Saturday, February 20
Bethlehem, Pa.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
3-8,3-8Patriot
47
vs
75
Loyola
3-7,3-7Patriot
1
2
F
Loyola Maryland
36
39
75
Lehigh
24
23
47
Mountain Hawks Struggle in Return to Court, Fall to Loyola
2/20/2021 5:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Hitting the court for the first time this month, the Lehigh men's basketball team couldn't find its stride in a 75-47 loss to visiting Loyola on Saturday afternoon in Stabler Arena. A competitive first half saw the Mountain Hawks hang within striking distance, but the Greyhounds outscored Lehigh 29-9 to begin the second half and wouldn't look back.
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Freshman Ben Li was a bright spot, scoring a career-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Junior Nic Lynch led the team in scoring with 15 on 6-of-9 shooting. Santi Aldama scored a game-high 27 points for the Greyhounds.
"There were some significant challenges and obstacles to get us ready to play at peak performance today and unfortunately, we weren't able to play to the level we needed to," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "There were circumstances behind it, but nonetheless, it was an opportunity to play and I was hopeful we would play a little bit better despite a long layoff."
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The first half saw Loyola jump out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Mountain Hawks pulled within one on two occasions. A few minutes later, a drive and finish from Jakob Alamudun pulled Lehigh within 14-11. As the first half progressed, Li continued to be the story, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first.
Loyola opened a 12-point, 28-16, advantage with 4:53 on the clock, but five straight points – behind Li's second 3-pointer and a short Lynch jumper – pulled Lehigh within seven at 28-21.The Greyhounds went on to reopen a 12-point margin at the half.
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Offensive struggles was the story of the second half, including a stretch of 6:59 in which the Mountain Hawks didn't score. There was also a stretch of 3:14 in which Lehigh held Loyola scoreless, but the Greyhounds were able to open a comfortable lead, cruising to the 75-47 final.
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For the game, Loyola shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62), including 37.5 percent from 3-point range (6-of-16). Lehigh finished at 30.8 percent (16-of-52) and 23.5 percent from long distance (4-of-17). The Greyhounds held a 43-34 edge in rebounds. Eighteen Mountain Hawk turnovers proved costly.
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"I'm not looking at our kids like hey, you didn't play hard," said Reed. "In fact, going into halftime, although we made some mistakes facing a new system, our defense was at least stable enough. But offensively, we continued to lag behind."
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ÂGallery: (2-20-2021) Men's Basketball vs. Loyola, 2/20/21
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Freshman Ben Li was a bright spot, scoring a career-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Junior Nic Lynch led the team in scoring with 15 on 6-of-9 shooting. Santi Aldama scored a game-high 27 points for the Greyhounds.
"There were some significant challenges and obstacles to get us ready to play at peak performance today and unfortunately, we weren't able to play to the level we needed to," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "There were circumstances behind it, but nonetheless, it was an opportunity to play and I was hopeful we would play a little bit better despite a long layoff."
Â
The first half saw Loyola jump out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Mountain Hawks pulled within one on two occasions. A few minutes later, a drive and finish from Jakob Alamudun pulled Lehigh within 14-11. As the first half progressed, Li continued to be the story, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first.
Â.@benli__ tough early on. Up to six early points. Loyola currently leads 23-16 at the under-8 media timeout.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 20, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4xP1Cx06Aq pic.twitter.com/i01JMR2z0c
Loyola opened a 12-point, 28-16, advantage with 4:53 on the clock, but five straight points – behind Li's second 3-pointer and a short Lynch jumper – pulled Lehigh within seven at 28-21.The Greyhounds went on to reopen a 12-point margin at the half.
Â
Offensive struggles was the story of the second half, including a stretch of 6:59 in which the Mountain Hawks didn't score. There was also a stretch of 3:14 in which Lehigh held Loyola scoreless, but the Greyhounds were able to open a comfortable lead, cruising to the 75-47 final.
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For the game, Loyola shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62), including 37.5 percent from 3-point range (6-of-16). Lehigh finished at 30.8 percent (16-of-52) and 23.5 percent from long distance (4-of-17). The Greyhounds held a 43-34 edge in rebounds. Eighteen Mountain Hawk turnovers proved costly.
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"I'm not looking at our kids like hey, you didn't play hard," said Reed. "In fact, going into halftime, although we made some mistakes facing a new system, our defense was at least stable enough. But offensively, we continued to lag behind."
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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
Loyola
Lehigh
FG%
.484
.308
3FG%
.375
.235
FT%
.529
.786
RB
43
34
TO
12
18
STL
9
4
Game Leaders
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
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