Sunday, January 17
Bethlehem, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
1-5,1-5Patriot
61
vs
77
Bucknell
2-4,2-4Patriot
1
2
F
Bucknell
36
41
77
Lehigh
37
24
61
Second-Half Struggles Lead to 77-61 Defeat vs. Bucknell
1/17/2021 7:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team opened a 37-31 lead in the final two minutes of the first half, but Bucknell went on a 10-0 run bridging halftime to turn the tides, on the way to downing the Mountain Hawks (1-5, 1-3 Central), 77-61 on Sunday in Stabler Arena. Making his first start of the season, sophomore Evan Taylor provided a spark, scoring 11 of his season-high 15 points in the first half. Lehigh will return to action next weekend, playing a pair at Holy Cross.
"Unfortunately, we really did not execute anything that we talked about at halftime," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "There were certain key things we wanted to try and take care of, primarily centered around John Meeks (who finished with 31 points, 20 coming in the first half). I thought Meeks carried them and gave them a lot of energy, then as soon as those other guys got involved and we didn't execute as much, we were on our heels.
"Ultimately, we played a little faster," Reed continued. "We rushed our shots. Not that we didn't get good looks, but we just didn't convert. And then were a few key turnover stretches where our mistakes and our missed field goals translated into easy opportunities for them, particularly in transition."
Taylor's 15 points came on 6-of-8 shooting. Junior Nic Lynch had 12 points while senior Marques Wilson added 11 and freshman Dominic Parolin scored 10 (eight coming in the second half). Meeks' 31 points paced the Bison; no one else had more than 10 points.
After Lynch began the scoring, Bucknell answered, opening as much as a six-point, 13-7 advantage, with 14:01 left in the first half.
The Mountain Hawks responded with an 11-2 run, which included eight straight points – behind a Jalin Sinclair 3-pointer, Taylor jumper and Parolin fastbreak layup off a nifty assist from Jeameril Wilson. That gave Lehigh an 18-15 lead with 11:36 on the first-half clock.
The ensuing minutes saw multiple ties and lead changes. With Lehigh trailing 27-26, the Mountain Hawks used a 6-0 surge to retake a 32-27 advantage with 6:03 on the clock.
Sophomore Jake Betlow scored eight first-half points, with his final field goal giving Lehigh a 37-31 lead with 1:48 remaining in the first.
Meeks responded with a personal 10-0 run, five coming to end the first half and five to start the second. His fourth 3-pointer of the contest put Bucknell back ahead, 41-37.
From there, the Bison gradually increased their lead, reaching 17 at 62-45 following an Andrew Funk trey. Lehigh trimmed the margin to 10 after four straight Parolin points made the score 65-55.
However, Bucknell came right back with eight straight in the span of 1:22 to erase any doubt. Miles Latimer's second 3-pointer in the 8-0 run gave the Bison a 73-55 lead, on the way to the 77-61 final.
The Mountain Hawks shot 39.7 percent for the game (23-of-58), including 26.7 percent from 3-point range (4-of-15). The Bison finished at 47.4 percent (27-of-57) and 34.6 percent from behind the arc (9-of-26). Bucknell held a slim 36-35 edge on the boards.
"We have not put together 40 minutes," said Reed. "We've had some great extended periods of time, but we have not been able to keep our consistency. Ultimately, the biggest adjustments I'd like to see our team make is to continue to take steps forward. Whatever part of the game we really work on, for instance rebounding – which was a struggle for us coming out of Navy – if we do a better job, let's make sure we don't regress in that area."
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Gallery: (1-17-2021) Men's Basketball vs. Bucknell, 1/17/21
"Unfortunately, we really did not execute anything that we talked about at halftime," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "There were certain key things we wanted to try and take care of, primarily centered around John Meeks (who finished with 31 points, 20 coming in the first half). I thought Meeks carried them and gave them a lot of energy, then as soon as those other guys got involved and we didn't execute as much, we were on our heels.
"Ultimately, we played a little faster," Reed continued. "We rushed our shots. Not that we didn't get good looks, but we just didn't convert. And then were a few key turnover stretches where our mistakes and our missed field goals translated into easy opportunities for them, particularly in transition."
Taylor's 15 points came on 6-of-8 shooting. Junior Nic Lynch had 12 points while senior Marques Wilson added 11 and freshman Dominic Parolin scored 10 (eight coming in the second half). Meeks' 31 points paced the Bison; no one else had more than 10 points.
After Lynch began the scoring, Bucknell answered, opening as much as a six-point, 13-7 advantage, with 14:01 left in the first half.
ET continues to be a spark on both ends of the floor. Mountain Hawks within four at our first media timeout.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 17, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/wwJiFa6vVA pic.twitter.com/BifwmMlDWd
The Mountain Hawks responded with an 11-2 run, which included eight straight points – behind a Jalin Sinclair 3-pointer, Taylor jumper and Parolin fastbreak layup off a nifty assist from Jeameril Wilson. That gave Lehigh an 18-15 lead with 11:36 on the first-half clock.
The ensuing minutes saw multiple ties and lead changes. With Lehigh trailing 27-26, the Mountain Hawks used a 6-0 surge to retake a 32-27 advantage with 6:03 on the clock.
Want defense and offense in one clip? We got you covered. @reed_fenton with the steal and @_M_W_II with the putback.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 17, 2021
Watch the second half on ESPN+ https://t.co/wwJiFa6vVA pic.twitter.com/c06ILiiQeS
Sophomore Jake Betlow scored eight first-half points, with his final field goal giving Lehigh a 37-31 lead with 1:48 remaining in the first.
.@jake_betlow from distance! Mountain Hawks back in front.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 17, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/wwJiFa6vVA pic.twitter.com/paH4qnqsLV
Meeks responded with a personal 10-0 run, five coming to end the first half and five to start the second. His fourth 3-pointer of the contest put Bucknell back ahead, 41-37.
From there, the Bison gradually increased their lead, reaching 17 at 62-45 following an Andrew Funk trey. Lehigh trimmed the margin to 10 after four straight Parolin points made the score 65-55.
Parolin with the putback. Four straight Lehigh points to pull within 12.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 17, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/wwJiFa6vVA pic.twitter.com/mqr5vzoVeb
However, Bucknell came right back with eight straight in the span of 1:22 to erase any doubt. Miles Latimer's second 3-pointer in the 8-0 run gave the Bison a 73-55 lead, on the way to the 77-61 final.
The Mountain Hawks shot 39.7 percent for the game (23-of-58), including 26.7 percent from 3-point range (4-of-15). The Bison finished at 47.4 percent (27-of-57) and 34.6 percent from behind the arc (9-of-26). Bucknell held a slim 36-35 edge on the boards.
"We have not put together 40 minutes," said Reed. "We've had some great extended periods of time, but we have not been able to keep our consistency. Ultimately, the biggest adjustments I'd like to see our team make is to continue to take steps forward. Whatever part of the game we really work on, for instance rebounding – which was a struggle for us coming out of Navy – if we do a better job, let's make sure we don't regress in that area."
Quick look back to some highlights from yesterday's contest against Bucknell. Now, we turn our focus to a pair at Holy Cross this weekend. pic.twitter.com/W2OuvyctAy
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 18, 2021
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Buck
Lehigh
FG%
.474
.397
3FG%
.346
.267
FT%
.700
.688
RB
36
35
TO
10
13
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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/ Men's BasketballG
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