Thursday, March 11
Lewisburg, Pa.
Lehigh University
at
Bucknell (Semifinals)
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Spot in Championship Game on the line Thursday between Lehigh, Bucknell
3/10/2021 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the third consecutive season, the Lehigh women's basketball team is participating in a Patriot League semifinal contest. Just one victory Thursday night separates the fourth-seeded Mountain Hawks from playing in their first Patriot League Championship game since the 2014-15 season and for the sixth time in program history. On Thursday, the team visits Sojka Pavilion to face top-seeded and undefeated Bucknell at 7 p.m. The winner faces either second-seeded Boston University or third-seeded American Sunday hosted by the highest remaining seed.
A win would also make the Mountain Hawks the lowest-seeded team to qualify for the title game since Lehigh did it as the No. 6 seed in 2014-15.
It's been 11 years since the program's last league title and NCAA Tournament appearance and once again, it is about momentum as the team looks to accomplish something that has eluded the program for the last decade.
Lehigh is coming off an impressive 75-57 home victory over fifth-seeded Holy Cross in the quarterfinal round Sunday at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks shot the ball efficiently and used the game of runs to their advantage, out-scoring the Crusaders, 30-11 in the middle stages to come away with the win.
Junior forward Emma Grothaus had her most complete game of the season, scoring a season-high 19 points with seven rebounds adding two blocks to her total. Freshman forward Jamie Behar had a brilliant postseason debut, scoring a career-high 16 points on four 3-pointers, including three consecutive in the fourth quarter to assist the Mountain Hawks to victory. Not to be out-done, sophomore wing Frannie Hottinger scored her average with 14 points and seven boards.
Like clockwork, senior guard Mary Clougherty and junior guard Clair Steele paced the team in assists with seven and six, respectively. Steele is currently tied for first in the Patriot League in that category at 4.2 helpers per game.
3-point shooting was a theme that was well-represented on Sunday, as it has been for the majority of this current season. Lehigh managed to collect 13 3-pointers as a team against the Crusaders, making it the sixth game this season in which the Mountain Hawks had at least 10 3-pointers in one game. Lehigh has registered at least eight made shots from beyond-the-arc in all 13 games so far this season.
The team is averaging a little over 10 3-pointers made per game (10.4), by far the most of any team in the Patriot League, currently ranked third in all of NCAA Division I.
There are only two unbeaten programs left in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball. One is California Baptist, in the third year of a four-year transition to D1 currently ineligible for the postseason. The other is 9-0 Bucknell, who are looking at repeating as Patriot League Champions from the 2019 campaign.
The top-seeded Bison began their run in dominant fashion on Saturday in the Patriot League Quarterfinals against eighth-seeded Loyola, getting the victory at Sojka Pavilion, 65-50.
The game played on Saturday was Bucknell's first in 35 days, missing over a month due to the university's shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bison's pair of First Team All-Patriot League selections, Tessa Brugler and Taylor O'Brien, each registered double-doubles in the victory.
O'Brien scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, while Brugler had 11 points and 11 boards. Ally Johnson was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, adding four rebounds and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Bucknell's 9-0 record on the season, despite lack of competition, is definitely warranted. The Bison are among the Patriot League-leaders in a plethora of categories including second in scoring (72.4 ppg), second in defense (54.7 ppg), first in free throw percentage (.805), first in field goal percentage defense (.337), first in 3-point percentage (.391) and first in assist-turnover ratio (1.7).
Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will mark the 92nd all-time meeting between Lehigh and Bucknell, which dates back to Feb. 22, 1977. The Bison lead the all-time series, 48-43.
Bucknell has won 14 of the last 15 meetings against Lehigh since the 2014-15 season. The Mountain Hawks have dropped nine straight to the Bison, including four times this season. They have not won in Lewisburg since Feb. 20, 2013. Bucknell leads Lehigh in Patriot League play all-time, 37-25. In the Patriot League Tournament, the Mountain Hawks are 4-1 against Bucknell, last getting the victory in the quarterfinal round during the 2011-12 season.
The last time these two teams met, the Mountain Hawks gave up an 18-point advantage at the tail end of the third quarter, as the Bison went on a 21-5 run in the final five minutes of the contest to claim the come-from-behind victory. Frannie Hottinger scored 24 points with nine rebounds in the loss.
