Sunday, March 7
Bethlehem, Pa.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
8-5,7-5Patriot
75
vs
57
Holy Cross (Quarterfinals)
7-8,7-7Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Holy Cross
12
11
21
13
57
Lehigh
18
20
14
23
75
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh beats Holy Cross, 75-57 to advance to Patriot League semifinals
3/7/2021 5:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The fourth-seeded Lehigh women's basketball team outscored fifth-seeded Holy Cross, 30-11, in the middle stages of Sunday's Patriot League Quarterfinal and despite a late third-quarter surge, the Crusaders never got any closer than eight as the Mountain Hawks wrapped up a 75-57 victory. With the win, Lehigh advances to the Patriot League Semifinals for a third straight season and will play at top-seeded Bucknell on Thursday. Junior Emma Grothaus led the offense with a season-high 19 points while freshman Jamie Behar added a career-high 16 points off the bench.
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"We have a real deep bench; we have a lot of kids who are capable scorers," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "We don't rely on one or two people on any given day. All year, it's been different people stepping up. Jamie had a big game today. I thought Emma played really well for us as well. Frannie had a big first half."
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Hottinger scored 11 of her 14 points in the first half. Grothaus finished the game 8-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Behar was 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. As a team, the Mountain Hawks knocked down 13 3-pointers (on 32 attempts), more than their 10.2 average which was fourth in the nation entering Sunday.
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"It tends to be different kids in different moments who step up for us and that's the strength of this team – the way we play on the offensive end shooting threes and having a balance of both an inside and outside game," said Troyan. "I think we have more quality depth than any team in our league, which can help us in this next stretch."
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Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the Crusaders in scoring with a game-high 26 points.
A tight first quarter saw the Mountain Hawks create separation late in the period as they used a 7-0 run to turn a 12-11 deficit into an 18-12 lead after 15 minutes of play.
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Holy Cross pulled within 21-19 midway through the second quarter before Lehigh answered in a big way. The Mountain Hawks staged an 11-0 run, capped off by a Grothaus 3-pointer, to give her team a 32-19 lead with 2:23 on the clock. Holy Cross got within 11, but a Katie Rice 3-pointer with just seconds remaining put Lehigh ahead 38-23 at the half.
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The Mountain Hawks' momentum continued in the third quarter. A few minutes in, they reeled off eight straight points, ending with a Mackenzie Kramer 3-pointer to take a 51-30 lead with 4:41 left in the third.
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The Crusaders wouldn't go away quietly, though, ending the quarter on a 14-1 run to get back within 52-44 heading to the fourth.
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Senior Mary Clougherty knocked down a 3-pointer on the first possession of the fourth and Lehigh later used another 8-0 surge (which extended to 14-2) to erase any doubt. The Mountain Hawks went on to open their largest lead as another Behar trey gave Lehigh a 73-50 advantage, on the way to the 75-57 win.
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"It's definitely a sign of growth for our team," said Troyan. "When Holy Cross made the run, we talked about playing composed and doing the things we had to do. It was really going to start on the defensive end. I thought Mary set the tone in the fourth quarter. She got a five-second call and one or two possessions later, caused a turnover on a post entry pass."
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For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 43.5 percent from the field (30-of-69), including 41.9 percent from 3-point range (13-of-31). Holy Cross finished at 35.9 percent (23-of-64), including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from three. Lehigh held a 45-34 edge in rebounds.
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"Resiliency would be the word that comes to mind [when thinking about the team]," said Troyan. "Honestly, when you look back to last year, we were going up to Boston to play in a semifinal game and that got taken away from us. The kids this year have endured so much just to have a season with the testing and COVID protocols. It has not been an easy road, but the adversity they've faced through the last three or four months has prepared them well to get to this point."
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The Mountain Hawks will return to action in the Patriot League Semifinals on Thursday when they travel to top-seeded Bucknell to face the Bison.
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ÂGallery: (3-7-2021) Women's Basketball vs. Holy Cross PLT, 3/7/21
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"We have a real deep bench; we have a lot of kids who are capable scorers," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "We don't rely on one or two people on any given day. All year, it's been different people stepping up. Jamie had a big game today. I thought Emma played really well for us as well. Frannie had a big first half."
Â
Hottinger scored 11 of her 14 points in the first half. Grothaus finished the game 8-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Behar was 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. As a team, the Mountain Hawks knocked down 13 3-pointers (on 32 attempts), more than their 10.2 average which was fourth in the nation entering Sunday.
Â
"It tends to be different kids in different moments who step up for us and that's the strength of this team – the way we play on the offensive end shooting threes and having a balance of both an inside and outside game," said Troyan. "I think we have more quality depth than any team in our league, which can help us in this next stretch."
Â
Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the Crusaders in scoring with a game-high 26 points.
ÂGetting that @PatriotLeague quarterfinal dub 👌
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) March 7, 2021
Roll the tape 📼#GoLehigh #SoarWithUs pic.twitter.com/GTSwbE0SwV
A tight first quarter saw the Mountain Hawks create separation late in the period as they used a 7-0 run to turn a 12-11 deficit into an 18-12 lead after 15 minutes of play.
Â
Holy Cross pulled within 21-19 midway through the second quarter before Lehigh answered in a big way. The Mountain Hawks staged an 11-0 run, capped off by a Grothaus 3-pointer, to give her team a 32-19 lead with 2:23 on the clock. Holy Cross got within 11, but a Katie Rice 3-pointer with just seconds remaining put Lehigh ahead 38-23 at the half.
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The Mountain Hawks' momentum continued in the third quarter. A few minutes in, they reeled off eight straight points, ending with a Mackenzie Kramer 3-pointer to take a 51-30 lead with 4:41 left in the third.
Â
The Crusaders wouldn't go away quietly, though, ending the quarter on a 14-1 run to get back within 52-44 heading to the fourth.
Â
Senior Mary Clougherty knocked down a 3-pointer on the first possession of the fourth and Lehigh later used another 8-0 surge (which extended to 14-2) to erase any doubt. The Mountain Hawks went on to open their largest lead as another Behar trey gave Lehigh a 73-50 advantage, on the way to the 75-57 win.
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"It's definitely a sign of growth for our team," said Troyan. "When Holy Cross made the run, we talked about playing composed and doing the things we had to do. It was really going to start on the defensive end. I thought Mary set the tone in the fourth quarter. She got a five-second call and one or two possessions later, caused a turnover on a post entry pass."
Â
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 43.5 percent from the field (30-of-69), including 41.9 percent from 3-point range (13-of-31). Holy Cross finished at 35.9 percent (23-of-64), including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from three. Lehigh held a 45-34 edge in rebounds.
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"Resiliency would be the word that comes to mind [when thinking about the team]," said Troyan. "Honestly, when you look back to last year, we were going up to Boston to play in a semifinal game and that got taken away from us. The kids this year have endured so much just to have a season with the testing and COVID protocols. It has not been an easy road, but the adversity they've faced through the last three or four months has prepared them well to get to this point."
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The Mountain Hawks will return to action in the Patriot League Semifinals on Thursday when they travel to top-seeded Bucknell to face the Bison.
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Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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Team Stats
HolyCr
Lehigh
FG%
.359
.435
3FG%
.208
.419
FT%
.857
.400
RB
34
45
TO
12
13
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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