Lehigh as the lead only continued to grow. Clair Steele gave Lehigh its largest lead of the game to that point with a program-record tying 15th 3-pointer of the day, pushing the Mountain Hawks in front by 21 points, leading 82-61 with 5:34 to play.
With 2:54 left in regulation, it was only fitting for Clougherty to make history as the senior secured the program-record 16th 3-pointer of the day, her basket giving the Mountain Hawks an 87-67 lead late. After Kramer gave Lehigh its largest lead of the game at 22 points with her floating jump shot with 2:33 to go, the team held on for the victory, 89-71.
Hottinger led all Lehigh scorers with a career-high 21 points, adding three assists and two rebounds. Three other players scored in double figures as Clougherty scored 15, while both Walker and Kramer had 11.
Senior Mariah Sexe led the way with seven rebounds and nine points, while junior Clair Steele registered a career-high eight assists with three rebounds and two steals.
The freshmen were prominently involved in the game, especially in the late stages as Maddie Albrecht finished with five points and Jamie Behar had eight points for the second game in a row on two 3-pointers.
Seven different players registered at least one 3-pointer on the afternoon, while Walker, Clougherty, Kramer and Hottinger each had three apiece.
The program record 16 3-pointers breaks the previous mark of 15 that had been held since Dec. 20, 2008 vs. Binghamton and was tied back on Dec. 29, 2017 vs. Lafayette. Lehigh's 16 on Monday ties the Patriot League record held by Navy since Dec. 10, 2017 against New Mexico.
"Jade is one of the best in the league for a reason," Troyan said. "She dropped 31 points on us so the defensive end of the ball is somewhere we need to put a little more of our focus. But with the tempo we play at, every game is going to be a high-scoring one for us.
"She's a quality player and is so effective because she can do so much in terms of reading passing lanes, creating offensive opportunities and is a strong rebounder who is really crafty around the baskets. We definitely had our hands full with her, but we did a decent job all-around today on the defensive end."
Lehigh had 24 bench points to AU's 11, while the lead changed five times with two ties. The Mountain Hawks led for 33:16, while the Eagles only led for 5:19.
At 4-0, the Mountain Hawks turn their attention to Bucknell, playing two games this upcoming weekend, first at Stabler Arena on Saturday and then at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg on Sunday. The Bison are also 4-0 to start the season and like Lehigh, are 2-0 in Central division play. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
"I watched a little bit of Bucknell this weekend and they are a really good team," said Troyan. "It's going to be a really fun matchup. They are a team that is very well-coached, a team that's got a lot of offensive weapons like us, so it should be somewhat of a shootout this coming weekend.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to see where we are against a team like Bucknell."
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.Gallery: (1-11-2021) Women's Basketball vs. American, 1/11/21
Lehigh shot the ball efficiently from all aspects of the game, going 46.9 percent (30-for-64) from the field, 44.4 percent (16-for-36) from beyond-the-arc and 86.7 percent (13-for-15) from the free throw line to upend the Eagles.
"The 3-pointer is a big part of our offense, honestly," said head coach Sue Troyan. "When we put together our offensive gameplan this fall, we really put a lot of thought into who we had as freshmen, who we had returning and where we thought we would be most effective. We really felt that we had a lot of kids that were offensive threats and were capable 3-point shooters and that's a big part of our offense that we put in.
"Each game, they are getting more and more comfortable with learning the offense. I think we could break the record again before the season is over."
The first quarter was a lot of back-and-forth action, but American held on to the lead for the first five or so minutes before a Frannie Hottinger two-pointer gave Lehigh the 10-9 advantage with 4:24 left. The Mountain Hawks were able to use a timely 3-pointer from freshman Mackenzie Kramer to take a two-point lead into the second quarter.
The Mountain Hawks opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run as the Eagles called a timeout with 8:31 left on the clock, trailing 27-20. From that timeout until the 2:33 mark in the quarter, Lehigh was in the midst of a 17-6 run after Megan Walker drilled a 3-pointer to make it a 44-28 ballgame.
