Saturday, December 4
Bethlehem, Pa.
4:30 p.m.
Lehigh University
1-8,0-0Patriot
75
vs
81
Maryland Eastern Shore
3-5,0-0MEAC
1
2
F
UMES
39
42
81
Lehigh
41
34
75
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Lehigh Falls to Maryland Eastern Shore, Despite Career-High Performances
12/4/2021 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Juniors Reed Fenton and Jake Betlow each posted career highs in points (20 and 15, respectively), but it wasn't enough as the Lehigh men's basketball team dropped an 81-75 final to visiting Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday in Stabler Arena. Five Mountain Hawks scored in double figures, led by 50 combined points from three juniors, but Lehigh was outscored 42-34 in the second half in the defeat.
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"I thought our kids played pretty well together, shared the basketball," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "It was nice to have a night where we were answering the call and making a lot of shots. Reed Fenton stepped up, as did Jake Betlow in meaningful ways, but the turnovers were our detriment."
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Lehigh turned the ball over 19 times (11 in the second half) to Maryland Eastern Shore's eight. The Mountain Hawks were playing without fifth-year senior and preseason All-Patriot League honoree Marques Wilson.
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Fenton's 20 points came on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Betlow also finished 5-of-8 from three, with all his attempts coming from behind the arc. Classmate Evan Taylor added 15 points and six rebounds while sophomore Dominic Parolin (11 points) and senior Jeameril Wilson (10 points) also scored in double figures.
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"We may have seen something here today where guys were able to answer the call," said Reed. "Now, it's a matter of consistency. But there were a lot of positive things to be able to build from because our guys did share the ball, it did move. And we were able to ring the bell. Reed played assertively, he played aggressively. Jake Betlow came in and really gave us valuable minutes knocking down shots."
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Neither team led by more than one possession until just over five minutes in, as Maryland Eastern Shore hit a 3-pointer to take a 15-9 lead. With Lehigh trailing 17-12, the Mountain Hawks staged an 11-0 run, beginning with a Parolin 3-point play and followed by consecutive Betlow 3-pointers. Eventually, a Jeameril Wilson basket gave Lehigh a 23-17 advantage with 9:08 left in the first half.
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Maryland Eastern Shore responded in a big way, staging a 13-0 run to take a 32-30 advantage. The lead changed multiple times in the ensuing minutes. With Lehigh trailing by four, 39-35, Fenton knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:17 on the clock, then again from deep as the first-half clock expired, to give the Mountain Hawks a 41-39 halftime advantage.
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Betlow's hot shooting led to 3-pointers that twice pulled Lehigh within five at 57-52 (with 11:51 remaining) and 61-56 (with 8:30 left in the second). Lehigh would get within three, as a Tyler Whitney-Sidney layup made it 63-60 with 6:22 on the clock, and a Taylor 3-pointer later made it 67-64 with 4:40 remaining. But that's as close as Lehigh would come. A Taylor 3-point play got the Mountain Hawks back within three in the final minute, 75-72, but the Hawks hit their free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.
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Saturday's game marked Lehigh's final contest until after final exams. The Mountain Hawks will return to action in two weeks, on Saturday, Dec. 18 at Syracuse. Gametime is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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"I thought our kids played pretty well together, shared the basketball," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "It was nice to have a night where we were answering the call and making a lot of shots. Reed Fenton stepped up, as did Jake Betlow in meaningful ways, but the turnovers were our detriment."
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Lehigh turned the ball over 19 times (11 in the second half) to Maryland Eastern Shore's eight. The Mountain Hawks were playing without fifth-year senior and preseason All-Patriot League honoree Marques Wilson.
"When you take a game that was pretty evenly matched and then you throw in a [points off turnovers] differential of 26 to seven, it really becomes costly. And some of them were in a small flurry. At the start of the second half, when we really wanted to establish ourselves, we had four turnovers in about eight possessions and gave up five offensive rebounds. That allowed them to build a little bit of an edge and we were always chipping away at it."Five Mountain Hawks in double figures on Saturday in Stabler. Here were some of the highlights đź“ą pic.twitter.com/qxELwiRXBv
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 5, 2021
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Fenton's 20 points came on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Betlow also finished 5-of-8 from three, with all his attempts coming from behind the arc. Classmate Evan Taylor added 15 points and six rebounds while sophomore Dominic Parolin (11 points) and senior Jeameril Wilson (10 points) also scored in double figures.
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"We may have seen something here today where guys were able to answer the call," said Reed. "Now, it's a matter of consistency. But there were a lot of positive things to be able to build from because our guys did share the ball, it did move. And we were able to ring the bell. Reed played assertively, he played aggressively. Jake Betlow came in and really gave us valuable minutes knocking down shots."
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Neither team led by more than one possession until just over five minutes in, as Maryland Eastern Shore hit a 3-pointer to take a 15-9 lead. With Lehigh trailing 17-12, the Mountain Hawks staged an 11-0 run, beginning with a Parolin 3-point play and followed by consecutive Betlow 3-pointers. Eventually, a Jeameril Wilson basket gave Lehigh a 23-17 advantage with 9:08 left in the first half.
The Hawks broke their drought, but Lehigh immediately scored seven straight points to increase its run to 18-2. The seven straight points included another Parolin 3-point play and ended with a Parolin dunk that gave Lehigh a 30-19 advantage with 6:15 on the first-half clock.Jake Below is feeing it early with six points via a pair of 3-pointers!
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 4, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/smbgog9vZC pic.twitter.com/PHioCMamp4
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Maryland Eastern Shore responded in a big way, staging a 13-0 run to take a 32-30 advantage. The lead changed multiple times in the ensuing minutes. With Lehigh trailing by four, 39-35, Fenton knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:17 on the clock, then again from deep as the first-half clock expired, to give the Mountain Hawks a 41-39 halftime advantage.
A few minutes into the second half, Maryland Eastern Shore staged an 11-0 run, with six of the points scored by Kevon Voyles, to open a 54-47 lead with 14:41 to go in the second. The Hawks wouldn't trail the rest of the way.Have a half, Reed Fenton! 14 points, 5-of-7 shooting, 4-of-5 from 3, including this one from WAY downtown.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 4, 2021
Watch the second half on ESPN+ https://t.co/smbgog9vZC pic.twitter.com/RRq4XzbPaz
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Betlow's hot shooting led to 3-pointers that twice pulled Lehigh within five at 57-52 (with 11:51 remaining) and 61-56 (with 8:30 left in the second). Lehigh would get within three, as a Tyler Whitney-Sidney layup made it 63-60 with 6:22 on the clock, and a Taylor 3-pointer later made it 67-64 with 4:40 remaining. But that's as close as Lehigh would come. A Taylor 3-point play got the Mountain Hawks back within three in the final minute, 75-72, but the Hawks hit their free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 51.9 percent from the field (28-of-54), including 44.4 percent from 3-point range (12-of-27). Maryland Eastern Shore finished at 49.2 percent (29-of-59) and 46.2 percent from behind the arc (6-of-13). Lehigh held a 31-29 edge in rebounds.Betlow with his third đź‘Ś to get the Mountain Hawks back within five.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) December 4, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/smbgog9vZC pic.twitter.com/dlklZaIGaY
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Saturday's game marked Lehigh's final contest until after final exams. The Mountain Hawks will return to action in two weeks, on Saturday, Dec. 18 at Syracuse. Gametime is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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Team Stats
UMES
Lehigh
FG%
.492
.519
3FG%
.462
.444
FT%
.850
.636
RB
29
31
TO
8
18
STL
10
0
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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