Monday, February 14
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
10-17,8-7Patriot
86
vs
77
Bucknell
6-21,3-12Patriot
1
2
F
Bucknell
40
37
77
Lehigh
35
51
86
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks Complete Sweep of Bucknell, 86-77
2/14/2022 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A second-half offensive explosion of 51 points propelled Lehigh men's basketball to an 86-77 win over Bucknell on Monday night in Stabler Arena. Lehigh made 14 3-pointers for the game, just one from tying the Stabler Arena record, led by a 9-of-13 effort in the second half. The Mountain Hawks featured four players scoring double digits, led by 19 points apiece from seniors Marques Wilson and Nic Lynch. With the win, Lehigh has swept the regular season series with Bucknell for the first time since 2016-17, and improves to 8-7 in Patriot League play – good for sole possession of fourth place in the standings.
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Monday's game was presented by JFR Salvage. Â
"It was a terrific win," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "You've got to tip your cap to Bucknell. They played really good basketball. They didn't turn it over; they didn't beat themselves. They made shots. There's not much you [as a defense] can do about some of the shots they made.
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"I was really pleased with our team's positivity. I was really pleased with their togetherness," Reed continued. "They took an optimistic attitude all the way through, despite some of those plays. Our guys answered the call. They made big shots; they made big plays."
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Sixteen of Lynch's points came in the second half, while Marques Wilson scored 14 over the final 20 minutes. For the game, Lynch shot 50 percent from the floor (5-of-10) and 75 percent from 3-point range, including a team-high 11 rebounds – good for his sixth-career double-double and second this season. Marques Wilson knocked down 5-of-7 from behind the arc, good for a 71.4 percent clip. Higgins shot 58.3 percent from the floor (7-of-12) and 50 percent from 3-point range (3-of-6), while adding a team-high six assists.
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"I thought our senior class was absolutely phenomenal today," said Reed. "They did such a great job. Marques Wilson, even in the first half, did an incredible job defensively, and I was incredibly impressed by his focus and determination. Obviously, him knocking down shots, Nic making threes and Jeameril taking a tough defensive assignment at the end were big. Those were big-time plays from those three guys."
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Andrew Funk was Bucknell's high scorer with 24 points.
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Junior Jacob Alamudun converted the first basket of the game for Lehigh, banking a physical hook shot, but the Mountain Hawks trailed the Bison 7-2 going into the first media timeout. Bucknell extended its lead to 16-8 with 11:32 remaining in the first half. The Bison later went ahead 28-18 following a 3-pointer with 7:41 on the clock.
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A 3-pointer by Lynch cut the Bison lead to 28-21 with 7:24 left in the first half, sparking a 9-2 Mountain Hawks' run, which also included back-to-back threes by Jeameril Wilson in the span of 42 seconds. That pulled Lehigh within 30-27 with 4:47 until halftime.
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The Bison maintained their advantage and finished the first half up, 40-35.
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Bucknell opened an early 46-38 second-half lead, but Higgins responded with a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 46-41 going into the first media timeout of the second half. That began a stretch which saw Lehigh's defense keep Bucknell scoreless for 3:21, while the offense went on a 7-0 run, with six of the points scored by Higgins.
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With 12:49 left in the game, Lehigh took its first lead of the contest, 50-49, courtesy of two made free throws by Lynch. A mini 5-0 run by Bucknell was stopped by a Marques Wilson 3-pointer. Â
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The teams went back-and-forth over the ensuing minutes. A key sequence came when Marques Wilson scored seven points in 22 seconds behind a pair of 3-pointers, including a 4-point play. The second gave Lehigh a 65-62 lead with 8:32 on the clock.
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Lynch turned his game on when it mattered most, making a hook shot and two 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, all in the span of 1:02, to give Lehigh an 84-74 lead left with 2:29 left. A driving layup by Whitney-Sidney sealed the win, putting Lehigh up 86-77, which proved to be the final.
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Over the two games vs. Bucknell this season, the Mountain Hawks knocked down 32-of-58 3-pointers (55.2 percent), including 19-of-29 in the second half (65.5 percent). Overall, Lehigh has hit 50 percent or more treys six times in its last 11 games.
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The Mountain Hawks will now head to Loyola Maryland on Sunday to face the Greyhounds. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.Â
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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Monday's game was presented by JFR Salvage. Â
"It was a terrific win," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "You've got to tip your cap to Bucknell. They played really good basketball. They didn't turn it over; they didn't beat themselves. They made shots. There's not much you [as a defense] can do about some of the shots they made.