Lehigh outscored AU 26-16 in the second, helping the team to a 46-34 halftime lead. The Mountain Hawks managed to have 11 first half 3-pointers and were led by Hottinger's 17 first half points.
In the third, the Eagles cut the deficit to as little as three points with 6:38 left, but the Mountain Hawks found their groove once again, going on an 11-4 run with three minutes left, leading by 10, 62-52. Two free throws by Mary Clougherty had Lehigh leading the way, up 14 heading into the final frame of play.
For the most part, the fourth quarter belonged to Lehigh as the lead only continued to grow. Clair Steele gave Lehigh its largest lead of the game to that point with a program-record tying 15th 3-pointer of the day, pushing the Mountain Hawks in front by 21 points, leading 82-61 with 5:34 to play.
With 2:54 left in regulation, it was only fitting for Clougherty to make history as the senior secured the program-record 16th 3-pointer of the day, her basket giving the Mountain Hawks an 87-67 lead late. After Kramer gave Lehigh its largest lead of the game at 22 points with her floating jump shot with 2:33 to go, the team held on for the victory, 89-71.
Hottinger led all Lehigh scorers with a career-high 21 points, adding three assists and two rebounds. Three other players scored in double figures as Clougherty scored 15, while both Walker and Kramer had 11.
Senior Mariah Sexe led the way with seven rebounds and nine points, while junior Clair Steele registered a career-high eight assists with three rebounds and two steals.
The freshmen were prominently involved in the game, especially in the late stages as Maddie Albrecht finished with five points and Jamie Behar had eight points for the second game in a row on two 3-pointers.
Seven different players registered at least one 3-pointer on the afternoon, while Walker, Clougherty, Kramer and Hottinger each had three apiece.
The program record 16 3-pointers breaks the previous mark of 15 that had been held since Dec. 20, 2008 vs. Binghamton and was tied back on Dec. 29, 2017 vs. Lafayette. Lehigh's 16 on Monday ties the Patriot League record held by Navy since Dec. 10, 2017 against New Mexico.
For American, it was Jade Edwards who led the way with 31 points and 13 rebounds including 11 field goals. The Eagles shot just 8.3 percent (1-for-12) from beyond-the-arc, 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the field.What happens when you tie a @PatriotLeague women's basketball record of 16 made 3s?
— Patriot League on ESPN (@PatriotLeagueTV) January 11, 2021
Well, we fit ALL of them into a 2-minute video. Congrats, @LehighWBB, on the record performance!@ncaawbb | @espn | @espnW pic.twitter.com/DKM4zAlAFS
"Jade is one of the best in the league for a reason," Troyan said. "She dropped 31 points on us so the defensive end of the ball is somewhere we need to put a little more of our focus. But with the tempo we play at, every game is going to be a high-scoring one for us.
"She's a quality player and is so effective because she can do so much in terms of reading passing lanes, creating offensive opportunities and is a strong rebounder who is really crafty around the baskets. We definitely had our hands full with her, but we did a decent job all-around today on the defensive end."
Lehigh had 24 bench points to AU's 11, while the lead changed five times with two ties. The Mountain Hawks led for 33:16, while the Eagles only led for 5:19.
At 4-0, the Mountain Hawks turn their attention to Bucknell, playing two games this upcoming weekend, first at Stabler Arena on Saturday and then at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg on Sunday. The Bison are also 4-0 to start the season and like Lehigh, are 2-0 in Central division play. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
"I watched a little bit of Bucknell this weekend and they are a really good team," said Troyan. "It's going to be a really fun matchup. They are a team that is very well-coached, a team that's got a lot of offensive weapons like us, so it should be somewhat of a shootout this coming weekend.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to see where we are against a team like Bucknell."
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Americ
Lehigh
FG%
.431
.469
3FG%
.083
.444
FT%
.778
.867
RB
34
39
TO
11
14
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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