Saturday, February 27
Easton, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
4-8,4-8Patriot
69
at
75
Lafayette
7-5,7-5Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
32
37
69
Lafayette
36
39
75
Lehigh Drops Tight 75-69 Final at Lafayette
2/27/2021 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette led for more than 36 minutes of Saturday's game, but the Lehigh men's basketball team hung around and gave itself a chance until the very end in a 75-69 road defeat. Down 12 with less than eight minutes left, the Mountain Hawks scored nine straight to pull within three heading into the final media timeout. Lehigh had the ball in the final minute, down two, but couldn't pull even or take the lead.
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"It was a hard-fought game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I thought our activity at the 3-point line was pretty strong. We contested a lot of shots and did a pretty good job in that area. In the first half, I felt like rebounding by our guards was a little bit of a sore spot, which gave them a couple extra possessions and Lafayette was able to convert."
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Sophomore Evan Taylor was a big bright spot on the boards as he posted a career-high 15 rebounds and now has 74 over his last seven games. He again just missed a double-double, finishing with nine points on the afternoon.
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"Evan did a great job bringing a tremendous amount of energy for us," said Reed. "He played really hard. He played hard defending the 3-point line, defending his opponent off the bounce. His effort on the glass to finish out a defensive possession was very impressive."
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Senior Marques Wilson and junior Nic Lynch each scored 22 points to lead Lehigh's offense. Lynch was 9-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line while Wilson connected on 9-of-18 field goals. Sophomore Reed Fenton and freshman Dominic Parolin each added eight points. Lehigh's 69 points came from just five players.
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Lafayette jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but the Mountain Hawks pulled even at eight then 10. A Taylor free throw gave Lehigh its first (and what proved to be only) lead of the game at 11-10, but a Tyrone Perry 3-pointer with 12:27 on the first-half clock gave the Leopards a 13-11 advantage.
Lafayette's lead reached as much as nine, but the Mountain Hawks consistently answered. That included a 6-2 surge to end the half, pulling with 36-32 after 20 minutes of play.
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Trailing by nine early in the second, Wilson went on a personal 7-0 run to pull within 47-45 with 14:25 on the clock. Leading 50-48, the Leopards went on a 14-4 run to open their largest lead, 64-52, with 7:48 left in the second half.
Just when it looked like Lafayette may be pulling away, Lehigh had an answer; Lynch's first-career 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 run to pull the Mountain Hawks within 64-61 with 4:09 remaining. The Mountain Hawks twice got within two down the stretch, but a Lynch 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go was off the mark. Lafayette hit enough free throws down the stretch to wrap up the 75-69 final.
For the game, Lehigh shot 42.6 percent from the field (26-of-61), including 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-19). Lafayette finished at 45.9 percent (28-of-61) and 32.0 percent from long distance (8-of-25). The Mountain Hawks held a 37-34 edge in rebounds.
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Lehigh and Lafayette will now head to Stabler Arena and square off for the fourth time this season on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the regular season finale for both sides. The Mountain Hawks can still finish anywhere between the No. 7 and No. 10 seeds in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, which begins on Wednesday with the first round.
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Sunday is also Senior Night as Lehigh will honor its lone senior, Marques Wilson.
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"Marques has been a really effective player for us," said Reed. "He's a competitor. Throughout the course of his career, at various phases, he's given us a significant catalyst boost, even when he wasn't somebody who had the ball in his hands consistently. His focus and desire to stick with it, combined with his competitiveness, is a positive example to his teammates and what we're trying to do."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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"It was a hard-fought game," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I thought our activity at the 3-point line was pretty strong. We contested a lot of shots and did a pretty good job in that area. In the first half, I felt like rebounding by our guards was a little bit of a sore spot, which gave them a couple extra possessions and Lafayette was able to convert."
Â
Sophomore Evan Taylor was a big bright spot on the boards as he posted a career-high 15 rebounds and now has 74 over his last seven games. He again just missed a double-double, finishing with nine points on the afternoon.
Â
"Evan did a great job bringing a tremendous amount of energy for us," said Reed. "He played really hard. He played hard defending the 3-point line, defending his opponent off the bounce. His effort on the glass to finish out a defensive possession was very impressive."
Â
Senior Marques Wilson and junior Nic Lynch each scored 22 points to lead Lehigh's offense. Lynch was 9-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line while Wilson connected on 9-of-18 field goals. Sophomore Reed Fenton and freshman Dominic Parolin each added eight points. Lehigh's 69 points came from just five players.
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Lafayette jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but the Mountain Hawks pulled even at eight then 10. A Taylor free throw gave Lehigh its first (and what proved to be only) lead of the game at 11-10, but a Tyrone Perry 3-pointer with 12:27 on the first-half clock gave the Leopards a 13-11 advantage.
ÂBack-to-back 3-pointers from Wilson and Fenton have the Mountain Hawks down 2.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 27, 2021
Lafayette 10 - Lehigh 8 | 15:43 1H
WATCH: https://t.co/yrVMVAdyRp pic.twitter.com/5bY3Zyhwxg
Lafayette's lead reached as much as nine, but the Mountain Hawks consistently answered. That included a 6-2 surge to end the half, pulling with 36-32 after 20 minutes of play.
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Trailing by nine early in the second, Wilson went on a personal 7-0 run to pull within 47-45 with 14:25 on the clock. Leading 50-48, the Leopards went on a 14-4 run to open their largest lead, 64-52, with 7:48 left in the second half.
ÂMarques Wilson with7⃣straight points for Lehigh.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 27, 2021
Lafayette 47 - Lehigh 45 | 14:17 2H
WATCH: https://t.co/yrVMVAdyRp pic.twitter.com/bTts9v2il9
Just when it looked like Lafayette may be pulling away, Lehigh had an answer; Lynch's first-career 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 run to pull the Mountain Hawks within 64-61 with 4:09 remaining. The Mountain Hawks twice got within two down the stretch, but a Lynch 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go was off the mark. Lafayette hit enough free throws down the stretch to wrap up the 75-69 final.
ÂThe big man from DEEEPPPP! Nic Lynch's first three of the season gives him 22 points, tying his season-high.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 27, 2021
WATCH: https://t.co/yrVMVAdyRp pic.twitter.com/iAFDsUQkbV
For the game, Lehigh shot 42.6 percent from the field (26-of-61), including 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-19). Lafayette finished at 45.9 percent (28-of-61) and 32.0 percent from long distance (8-of-25). The Mountain Hawks held a 37-34 edge in rebounds.
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Lehigh and Lafayette will now head to Stabler Arena and square off for the fourth time this season on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the regular season finale for both sides. The Mountain Hawks can still finish anywhere between the No. 7 and No. 10 seeds in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, which begins on Wednesday with the first round.
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Sunday is also Senior Night as Lehigh will honor its lone senior, Marques Wilson.
Â
"Marques has been a really effective player for us," said Reed. "He's a competitor. Throughout the course of his career, at various phases, he's given us a significant catalyst boost, even when he wasn't somebody who had the ball in his hands consistently. His focus and desire to stick with it, combined with his competitiveness, is a positive example to his teammates and what we're trying to do."
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
Lehigh
Laf
FG%
.426
.459
3FG%
.263
.320
FT%
.923
.786
RB
37
34
TO
10
11
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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