Wednesday, December 29
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
2-10,0-0Patriot
70
vs
63
Eastern
9-3,3-0MAC Commonwealth
1
2
F
Eastern
30
33
63
Lehigh
28
42
70
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks Defeat Eastern in Nonleague Finale
12/29/2021 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Playing its second game in less than 24 hours, the Lehigh men's basketball team shot 52.4 percent in the second half, including 60.0 percent from 3-point range to pull away from Eastern, 70-63 on Wednesday evening in Stabler Arena. First year Keith Higgins Jr. scored 16 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, including a trio of 3-pointers, while junior Evan Taylor tied a career-high with 18 points as well. The Mountain Hawks enter Patriot League play on a winning note, which is scheduled to kick off on Saturday at American.
"When you start looking at the overall feel of this game – and I've been in this situation on the opposite end with an underdog, going and playing against other good teams – there is an element of a team getting really tight, getting frustrated, because everyone thinks you should have 20-point plays on every occasion," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Eastern is a good team, they were testing us, and our guys stayed the course and didn't waver. I thought their confidence grew as the game went on and for our guys to believe in themselves throughout the course of the game even though things got sticky I think is a good sign and something we can build from."
"We need our point guards to be able to take care of the ball. When we get that extra shot making, obviously that helps a great deal," said Reed. "The 3-point line was big for us in the second half where it was something that really faltered in the second half at Maryland."
Despite some early second-half foul trouble, Taylor still scored an efficient 18 points in 27 minutes, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Senior Jeameril Wilson had 12 points while classmate Nic Lynch added nine.
Eastern forward William Blet led the Eagles with 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting. The Mountain Hawks shut-out Eastern from the 3-point line, as the Eagles were 0-for-11 from deep. It marked the first Lehigh held an opponent without a made three since Dec. 21, 2013 vs. Quinnipiac (QU was 0-for-16).
After Eastern took an early 6-2 lead, the Mountain Hawks staged a 7-0 run – including five straight from Taylor – and the game stayed within one possession for the remainder of the half.
Late in the first half, a Wilson 3-pointer gave Lehigh a 22-19 advantage, but the lead changed multiple times over the final five minutes of the half. Eastern ended the stanza with four in a row to take a 30-28 lead following 20 minutes of play.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 41.1 percent from the field (23-of-56), including 38.1 percent from 3-point range (8-of-21). Eastern finished at 36.6 percent (26-of-71). Lehigh held a 43-38 edge on the glass. The Mountain Hawks did have 19 turnovers (with the Eagles recording a steal on 14 of them).
Lehigh held Eastern to under 45 percent shooting! Fans in attendance received a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees courtesy of The Brick in Bethlehem!
The Mountain Hawks will return to action on Saturday as they travel to American to face the Eagles on New Year's Day. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
"When you start looking at the overall feel of this game – and I've been in this situation on the opposite end with an underdog, going and playing against other good teams – there is an element of a team getting really tight, getting frustrated, because everyone thinks you should have 20-point plays on every occasion," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Eastern is a good team, they were testing us, and our guys stayed the course and didn't waver. I thought their confidence grew as the game went on and for our guys to believe in themselves throughout the course of the game even though things got sticky I think is a good sign and something we can build from."
Earning his second straight start at point guard, Higgins Jr. didn't disappoint. He played a career-high 37 minutes, knocking down 3-of-8 3-pointers and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, while adding five rebounds and three assists.📹 Victory highlights heading into @PatriotLeague play ☑️ pic.twitter.com/tQaKbQ5hdz
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 30, 2021
"We need our point guards to be able to take care of the ball. When we get that extra shot making, obviously that helps a great deal," said Reed. "The 3-point line was big for us in the second half where it was something that really faltered in the second half at Maryland."
Despite some early second-half foul trouble, Taylor still scored an efficient 18 points in 27 minutes, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Senior Jeameril Wilson had 12 points while classmate Nic Lynch added nine.
Eastern forward William Blet led the Eagles with 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting. The Mountain Hawks shut-out Eastern from the 3-point line, as the Eagles were 0-for-11 from deep. It marked the first Lehigh held an opponent without a made three since Dec. 21, 2013 vs. Quinnipiac (QU was 0-for-16).
After Eastern took an early 6-2 lead, the Mountain Hawks staged a 7-0 run – including five straight from Taylor – and the game stayed within one possession for the remainder of the half.
Late in the first half, a Wilson 3-pointer gave Lehigh a 22-19 advantage, but the lead changed multiple times over the final five minutes of the half. Eastern ended the stanza with four in a row to take a 30-28 lead following 20 minutes of play.
The Eagles scored six of the first eight second-half points to extend their overall run to 10-2, good for a 36-30 advantage. However, with Eastern ahead 39-35, the Mountain Hawks responded with a 13-3 run of their own. Higgins Jr. scored seven points in that stretch (including a pair of threes), while a Jake Betlow trey and Lynch free throw put Lehigh ahead, 48-42 midway through the second half.Pretty-looking stroke. @jeameril_wilson with the 🌈👌
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 30, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/Pr29NaTtBf pic.twitter.com/a80giMGzKB
Boy does @jeameril_wilson make it look easy 😱 He gives the Mountain Hawks the lead.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 30, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/Pr29NaTtBf pic.twitter.com/NZ5VQyqH7H
The second 3-pointer of the game for @keith_higgins15 gives him a career-high nine points, and there's still a lot of game left.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 30, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/Pr29NaTtBf pic.twitter.com/4oFfNPd1pY
Eastern fought back to as close as four on multiple occasions, but could never get back to within a possession. A Taylor jumper with 2:51 on the clock, followed by a pair of Betlow free throws in the final minute, gave Lehigh its first double-digit lead at 66-56, on the way to the 70-63 victory.The extra pass ➡️ ET 👌
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 30, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/Pr29NaTtBf pic.twitter.com/7HmdHxdvWk
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 41.1 percent from the field (23-of-56), including 38.1 percent from 3-point range (8-of-21). Eastern finished at 36.6 percent (26-of-71). Lehigh held a 43-38 edge on the glass. The Mountain Hawks did have 19 turnovers (with the Eagles recording a steal on 14 of them).
Lehigh held Eastern to under 45 percent shooting! Fans in attendance received a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees courtesy of The Brick in Bethlehem!
The Mountain Hawks will return to action on Saturday as they travel to American to face the Eagles on New Year's Day. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
East
Lehigh
FG%
.366
.411
3FG%
.000
.381
FT%
.611
.727
RB
38
43
TO
13
19
STL
14
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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