Wednesday, March 3
Boston, Mass.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
4-11,4-10Patriot
58
at
69
Boston University (First Round)
7-10,6-10Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
23
35
58
Boston U.
31
38
69
Photo by: Matt Woolverton
Mountain Hawks’ Season Ends with 69-58 PLT Defeat at Boston University
3/3/2021 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON – No. 7 seed Boston University used a 16-3 run bridging the end of the first half and beginning of the second to create separation as the Lehigh men's basketball team saw its season end Wednesday night with a 69-58 loss in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. Trailing 60-42 with less than four minutes remaining, the Mountain Hawks staged a 13-4 run to pull within 64-55 with 1:20 still on the clock, but Jonas Harper responded with a 3-pointer on the other end to erase any doubt.
"This was a game that was really hard to score in the half court," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We tried to increase tempo by going multiple sides of the floor. When we were able to push tempo a little bit in transition, it at least allowed us to get some points on the board, which was critical. I do give our guys a tip of the cap because they continued to fight.
"Unfortunately, we just had too many phases where we really struggled. We struggled to shoot the ball consistently, we struggled to score it consistently and then had defensive lapses as well."
Senior Marques Wilson led the Mountain Hawks in scoring (19 points) and rebounding (8). Junior Jeameril Wilson scored a season-high 17 points off the bench while sophomore Jakob Alamudun was a huge spark as well, scoring 10 on 3-of-3 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Lehigh's bench accounted for 32 of the team's 58 points on the evening.
The Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Terriers immediately responded with five straight. For nearly eight minutes, neither team led by more than a single possession. Boston University did make a late first-half run to take a 25-19 lead with 2:56 on the clock. Then after Jeameril Wilson connected on a pair of field goals (in the span of 27 seconds), the Terriers responded with a 6-0 run to end the half with a 31-23 lead.
Just over a minute into the second half, a Marques Wilson 3-pointer pulled Lehigh within seven at 33-26, but BU immediately scored the next eight to open its largest lead at 41-26.
"I think we tried to make a few too many individual plays during that time and got frustrated," said Reed. "You could see it on the faces of our guys and unfortunately, we didn't recover quickly enough. In the beginning of the second half, we had some early turnovers and some lost opportunities and then unfortunately, Boston University just seemed to run away with it at that point and it happened immediately, which was really disappointing.
"Our guys needed to be challenged as we moved forward and I think they answered that challenge effectively. We just had too many pockets of play where it wasn't effective enough."
After BU opened its big lead, the Mountain Hawks wouldn't go away, pulling back within nine on multiple occasions – 43-34, 45-36 and 47-38 – but couldn't get any closer. There was one stretch of more than three minutes in the middle of the stanza in which neither team scored.
However, as the second half progressed, Boston University built its lead back up, eventually reaching 18 at 60-42. That's when Lehigh scored 13 of the next 17 points, capped off by a Ben Li dunk and Marques Wilson's third 3-pointer, to pull within 64-55 with still 1:20 remaining.
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 37.1 percent from the field (23-of-62), including 29.4 percent from 3-point range (5-of-17). Boston University finished at 55.1 percent (27-of-49) and 38.5 percent from long distance (5-of-13). Rebounds were even at 33 apiece; the Mountain Hawks finished with 11 offensive boards, the sixth time in the last eight games in double figures.
"This was a different year," said Reed. "Although we didn't get the outcome we were looking for from a record standpoint, I think we were able to see some growth from our team.
"We're a young team that lost a lot of development opportunities, and were trying to figure it out without as much of a runway for takeoff," Reed continued. "While we took off, sometimes we didn't necessarily catch flight and do it consistently. But there were some elements we can build on. Provided those lessons are learned, we move forward and continue to display the attitude that I was really proud of our guys for displaying throughout the year, then it promotes a promising future."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
"This was a game that was really hard to score in the half court," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We tried to increase tempo by going multiple sides of the floor. When we were able to push tempo a little bit in transition, it at least allowed us to get some points on the board, which was critical. I do give our guys a tip of the cap because they continued to fight.
"Unfortunately, we just had too many phases where we really struggled. We struggled to shoot the ball consistently, we struggled to score it consistently and then had defensive lapses as well."
Senior Marques Wilson led the Mountain Hawks in scoring (19 points) and rebounding (8). Junior Jeameril Wilson scored a season-high 17 points off the bench while sophomore Jakob Alamudun was a huge spark as well, scoring 10 on 3-of-3 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Lehigh's bench accounted for 32 of the team's 58 points on the evening.
The Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Terriers immediately responded with five straight. For nearly eight minutes, neither team led by more than a single possession. Boston University did make a late first-half run to take a 25-19 lead with 2:56 on the clock. Then after Jeameril Wilson connected on a pair of field goals (in the span of 27 seconds), the Terriers responded with a 6-0 run to end the half with a 31-23 lead.
This and one basket capped off @jeameril_wilson's eight-point first half. Don't miss the second half on ESPN+https://t.co/4xP1Cx06Aq pic.twitter.com/i7bMeZZEr0
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 4, 2021
Just over a minute into the second half, a Marques Wilson 3-pointer pulled Lehigh within seven at 33-26, but BU immediately scored the next eight to open its largest lead at 41-26.
"I think we tried to make a few too many individual plays during that time and got frustrated," said Reed. "You could see it on the faces of our guys and unfortunately, we didn't recover quickly enough. In the beginning of the second half, we had some early turnovers and some lost opportunities and then unfortunately, Boston University just seemed to run away with it at that point and it happened immediately, which was really disappointing.
"Our guys needed to be challenged as we moved forward and I think they answered that challenge effectively. We just had too many pockets of play where it wasn't effective enough."
After BU opened its big lead, the Mountain Hawks wouldn't go away, pulling back within nine on multiple occasions – 43-34, 45-36 and 47-38 – but couldn't get any closer. There was one stretch of more than three minutes in the middle of the stanza in which neither team scored.
How about this crafty finish from Marques?! @_M_W_II
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 4, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4xP1Cx06Aq pic.twitter.com/HzfpgFAY8P
However, as the second half progressed, Boston University built its lead back up, eventually reaching 18 at 60-42. That's when Lehigh scored 13 of the next 17 points, capped off by a Ben Li dunk and Marques Wilson's third 3-pointer, to pull within 64-55 with still 1:20 remaining.
Trailing by 15 not long ago, the Mountain Hawks are back within nine with just over a minute left via this @benli__ slam followed by Marques Wilson (@_M_W_II) three.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 4, 2021
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4xP1Cx06Aq pic.twitter.com/RGIrKsMPVu
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 37.1 percent from the field (23-of-62), including 29.4 percent from 3-point range (5-of-17). Boston University finished at 55.1 percent (27-of-49) and 38.5 percent from long distance (5-of-13). Rebounds were even at 33 apiece; the Mountain Hawks finished with 11 offensive boards, the sixth time in the last eight games in double figures.
"This was a different year," said Reed. "Although we didn't get the outcome we were looking for from a record standpoint, I think we were able to see some growth from our team.
"We're a young team that lost a lot of development opportunities, and were trying to figure it out without as much of a runway for takeoff," Reed continued. "While we took off, sometimes we didn't necessarily catch flight and do it consistently. But there were some elements we can build on. Provided those lessons are learned, we move forward and continue to display the attitude that I was really proud of our guys for displaying throughout the year, then it promotes a promising future."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Lehigh
BU
FG%
.371
.551
3FG%
.294
.385
FT%
.700
.667
RB
33
33
TO
14
15
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
3
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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