Thursday night's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and aired on Lehigh Valley Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM, 94.7 FM in Allentown with Matt Markus on the play-by-play call.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
A win would also make the Mountain Hawks the lowest-seeded team to qualify for the title game since Lehigh did it as the No. 6 seed in 2014-15.
It's been 11 years since the program's last league title and NCAA Tournament appearance and once again, it is about momentum as the team looks to accomplish something that has eluded the program for the last decade.
Lehigh is coming off an impressive 75-57 home victory over fifth-seeded Holy Cross in the quarterfinal round Sunday at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks shot the ball efficiently and used the game of runs to their advantage, out-scoring the Crusaders, 30-11 in the middle stages to come away with the win.
Junior forward Emma Grothaus had her most complete game of the season, scoring a season-high 19 points with seven rebounds adding two blocks to her total. Freshman forward Jamie Behar had a brilliant postseason debut, scoring a career-high 16 points on four 3-pointers, including three consecutive in the fourth quarter to assist the Mountain Hawks to victory. Not to be out-done, sophomore wing Frannie Hottinger scored her average with 14 points and seven boards.
Like clockwork, senior guard Mary Clougherty and junior guard Clair Steele paced the team in assists with seven and six, respectively. Steele is currently tied for first in the Patriot League in that category at 4.2 helpers per game.
3-point shooting was a theme that was well-represented on Sunday, as it has been for the majority of this current season. Lehigh managed to collect 13 3-pointers as a team against the Crusaders, making it the sixth game this season in which the Mountain Hawks had at least 10 3-pointers in one game. Lehigh has registered at least eight made shots from beyond-the-arc in all 13 games so far this season.
The team is averaging a little over 10 3-pointers made per game (10.4), by far the most of any team in the Patriot League, currently ranked third in all of NCAA Division I.
There are only two unbeaten programs left in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball. One is California Baptist, in the third year of a four-year transition to D1 currently ineligible for the postseason. The other is 9-0 Bucknell, who are looking at repeating as Patriot League Champions from the 2019 campaign.
The top-seeded Bison began their run in dominant fashion on Saturday in the Patriot League Quarterfinals against eighth-seeded Loyola, getting the victory at Sojka Pavilion, 65-50.
The game played on Saturday was Bucknell's first in 35 days, missing over a month due to the university's shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bison's pair of First Team All-Patriot League selections, Tessa Brugler and Taylor O'Brien, each registered double-doubles in the victory.
O'Brien scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, while Brugler had 11 points and 11 boards. Ally Johnson was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, adding four rebounds and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Bucknell's 9-0 record on the season, despite lack of competition, is definitely warranted. The Bison are among the Patriot League-leaders in a plethora of categories including second in scoring (72.4 ppg), second in defense (54.7 ppg), first in free throw percentage (.805), first in field goal percentage defense (.337), first in 3-point percentage (.391) and first in assist-turnover ratio (1.7).
Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will mark the 92nd all-time meeting between Lehigh and Bucknell, which dates back to Feb. 22, 1977. The Bison lead the all-time series, 48-43.
Bucknell has won 14 of the last 15 meetings against Lehigh since the 2014-15 season. The Mountain Hawks have dropped nine straight to the Bison, including four times this season. They have not won in Lewisburg since Feb. 20, 2013. Bucknell leads Lehigh in Patriot League play all-time, 37-25. In the Patriot League Tournament, the Mountain Hawks are 4-1 against Bucknell, last getting the victory in the quarterfinal round during the 2011-12 season.
The last time these two teams met, the Mountain Hawks gave up an 18-point advantage at the tail end of the third quarter, as the Bison went on a 21-5 run in the final five minutes of the contest to claim the come-from-behind victory. Frannie Hottinger scored 24 points with nine rebounds in the loss.
Thursday night's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and aired on Lehigh Valley Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM, 94.7 FM in Allentown with Matt Markus on the play-by-play call.
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | March 11, 2021 |
| Opponent: | No. 1 Bucknell Bison |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena: | Sojka Pavilion |
| Location: | Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 8-5, 3-5 Central |
| Bucknell's Record: | 9-0, 6-0 Central |
| Series: | Bucknell leads, 48-43 |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Lehigh Valley Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM, 94.7 FM in Allentown w/ Matt Markus |
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