Wednesday, January 12
Bethlehem, Pa.
6 p.m.
Lehigh University
10-5,2-2Patriot
45
vs
56
Bucknell
11-4,2-2Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Bucknell
14
11
18
13
56
Lehigh
8
4
20
13
45
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Offensive woes continue as Mountain Hawks fall to Bucknell
1/12/2022 10:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Finishing with its lowest scoring output since 2018, the Lehigh women's basketball team struggled shooting the ball in the first half and overall as Bucknell came away with the 56-45 victory Wednesday evening at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks (10-5, 2-2 PL) drop their second consecutive game and fall to an even .500 record through the first four Patriot League contests of the season.
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"They're (Bucknell) one of the better defensive teams in the league and things weren't going to be easy against them," said head coach Sue Troyan. "I didn't think we showed a lot of toughness, we came out in the first half flat in a big game.
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"We didn't have answer for what they were doing on the offensive end tonight. I thought our defense kept us in the game in the first half when we weren't making shots and they weren't making a lot of shots either. We were a little better in the second half but we just need to find our way. With Frannie (Hottinger) out, we have a lot of people adjusting to different roles. We definitely miss her offensive presence on the floor."
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The first quarter was rough for Lehigh, who didn't score until the 3:50 mark of the first frame, a Jamie Behar layup that cut the Bucknell lead to 6-2. A 6-2 run from that point was capped by a 3-pointer from Mackenzie Kramer that tied the game at 8-8, but the Bison went on to score six straight points to lead 14-8 after 10 minutes of action.
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The Mountain Hawks shot just 23.1 percent in the quarter, including 33.3 percent (2-for-6) from deep. Bucknell didn't make a 3 in four attempts but shot 37.5 percent (6-for-16) overall from the floor.
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Emma Grothaus started the scoring in the second quarter with a fast break layup with 9:01 to go, cutting the Bison lead to four points. Bucknell then scored seven straight to lead, 21-10 and four of the next six points to take a 25-12 lead into the locker room. The Bison out-scored Lehigh, 11-4 in the frame, as the Mountain Hawks shot just 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from the field and were 0-for-7 from deep.
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Lehigh was unable to get close to single digits to begin third quarter, trailing by as many as 16 points and getting as close as 11 points on three occasions before coming within nine points with 1:35 to play. While the Mountain Hawks out-scored Bucknell, 20-18 in the third quarter, they still trailed 43-32 heading into the final frame.
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Bucknell held onto the lead from the get-go in the fourth quarter, opening the stanza with a 13-point lead and leading by 14 at the media timeout with 4:25 to play. The Bison got out to a 16-point cushion with 2:25 left and Lehigh took the final four points of the contest before falling 56-45. Kramer finished with a team-high 16 points with four treys, while Megan Walker scored nine points with 10 rebounds and two steals. Grothaus had 13 boards with six points, three steals and two blocks.
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Bucknell was led by Taylor O'Brien's 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Cecelia Collins had 16 points and Carly Krsul had 15.
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Lehigh shot just 30.8 percent (16-for-52) from the field and 21.4 percent (6-for-28) from beyond-the-arc. The Bison had the edge in points from turnovers (17-3), points in the paint (34-18) and bench points (17-9). The Mountain Hawks turned the ball over 15 times while forcing 11 from Bucknell.
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"I think it's been a little of all three as of late, confidence, attitude and execution," Troyan said of the team's offense as of late. "We've played some pretty good teams and the offense has been potent so we need to stay confident in what we're doing and how we're doing it."
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The Mountain Hawks never led, but had the game tied in the first quarter.
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Lehigh looks to snap a two-game skid on Saturday, visiting Loyola (Md.) at 2 p.m. in Baltimore, streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
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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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"They're (Bucknell) one of the better defensive teams in the league and things weren't going to be easy against them," said head coach Sue Troyan. "I didn't think we showed a lot of toughness, we came out in the first half flat in a big game.
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"We didn't have answer for what they were doing on the offensive end tonight. I thought our defense kept us in the game in the first half when we weren't making shots and they weren't making a lot of shots either. We were a little better in the second half but we just need to find our way. With Frannie (Hottinger) out, we have a lot of people adjusting to different roles. We definitely miss her offensive presence on the floor."
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The first quarter was rough for Lehigh, who didn't score until the 3:50 mark of the first frame, a Jamie Behar layup that cut the Bucknell lead to 6-2. A 6-2 run from that point was capped by a 3-pointer from Mackenzie Kramer that tied the game at 8-8, but the Bison went on to score six straight points to lead 14-8 after 10 minutes of action.
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The Mountain Hawks shot just 23.1 percent in the quarter, including 33.3 percent (2-for-6) from deep. Bucknell didn't make a 3 in four attempts but shot 37.5 percent (6-for-16) overall from the floor.
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Emma Grothaus started the scoring in the second quarter with a fast break layup with 9:01 to go, cutting the Bison lead to four points. Bucknell then scored seven straight to lead, 21-10 and four of the next six points to take a 25-12 lead into the locker room. The Bison out-scored Lehigh, 11-4 in the frame, as the Mountain Hawks shot just 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from the field and were 0-for-7 from deep.
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Lehigh was unable to get close to single digits to begin third quarter, trailing by as many as 16 points and getting as close as 11 points on three occasions before coming within nine points with 1:35 to play. While the Mountain Hawks out-scored Bucknell, 20-18 in the third quarter, they still trailed 43-32 heading into the final frame.
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Bucknell held onto the lead from the get-go in the fourth quarter, opening the stanza with a 13-point lead and leading by 14 at the media timeout with 4:25 to play. The Bison got out to a 16-point cushion with 2:25 left and Lehigh took the final four points of the contest before falling 56-45. Kramer finished with a team-high 16 points with four treys, while Megan Walker scored nine points with 10 rebounds and two steals. Grothaus had 13 boards with six points, three steals and two blocks.
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Bucknell was led by Taylor O'Brien's 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Cecelia Collins had 16 points and Carly Krsul had 15.
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Lehigh shot just 30.8 percent (16-for-52) from the field and 21.4 percent (6-for-28) from beyond-the-arc. The Bison had the edge in points from turnovers (17-3), points in the paint (34-18) and bench points (17-9). The Mountain Hawks turned the ball over 15 times while forcing 11 from Bucknell.
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"I think it's been a little of all three as of late, confidence, attitude and execution," Troyan said of the team's offense as of late. "We've played some pretty good teams and the offense has been potent so we need to stay confident in what we're doing and how we're doing it."
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The Mountain Hawks never led, but had the game tied in the first quarter.
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Lehigh looks to snap a two-game skid on Saturday, visiting Loyola (Md.) at 2 p.m. in Baltimore, streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
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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
Buck
Lehigh
FG%
.426
.308
3FG%
.250
.214
FT%
.667
.700
RB
38
32
TO
11
15
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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