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"I was really pleased with our team's positivity. I was really pleased with their togetherness," Reed continued. "They took an optimistic attitude all the way through, despite some of those plays. Our guys answered the call. They made big shots; they made big plays."
First year Keith Higgins Jr. added 17 points, to go with his career-high 26 points in the first meeting at Bucknell. Senior Jeameril Wilson scored 11 points, as the senior class combined for 50 on the night.Now that was fun 😎 pic.twitter.com/XxxaBOF2wt
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2022
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Sixteen of Lynch's points came in the second half, while Marques Wilson scored 14 over the final 20 minutes. For the game, Lynch shot 50 percent from the floor (5-of-10) and 75 percent from 3-point range, including a team-high 11 rebounds – good for his sixth-career double-double and second this season. Marques Wilson knocked down 5-of-7 from behind the arc, good for a 71.4 percent clip. Higgins shot 58.3 percent from the floor (7-of-12) and 50 percent from 3-point range (3-of-6), while adding a team-high six assists.
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"I thought our senior class was absolutely phenomenal today," said Reed. "They did such a great job. Marques Wilson, even in the first half, did an incredible job defensively, and I was incredibly impressed by his focus and determination. Obviously, him knocking down shots, Nic making threes and Jeameril taking a tough defensive assignment at the end were big. Those were big-time plays from those three guys."
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Andrew Funk was Bucknell's high scorer with 24 points.
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Junior Jacob Alamudun converted the first basket of the game for Lehigh, banking a physical hook shot, but the Mountain Hawks trailed the Bison 7-2 going into the first media timeout. Bucknell extended its lead to 16-8 with 11:32 remaining in the first half. The Bison later went ahead 28-18 following a 3-pointer with 7:41 on the clock.
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A 3-pointer by Lynch cut the Bison lead to 28-21 with 7:24 left in the first half, sparking a 9-2 Mountain Hawks' run, which also included back-to-back threes by Jeameril Wilson in the span of 42 seconds. That pulled Lehigh within 30-27 with 4:47 until halftime.
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The Bison maintained their advantage and finished the first half up, 40-35.
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Bucknell opened an early 46-38 second-half lead, but Higgins responded with a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 46-41 going into the first media timeout of the second half. That began a stretch which saw Lehigh's defense keep Bucknell scoreless for 3:21, while the offense went on a 7-0 run, with six of the points scored by Higgins.
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With 12:49 left in the game, Lehigh took its first lead of the contest, 50-49, courtesy of two made free throws by Lynch. A mini 5-0 run by Bucknell was stopped by a Marques Wilson 3-pointer. Â
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The teams went back-and-forth over the ensuing minutes. A key sequence came when Marques Wilson scored seven points in 22 seconds behind a pair of 3-pointers, including a 4-point play. The second gave Lehigh a 65-62 lead with 8:32 on the clock.
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Lynch turned his game on when it mattered most, making a hook shot and two 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, all in the span of 1:02, to give Lehigh an 84-74 lead left with 2:29 left. A driving layup by Whitney-Sidney sealed the win, putting Lehigh up 86-77, which proved to be the final.
How 'bout this acrobatic finish from Tyler Whitney-Sidney (@twhitneysidney) to put a bow on tonight's win?! 😱
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2022
Here's three angles for your enjoyment.#SCTop10 | #PLTop3 | @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/yMUlC8ExpV
The offense caught fire in the second half making 55.2 percent from the field (16-of-29) and 69.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (9-of-13). For the game, Lehigh shot 46.8 percent from the floor (29-of-62) and 58.3 percent from 3-point range (14-of-24). Bucknell finished at 50.9 percent from the floor (27-of-53) and 64.3 percent from three (9-of-14). Lehigh dominated Bucknell in rebounds, 40-26, including a 10-1 advantage in offense boards.Add another incredible block to the Mountain Hawks' resume this season, this one from Jeameril Wilson (@jeameril_wilson) with 3:17 remaining 😤 You have to see this multiple times to believe it.#SCTop10 | #PLTop3 | @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/gblXrs65yg
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 15, 2022
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Over the two games vs. Bucknell this season, the Mountain Hawks knocked down 32-of-58 3-pointers (55.2 percent), including 19-of-29 in the second half (65.5 percent). Overall, Lehigh has hit 50 percent or more treys six times in its last 11 games.
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The Mountain Hawks will now head to Loyola Maryland on Sunday to face the Greyhounds. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.Â
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Like Lehigh Men'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%
.509
.468
3FG%
.643
.583
FT%
.667
.778
RB
26
40
TO
7
8
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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