Saturday, January 8
Worcester, Mass.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
10-4,2-1Patriot
53
at
64
Holy Cross
8-5,2-0Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Lehigh
15
17
13
8
53
Holy Cross
21
10
21
12
64
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Holy Cross halts Lehigh's win streak in Worcester
1/8/2022 4:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Lehigh women's basketball team saw its small halftime lead dissipate, as shots ceased to fall and Holy Cross picked up the 64-53 victory Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center. The Mountain Hawks (10-4, 2-1 PL) see their five-game win streak snapped and drop their first Patriot League contest of the 2021-22 season. For the first time this season, Lehigh was held under 60 points and saw an eight-game win streak snapped when forcing more than 15 turnovers (17).
For the third game in a row, senior Emma Grothaus led the Mountain Hawks on offense, scoring a team-high 15 points with seven rebounds and two assists. Senior Megan Walker also reached double-figures with 10 points and also had four steals on defense. Lehigh was held to just 32.1 percent (17-for-53) shooting in the contest, while converting just six of 25 3-point attempts.
"We didn't do a great job of executing within our offense or playing at the pace of play that we would like to, all of which led to a poor shooting day on the offensive end," said head coach Sue Troyan. "On the defensive end, we struggled to control the defensive boards, struggled to contain Avery LaBarbera and uncharacteristically fouled too many times. All of these factors contributed to a slower pace to the game than we would like to play and I think that factored into our offensive woes as well."
Holy Cross came out of the gates running in the first quarter, getting out to an early 6-0 cushion. The Mountain Hawks got their first points of the game at the 5:56 mark of the first frame off a 3-pointer for Walker. Two Jamie Behar free throws cut the Crusader lead to three at 8-5 heading into the 4:53 media timeout. Coming out of the break, Holy Cross went on an 8-0 run to lead 16-5 with 3:30 to play following the Kelly Petro 3-pointer. Lehigh was able to trim the lead to as little as seven points on two occasions, but the Crusaders answered back with another trey to take a 10-point lead with 1:03 remaining. Off two foul shots and a layup off a turnover, Grothaus scored five straight points to cut the deficit to 21-15 heading into the second quarter.
Despite Holy Cross shooting nearly 50 percent in the first quarter and the Mountain Hawks converting on just three made field goals, Lehigh went 8-for-8 from the free throw line and trailed by just six points.
"We talk a lot about being 'shot ready' on offense and the importance of all five players being an offensive threat," Troyan said. "I didn't think our players played with that mentality today and we gave up a number of good looks at the basket to settle for lesser shots and play at a slower pace."
First year Meghan O'Brien brought the Mountain Hawks back within three points with a 3-pointer right out of the break and while the Crusaders got back out to a five-point lead, Emma Grothaus' layup and 3-pointer from the corner for sophomore Maddie Albrecht had the game tied back up at 23 with 7:12 to play. A mini 6-0 run for Holy Cross resulted in a six-point lead at the 5:20 mark, but Lehigh scored five straight points to trail 29-28 at the media timeout with 3:16 to go in the half. Two Madison Demski free throws extended the Crusader lead to three, but four straight points from the Mountain Hawks to conclude the half had them out in front by one, 32-31 after 20 minutes of play.
It didn't take Avery LaBarbera long to score for Holy Cross to begin play in the second half with a layup off a fast break, giving the Crusaders back the one-point advantage. With 7:11 left in the quarter, sophomore Mackenzie Kramer sunk her first 3-pointer of the game to give Lehigh back the two-point cushion. Walker then was fouled and went to the line, making one of two to put the Mountain Hawks ahead by three, 38-35 with 5:32 on the clock. Holy Cross ended the quarter on a 17-7 run to lead, 52-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
Holy Cross had the firm edge in rebounds, 46-25 while also leading the way in points off turnovers (14-9), points in the paint (30-20), second chance points (16-4) and bench points (14-12). The Crusaders shot 80 percent (16-for-20) from the charity stripe, while the Mountain Hawks shot 81.3 percent (13-for-16).
Avery LaBarbera was very difficult to stop for Holy Cross on the day, scoring a game-high 30 points with 17 rebounds, adding three assists and two steals. She also had four 3-pointers. Oluchi Ezemma also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
"We knew coming into the game that as Avery plays well, Holy Cross succeeds, so she was a focal point for us on the defensive end of the floor," said Troyan. "She provides the leadership and spark for their team as a pretty dynamic player who has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Obviously, we did not execute well in stopping her from carrying their team today."
Lehigh returns to Stabler Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to host Bucknell in a rematch of last season's Patriot League semifinal round. The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required) and on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com and by calling 610-7LU-GAME.
"Every loss is an opportunity to grow as a program and it's important that our team carry over the lessons learned from our game today into Wednesday's match-up with Bucknell," Troyan said. "Executing our game plan on both ends of the floor is critical to our team's success; every player playing with a high level of confidence when they step on the floor is also going to be very important to our overall success."
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
For the third game in a row, senior Emma Grothaus led the Mountain Hawks on offense, scoring a team-high 15 points with seven rebounds and two assists. Senior Megan Walker also reached double-figures with 10 points and also had four steals on defense. Lehigh was held to just 32.1 percent (17-for-53) shooting in the contest, while converting just six of 25 3-point attempts.
