Friday, January 28
Worcester, Mass.
5 p.m.
Lehigh University
8-14,6-4Patriot
65
at
67
Holy Cross
4-15,2-5Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
34
31
65
Holy Cross
29
38
67
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Holy Cross Makes Late Charge to Beat Mountain Hawks, 67-65
1/28/2022 8:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Lehigh men's basketball team led for 34:18 on Friday, but Holy Cross took its first lead with 5:01 remaining, on its way to handing the Mountain Hawks a tough 67-65 defeat in the Hart Center. With the loss, Lehigh falls to 6-4 in Patriot League play. Senior Jeameril Wilson led the offense with 16 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and fourth of his career. On a day the Mountain Hawks shot 52.9 percent from 3-point range (9-of-17), they were just 33.3 percent from two (12-of-36).
"I thought our finishing rate was really poor," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I know there may have been some contact on our finishes, but going 12-for-36 from two when we were making perimeter jump shots, ended up hurting us. We've got to have a finishing mindset; we've got to be able to put the ball in the basket when we make those hard attacks. I thought [Holy Cross'] Caleb Kenney did a nice job defensively and also on the glass, but nonetheless, there were still a lot of opportunities when I thought if we had our focus, put it soft up on the glass and we made our finishes, now we're talking about killing some of their runs."
Gerrale Gates posted a double-double to lead the Crusaders, tallying 19 points and 11 boards.
The 3-point shot was falling for the Mountain Hawks in the first half. After consecutive misses, Lehigh hit six of its next eight and seven of its next 10 to close out the half. The first trey came from Wilson to give Lehigh a 9-4 lead with 15:22 on the clock, then Lynch followed with a layup to give the Mountain Hawks an 11-4 advantage.
Holy Cross held the lead from there, with the exception of two Whitney-Sidney free throws which put Lehigh back in front, 56-55. With the Crusaders' advantage at two in the final minute, Taylor had a great look at a corner three, but it wouldn't fall. The margin reached six in the final seconds, but Lehigh had one last-gasp effort. Junior Jake Betlow converted a four-point play with 7.2 seconds on the clock, then after Gates hit 1-of-2 free throws, Whitney-Sidney was fouled in the back court. He made the first then missed the second intentionally, leading to Wilson grabbing his 13th rebound of the day and he was fouled. However, the ensuing free throw was off the mark. He missed the second one intentionally, but the Crusaders secured the rebound, and the victory.
"As a team, when you have that low of a finishing rate (from two), sometimes it's a bit of an indicator that some guys are trying to do a little bit too much on their own," said Reed. "We have been very good throughout the course of this year when the ball is swung, moved and we've gotten quick, explosive opportunities where the defense shifts a little bit more. That's something all of us have to recognize and go back to the formula of playing together and sharing it at a very high level."
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 39.6 percent from the floor (21-of-53), including 52.9 percent from 3-point range (9-of-17) – the third time in the last four games and fourth time in the last six at 50 percent or better. Lehigh has knocked down 43-of-84 from behind the arc over the last four games. Holy Cross finished at 40.7 percent from the field (24-of-59) and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The Crusaders held a 42-33 edge on the glass.
"I thought Holy Cross played really hard," said Reed. "They have athleticism, which we recognize. I thought another key in the game was they established themselves early with a toughness factor on offensive rebounding. We adjusted, but it came back and hurt us as we got into that deep and important run in the second half."
The Mountain Hawks return home next week for two games - hosting Navy on Wednesday, Feb. 2 and Boston University on Saturday, Feb. 5. Wednesday's game will be Salute to Service presented by Weis Markets. To purchase tickets online, please click here.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
"I thought our finishing rate was really poor," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "I know there may have been some contact on our finishes, but going 12-for-36 from two when we were making perimeter jump shots, ended up hurting us. We've got to have a finishing mindset; we've got to be able to put the ball in the basket when we make those hard attacks. I thought [Holy Cross'] Caleb Kenney did a nice job defensively and also on the glass, but nonetheless, there were still a lot of opportunities when I thought if we had our focus, put it soft up on the glass and we made our finishes, now we're talking about killing some of their runs."
Wilson finished 6-of-12 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. First years Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, while senior Nic Lynch had nine and junior Evan Taylor added eight.🎥 highlights from today's contest at Holy Cross 🎥 pic.twitter.com/14VsQicE77
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 29, 2022
Gerrale Gates posted a double-double to lead the Crusaders, tallying 19 points and 11 boards.
