Saturday, January 23
Worcester, Mass.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
2-5,2-5Patriot
75
at
72
Holy Cross
2-5,2-5Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
39
36
75
Holy Cross
25
47
72
Mountain Hawks prevail late, defeats Holy Cross 75-72
1/23/2021 5:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Mountain Hawks (2-5, 1-3 Central) had four players score in double figures and led the final 34 minutes, as the Lehigh men's basketball team executed its final possessions of the game to secure the 75-72 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Brown and White made the 4-hour trip up to the Hart Center early Saturday morning. The long drive before the game had an impact on the start of the game. After Marques Wilson scored the first basket of the game for Lehigh, Holy Cross scored nine consecutive points to take the early 9-3 lead after the first six minutes of the game. After the slow start, the Mountain Hawks soared the remaining 14 minutes of the half, as they went on a 36-16 run to go into the break up 14.
"I was really pleased we could travel up on the day of the game, face adversity, and yet establish ourselves in the first half," said head coach Brett Reed. "I thought our defensive energy was very high. We did a better job or defending without fouling, we rebounded and we guarded the 3-point line well."
During that first half run, the Mountain Hawks put on their best offense of the season, as the ball was moving around the court, guys were cutting, making the extra pass and being aggressive. Jeameril Wilson, Reed Fenton and Evan Taylor all knocked down timely 3-pointers for Lehigh as well. Wilson also managed to dominate the 1-on-1 isolation plays, while Fenton and Taylor were beating their matchups off the dribble, driving and finishing around the rim.
"Evan and Reed are both excellent players," Reed said. "Those guys have been staying the course, working hard in practice and even on their individual skills. It was really nice to see them break through."
The Crusaders came out firing in the second half, as Holy Cross opened on a 9-2 run. Key jumpers from Fenton and Jalin Sinclair gave the Mountain Hawks breathing room, but again, the Crusaders fought back and inched closer. The second Holy Cross surge (an 11-4 run) made the score 54-52 with 10 minutes left. Both teams began exchanging baskets in a back-and-forth affair.
With 4:21 remaining in the contest, freshman Dominic Parolin found a cutting Taylor for the easy two to give Lehigh a 66-62 lead. In crunch time, key defensive steals and clutch foul shots from Sinclair, Taylor and Marques Wilson propelled the Lehigh margin to 72-64 with 2:13 left. However, two 3-pointers from Holy Cross in a 30-second span gave the Crusaders a shot.
After a Jeameril Wilson free throw to give Lehigh a 3-point lead, R.J. Johnson's missed three at the buzzer secured the victory for the Brown and White.
"As the game was going back-and-forth, it was critical that we didn't deviate too from what brought us success. We've been in those situations in past games where we have been challenged and hadn't always responded. Today, we did down the stretch. We made some key defensive stops at key times to allow us to take a one possession game and push the lead to eight with two minutes to go. Sometimes it is the little things like taking a charge or getting a deflection. Although Nic and Reed's charges might have been earlier in the game, those are big plays that go a long way in determining the outcome of the game."
Jeameril Wilson paced the Mountain Hawks with 15 points, while both Fenton and Taylor netted 14. Also, Nic Lynch notched 10 for the Brown and White.
Freshman Dominic Parolin may have had his best game so far in his collegiate career, as the big man tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists.
"Dom gave us an excellent spark today. He's a good athlete, good length, and I thought he did a pretty good job on defense to compliment his offensive output."
Both teams will square off again tomorrow inside the Hart Center at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+
The Brown and White made the 4-hour trip up to the Hart Center early Saturday morning. The long drive before the game had an impact on the start of the game. After Marques Wilson scored the first basket of the game for Lehigh, Holy Cross scored nine consecutive points to take the early 9-3 lead after the first six minutes of the game. After the slow start, the Mountain Hawks soared the remaining 14 minutes of the half, as they went on a 36-16 run to go into the break up 14.
Well, that was a fun half. Check out the first half highlights. Now it's time to finish the job
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 23, 2021
WATCH: https://t.co/8EpLxMUxdY#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/NyRlRKG7Ia
"I was really pleased we could travel up on the day of the game, face adversity, and yet establish ourselves in the first half," said head coach Brett Reed. "I thought our defensive energy was very high. We did a better job or defending without fouling, we rebounded and we guarded the 3-point line well."
During that first half run, the Mountain Hawks put on their best offense of the season, as the ball was moving around the court, guys were cutting, making the extra pass and being aggressive. Jeameril Wilson, Reed Fenton and Evan Taylor all knocked down timely 3-pointers for Lehigh as well. Wilson also managed to dominate the 1-on-1 isolation plays, while Fenton and Taylor were beating their matchups off the dribble, driving and finishing around the rim.
"Evan and Reed are both excellent players," Reed said. "Those guys have been staying the course, working hard in practice and even on their individual skills. It was really nice to see them break through."
The Crusaders came out firing in the second half, as Holy Cross opened on a 9-2 run. Key jumpers from Fenton and Jalin Sinclair gave the Mountain Hawks breathing room, but again, the Crusaders fought back and inched closer. The second Holy Cross surge (an 11-4 run) made the score 54-52 with 10 minutes left. Both teams began exchanging baskets in a back-and-forth affair.
THROW IT DOWN BIG FELLA!!
Lehigh 50, Holy Cross 43 | 14:05 2HMarques Wilson ------ BANG
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 23, 2021
Lehigh 57, Holy Cross 54 | 9:31 2H
WATCH: https://t.co/8EpLxMUxdY#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/CHHdlWIQAi
WATCH: https://t.co/8EpLxMUxdY#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/aszwUvVvSz— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 23, 2021
Marques Wilson ------ BANG
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 23, 2021
Lehigh 57, Holy Cross 54 | 9:31 2H
WATCH: https://t.co/8EpLxMUxdY#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/CHHdlWIQAi
With 4:21 remaining in the contest, freshman Dominic Parolin found a cutting Taylor for the easy two to give Lehigh a 66-62 lead. In crunch time, key defensive steals and clutch foul shots from Sinclair, Taylor and Marques Wilson propelled the Lehigh margin to 72-64 with 2:13 left. However, two 3-pointers from Holy Cross in a 30-second span gave the Crusaders a shot.
After a Jeameril Wilson free throw to give Lehigh a 3-point lead, R.J. Johnson's missed three at the buzzer secured the victory for the Brown and White.
"As the game was going back-and-forth, it was critical that we didn't deviate too from what brought us success. We've been in those situations in past games where we have been challenged and hadn't always responded. Today, we did down the stretch. We made some key defensive stops at key times to allow us to take a one possession game and push the lead to eight with two minutes to go. Sometimes it is the little things like taking a charge or getting a deflection. Although Nic and Reed's charges might have been earlier in the game, those are big plays that go a long way in determining the outcome of the game."
Jeameril Wilson paced the Mountain Hawks with 15 points, while both Fenton and Taylor netted 14. Also, Nic Lynch notched 10 for the Brown and White.
Freshman Dominic Parolin may have had his best game so far in his collegiate career, as the big man tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists.
"Dom gave us an excellent spark today. He's a good athlete, good length, and I thought he did a pretty good job on defense to compliment his offensive output."
Both teams will square off again tomorrow inside the Hart Center at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+
Team Stats
Lehigh
HolyCr
FG%
.491
.483
3FG%
.429
.333
FT%
.619
.688
RB
33
32
TO
12
14
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
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