Tuesday, November 23
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
1-4,0-0Patriot
79
vs
72
Columbia
2-3,0-0Ivy League
1
2
F
Columbia
31
41
72
Lehigh
41
38
79
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks Down Columbia, 79-72, for First Win
11/23/2021 10:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team opened a 10-point halftime lead and fought off a number of Columbia second-half charges, picking up its first win of the season, 79-72 on Tuesday evening in Stabler Arena. The Lions came back to take its only lead of the game with 7:30 left in the second half, but the Mountain Hawks responded less than a minute later and wouldn't trail the rest of the way. Junior Evan Taylor led the offense with a career-high 18 points, while senior Jeameril Wilson and sophomore Dominic Parolin each added 12.
"It was a wonderful first half. I was really proud of our guys," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "It seemed like we were not sped up. We got the looks that we wanted to. We took care of the ball. There was distribution of scoring. We had strong bench contributions. If it weren't for the two transition blowups, we played a really good defensive half of basketball."
Taylor scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half and now has 46 points over his last five halves of basketball.
Wilson and Parolin each scored 10 of their 12 points in the second half. Parolin shot 5-of-6 from the field for the game while adding seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Junior Jakob Alamudun came off the bench and added 10 points for the game. All 10 Mountain Hawks who played scored.
The Lions pulled within six, but the Mountain Hawks answered with seven straight to take a 27-14 lead just over midway through the first half.
From there, Columbia slowly began to chip away, pulling as close as four, 33-29, following two free throws with 2:10 on the clock. But two Lehigh 3-pointers in the span of 32 seconds – from Taylor and freshman Keith Higgins Jr. – gave the Mountain Hawks a 39-29 lead, on the way to the 41-31 halftime advantage.
Lehigh quickly retook the lead and wouldn't trail the rest of the way. Tied at 61, the Mountain Hawks staged a 10-0 run, beginning with a Marques Wilson 3-pointer and ending with a Taylor 3-point play, to put Lehigh ahead 71-61 with 2:23 remaining.
Lehigh shot 48.3 percent for the game (29-of-60), including 40.0 percent from 3-point range (6-of-15). Columbia finished at 38.7 percent (24-of-62) and 33.3 percent from long distance (5-of-15). The Lions held a 41-32 edge on the glass. The Mountain Hawks forced 17 Columbia turnovers while turning the ball over 13 times themselves, the first game this season Lehigh has forced more than it's made.
"The biggest thing we're trying to help our guys understand is there's a formula to win," said Reed. "There were a lot of contributions. There was defense, there was rebounding, there was energy. If we can continue to establish the foundation of what winning basketball looks like, and we stick to that for longer durations of time than even we did tonight, now you put yourself in a position where this team is growing, they're learning and they're getting better."
The Mountain Hawks will now head to the University of Virginia for a Friday night showdown against the Cavaliers on ACC Network. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Lehigh Men's Basketball held Columbia to under 45 percent shooting. Fans in attendance received a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees courtesy of The Brick in Bethlehem.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
"It was a wonderful first half. I was really proud of our guys," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "It seemed like we were not sped up. We got the looks that we wanted to. We took care of the ball. There was distribution of scoring. We had strong bench contributions. If it weren't for the two transition blowups, we played a really good defensive half of basketball."
Taylor scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half and now has 46 points over his last five halves of basketball.
"That's two games in a row for Evan, plus the second half of Monmouth, that were really, really strong scoring the basketball," said Reed. "Evan also rebounded the ball in a key stretch in the second half. He's willing to play physically. He ended up taking advantage of some mismatches at times inside, and also stepped out and hit perimeter shots. He brings a lunch pail [mentality]. When he stays in the moment and is aware of what's going on around him, he can really help us defensively as well."ET is feeling it early. He's up to eight points after this spin move. Lehigh currently leads 20-14 at the under-12 media timeout.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/t7cIE5d2nT pic.twitter.com/qsfsTwaEbF
Wilson and Parolin each scored 10 of their 12 points in the second half. Parolin shot 5-of-6 from the field for the game while adding seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Junior Jakob Alamudun came off the bench and added 10 points for the game. All 10 Mountain Hawks who played scored.
Lehigh jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, following a Ben Knostman 3-pointer and Jeameril Wilson jumper. Columbia scored 10 of the next 15 points to pull even at 10, but the Mountain Hawks immediately answered with an 8-2 run, capped off by an Alamudun 3-pointer to give Lehigh a 20-12 advantage with 12:07 on the clock.Great TEAM win tonight 💯☑️💪 pic.twitter.com/tnjrPT7d3s
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2021
The Lions pulled within six, but the Mountain Hawks answered with seven straight to take a 27-14 lead just over midway through the first half.
From there, Columbia slowly began to chip away, pulling as close as four, 33-29, following two free throws with 2:10 on the clock. But two Lehigh 3-pointers in the span of 32 seconds – from Taylor and freshman Keith Higgins Jr. – gave the Mountain Hawks a 39-29 lead, on the way to the 41-31 halftime advantage.
Columbia began to inch closer in the second half, quickly getting within five, 45-40, with 16:45 on the clock. The Mountain Hawks didn't allow them to get any closer for the next 6+ minutes, though, before a Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa 3-pointer got the Lions within 53-51 with 10:27 remaining. About three minutes later, a Liam Murphy layup gave Columbia its first lead of the game, 59-58, with 7:30 left in the second half.How 'bout this sequence from Keith Higgins late in the first half?!
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/t7cIE5d2nT pic.twitter.com/aq06AUt3MZ
Lehigh quickly retook the lead and wouldn't trail the rest of the way. Tied at 61, the Mountain Hawks staged a 10-0 run, beginning with a Marques Wilson 3-pointer and ending with a Taylor 3-point play, to put Lehigh ahead 71-61 with 2:23 remaining.
Jeameril to Marques Wilson for the lead!
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/t7cIE5d2nT pic.twitter.com/IY9l41TMWA
Columbia got as close as six in the ensuing minutes, but Lehigh hit enough free throws down the stretch to wrap up the 79-72 victory.Jeameril Wilson too smooth.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) November 24, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/t7cIE5d2nT pic.twitter.com/ZDX0KjkaCp
Lehigh shot 48.3 percent for the game (29-of-60), including 40.0 percent from 3-point range (6-of-15). Columbia finished at 38.7 percent (24-of-62) and 33.3 percent from long distance (5-of-15). The Lions held a 41-32 edge on the glass. The Mountain Hawks forced 17 Columbia turnovers while turning the ball over 13 times themselves, the first game this season Lehigh has forced more than it's made.
"The biggest thing we're trying to help our guys understand is there's a formula to win," said Reed. "There were a lot of contributions. There was defense, there was rebounding, there was energy. If we can continue to establish the foundation of what winning basketball looks like, and we stick to that for longer durations of time than even we did tonight, now you put yourself in a position where this team is growing, they're learning and they're getting better."
The Mountain Hawks will now head to the University of Virginia for a Friday night showdown against the Cavaliers on ACC Network. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Lehigh Men's Basketball held Columbia to under 45 percent shooting. Fans in attendance received a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees courtesy of The Brick in Bethlehem.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
CU
Lehigh
FG%
.387
.483
3FG%
.333
.400
FT%
.864
.625
RB
41
32
TO
17
13
STL
8
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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