"We didn't do a great job of executing within our offense or playing at the pace of play that we would like to, all of which led to a poor shooting day on the offensive end," said head coach Sue Troyan. "On the defensive end, we struggled to control the defensive boards, struggled to contain Avery LaBarbera and uncharacteristically fouled too many times. All of these factors contributed to a slower pace to the game than we would like to play and I think that factored into our offensive woes as well."
Holy Cross came out of the gates running in the first quarter, getting out to an early 6-0 cushion. The Mountain Hawks got their first points of the game at the 5:56 mark of the first frame off a 3-pointer for Walker. Two Jamie Behar free throws cut the Crusader lead to three at 8-5 heading into the 4:53 media timeout. Coming out of the break, Holy Cross went on an 8-0 run to lead 16-5 with 3:30 to play following the Kelly Petro 3-pointer. Lehigh was able to trim the lead to as little as seven points on two occasions, but the Crusaders answered back with another trey to take a 10-point lead with 1:03 remaining. Off two foul shots and a layup off a turnover, Grothaus scored five straight points to cut the deficit to 21-15 heading into the second quarter.
Despite Holy Cross shooting nearly 50 percent in the first quarter and the Mountain Hawks converting on just three made field goals, Lehigh went 8-for-8 from the free throw line and trailed by just six points.
"We talk a lot about being 'shot ready' on offense and the importance of all five players being an offensive threat," Troyan said. "I didn't think our players played with that mentality today and we gave up a number of good looks at the basket to settle for lesser shots and play at a slower pace."
First year Meghan O'Brien brought the Mountain Hawks back within three points with a 3-pointer right out of the break and while the Crusaders got back out to a five-point lead, Emma Grothaus' layup and 3-pointer from the corner for sophomore Maddie Albrecht had the game tied back up at 23 with 7:12 to play. A mini 6-0 run for Holy Cross resulted in a six-point lead at the 5:20 mark, but Lehigh scored five straight points to trail 29-28 at the media timeout with 3:16 to go in the half. Two Madison Demski free throws extended the Crusader lead to three, but four straight points from the Mountain Hawks to conclude the half had them out in front by one, 32-31 after 20 minutes of play.
Lehigh out-scored Holy Cross, 17-10 in the second quarter and held the Crusaders to just 25 percent (3-for-12) from the field as well as 1-for-3 from beyond-the-arc. The Mountain Hawks were much more efficient shooting the ball, going 7-for-16 from the field and sinking three from long range..@walkermegan_ is lethal. ⚡
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 8, 2022
The steal and finish puts the Mountain Hawks back in front! 👏
Watch: https://t.co/wbj5dqHhzX pic.twitter.com/lKZecZl7Et
It didn't take Avery LaBarbera long to score for Holy Cross to begin play in the second half with a layup off a fast break, giving the Crusaders back the one-point advantage. With 7:11 left in the quarter, sophomore Mackenzie Kramer sunk her first 3-pointer of the game to give Lehigh back the two-point cushion. Walker then was fouled and went to the line, making one of two to put the Mountain Hawks ahead by three, 38-35 with 5:32 on the clock. Holy Cross ended the quarter on a 17-7 run to lead, 52-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
Lehigh battled to begin the fourth frame, trimming the Holy Cross lead to just four points with 8:39 to go following two free throws for Clair Steele, but it was only the beginning for the Crusaders, who went back up by nine points at the media timeout with 5:14 to play. A 6-2 run put Holy Cross ahead by 13 with 28 seconds left and won by 11 after Walker had a layup at the 0:21 mark.Magic. ✨
— Lehigh Women's Basketball (@LehighWBB) January 8, 2022
The things @EmmaGrothaus does. #PLTop3
Watch: https://t.co/wbj5dqHhzX pic.twitter.com/4Lf5S4I07E
Holy Cross had the firm edge in rebounds, 46-25 while also leading the way in points off turnovers (14-9), points in the paint (30-20), second chance points (16-4) and bench points (14-12). The Crusaders shot 80 percent (16-for-20) from the charity stripe, while the Mountain Hawks shot 81.3 percent (13-for-16).
Avery LaBarbera was very difficult to stop for Holy Cross on the day, scoring a game-high 30 points with 17 rebounds, adding three assists and two steals. She also had four 3-pointers. Oluchi Ezemma also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
"We knew coming into the game that as Avery plays well, Holy Cross succeeds, so she was a focal point for us on the defensive end of the floor," said Troyan. "She provides the leadership and spark for their team as a pretty dynamic player who has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Obviously, we did not execute well in stopping her from carrying their team today."
Lehigh returns to Stabler Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to host Bucknell in a rematch of last season's Patriot League semifinal round. The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required) and on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com and by calling 610-7LU-GAME.
"Every loss is an opportunity to grow as a program and it's important that our team carry over the lessons learned from our game today into Wednesday's match-up with Bucknell," Troyan said. "Executing our game plan on both ends of the floor is critical to our team's success; every player playing with a high level of confidence when they step on the floor is also going to be very important to our overall success."
Like Lehigh Women's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Team Stats
Lehigh
HolyCr
FG%
.321
.396
3FG%
.240
.333
FT%
.813
.800
RB
25
46
TO
12
17
STL
8
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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