The 3-point shot was falling for the Mountain Hawks in the first half. After consecutive misses, Lehigh hit six of its next eight and seven of its next 10 to close out the half. The first trey came from Wilson to give Lehigh a 9-4 lead with 15:22 on the clock, then Lynch followed with a layup to give the Mountain Hawks an 11-4 advantage.
Holy Cross pulled within 19-18 with 7:44 remaining, but an 8-0 Lehigh run – beginning with a Lynch three and ending with a Taylor triple – gave the Mountain Hawks their largest lead, 27-18, with 5:59 left in the first half..@jeameril_wilson with a pair of 3-pointers in this media segment, the second giving the Mountain Hawks a 14-7 lead with 11:53 left in the first half 👌👌
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 28, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4UHCcKecIA pic.twitter.com/YFe2KTH5cf
A Higgins trey would put Lehigh ahead, 30-21, but the Crusaders outscored the Mountain Hawks 8-4 over the final 3:54 to pull within 34-29 at the half.Just call him our sharp shooter. @Niclynch44 with another 👌 to put the Mountain Hawks up 22-18 at the under-8 media timeout.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 28, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4UHCcKecIA pic.twitter.com/4Tc1oY4pF3
Holy Cross clawed to within two, 40-38, just over four minutes into the second half, but the Mountain Hawks answered with a 7-2 run as following a Wilson defensive rebound, a quick outlet led to a Whitney-Sidney fast break layup to make it 47-40 with 13:05 on the clock.Mountain Hawks now 6-of-10 from 3 as this @keith_higgins13 trey puts Lehigh up by nine late in the first half.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 28, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4UHCcKecIA pic.twitter.com/UrRTLZ7BYK
A few minutes later, Higgins knocked down his third 3-pointer (in three attempts) to give Lehigh a 50-42 lead with 9:35 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks scored just two points over the next 5:37, which proved costly. Holy Cross staged an 11-2 run, capped off by a Gates jumper, to give the Crusaders their first lead at 53-52 with 5:01 remaining.From D to O in a flash. Blink and @twhitneysidney is by you.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 28, 2022
Mountain Hawks up seven. Holy Cross calls timeout.
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/4UHCcKecIA pic.twitter.com/inL7kFqc31
Holy Cross held the lead from there, with the exception of two Whitney-Sidney free throws which put Lehigh back in front, 56-55. With the Crusaders' advantage at two in the final minute, Taylor had a great look at a corner three, but it wouldn't fall. The margin reached six in the final seconds, but Lehigh had one last-gasp effort. Junior Jake Betlow converted a four-point play with 7.2 seconds on the clock, then after Gates hit 1-of-2 free throws, Whitney-Sidney was fouled in the back court. He made the first then missed the second intentionally, leading to Wilson grabbing his 13th rebound of the day and he was fouled. However, the ensuing free throw was off the mark. He missed the second one intentionally, but the Crusaders secured the rebound, and the victory.
"As a team, when you have that low of a finishing rate (from two), sometimes it's a bit of an indicator that some guys are trying to do a little bit too much on their own," said Reed. "We have been very good throughout the course of this year when the ball is swung, moved and we've gotten quick, explosive opportunities where the defense shifts a little bit more. That's something all of us have to recognize and go back to the formula of playing together and sharing it at a very high level."
For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 39.6 percent from the floor (21-of-53), including 52.9 percent from 3-point range (9-of-17) – the third time in the last four games and fourth time in the last six at 50 percent or better. Lehigh has knocked down 43-of-84 from behind the arc over the last four games. Holy Cross finished at 40.7 percent from the field (24-of-59) and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The Crusaders held a 42-33 edge on the glass.
"I thought Holy Cross played really hard," said Reed. "They have athleticism, which we recognize. I thought another key in the game was they established themselves early with a toughness factor on offensive rebounding. We adjusted, but it came back and hurt us as we got into that deep and important run in the second half."
The Mountain Hawks return home next week for two games - hosting Navy on Wednesday, Feb. 2 and Boston University on Saturday, Feb. 5. Wednesday's game will be Salute to Service presented by Weis Markets. To purchase tickets online, please click here.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Here's another look at @jeameril_wilson's incredible block 😮 #SCTop10 #PLTop3 pic.twitter.com/gqZMVQ0Wsb
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 29, 2022
Coach Reed following today's defeat at Holy Cross pic.twitter.com/vbZlY7fawS
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 29, 2022
Team Stats
LEHIGH
HC
FG%
.396
.407
3FG%
.529
.400
FT%
.700
.750
RB
33
42
TO
9
9
STL
0
5
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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