Wednesday, February 23
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
11-18,9-8Patriot
78
vs
61
American
8-21,4-13Patriot
1
2
F
American
34
27
61
Lehigh
46
32
78
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Mountain Hawks Celebrate Senior Night With Convincing 78-61 Win Over American
2/23/2022 11:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A stellar performance on Senior Night by the senior class, helped lead the Lehigh men's basketball team to a 78-61 win over visiting American on Wednesday in Stabler Arena. Nic Lynch led the way with a career-high 30 points, including a career-high five made 3-pointers. Now 9-8 in Patriot League play, the Mountain Hawks have swept the regular-season series with the Eagles and in doing so, moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Patriot League standings with one game remaining. Wednesday's game was 3's For a Cure Day presented by Red Robin in partnership with LLS.
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Trailing 23-11 early, the Mountain Hawks answered in a big way. They staged a 28-4 run to take a 39-27 lead – a run that extended to 47-13 to take a 58-36 early second-half advantage.
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"Our guys were terrific," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "American came with a hard push in the beginning. They made very good plays and took advantage of their opportunities, but our guys continued to battle and fight. After coming off a tight loss [Sunday], sometimes things could erode a little bit, but they stayed the course.
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"We had great leadership from our seniors," Reed continued. "I thought they played an excellent game in a big-time environment. The crowd was terrific. I loved the student section; their energy was great. Sometimes that says a little bit – that the community, the students, their peers want to come out and celebrate these seniors."
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First year Keith Higgins Jr. contributed 13 points, shooting 60 percent from 3-point range (3-of-5). Classmate Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 12 points, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor (4-of-6) and 50 percent from behind the arc (1-of-2). Higgins also had a team-high five assists and three steals. Fifth year senior Marques Wilson was also recognized pregame and enjoyed a strong effort, recording five points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
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Lynch drained a three at the top of the arc to start the scoring for the Mountain Hawks, in a sign of things to come. A little later in the half, the Eagles used a 12-2 run to take a 23-12 lead with 11:11 on the clock.
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That's when Lehigh turned things around as it scored 28 of the next 32 points. In the span of 1:45, the Mountain Hawks went 4-of-4 from 3-point range – two from Lynch and one each from Marques and Jeameril Wilson. Jeameril's 3-pointer helped the Mountain Hawks take the lead back at 26-25 with 8:38 remaining in the half.
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"[Nic's shooting] makes us so hard to guard," said Reed. "What do you do when that guy can stretch the floor in the way in which he can? He was terrific. Not only did he knock down perimeter shots, but he also had some interior toughness. He got one rebound in the second half; he went and snatched that thing with two hands and just did a great job.
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"That kid has been phenomenal during his time with us," Reed continued. "He's somebody that's always coachable. He'll do whatever you ask of him and give his very best to it. The game rewarded him tonight."
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Whitney-Sidney drained an open 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh's offense kept its momentum, going on a 12-2 to start the stanza, to take a 58-36 lead with 15:04 on the clock. Lynch's career night saw him knock down his fifth 3-pointer with 12:56 remaining, giving him a career-high 27 points.
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For the game, Lehigh shot 50 percent from the floor (28-of-56) and 44.4 percent from 3-point range (12-of-27). American shot 47.3 percent from the floor (26-of-55) and 25 percent from behind the arc (1-of-4). The Mountain Hawks had seven steals, which helped cause 16 Eagles' turnovers. Lehigh had just eight turnovers itself. American held a 34-26 edge in rebounds.
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With a win, the Mountain Hawks have secured a ticket to the Patriot League Quarterfinals and a top six seed in the Patriot League standings. Heading into Saturday's regular season finale at Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks are in sole possession of fourth place in the standings, and with a win, would secure a home game in the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
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Gametime on Saturday at Lafayette is set for 2 p.m.
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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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Trailing 23-11 early, the Mountain Hawks answered in a big way. They staged a 28-4 run to take a 39-27 lead – a run that extended to 47-13 to take a 58-36 early second-half advantage.
Â
"Our guys were terrific," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "American came with a hard push in the beginning. They made very good plays and took advantage of their opportunities, but our guys continued to battle and fight. After coming off a tight loss [Sunday], sometimes things could erode a little bit, but they stayed the course.
Â
"We had great leadership from our seniors," Reed continued. "I thought they played an excellent game in a big-time environment. The crowd was terrific. I loved the student section; their energy was great. Sometimes that says a little bit – that the community, the students, their peers want to come out and celebrate these seniors."
Seniors Appreciation Post đź’Ż#ThankYouSeniors pic.twitter.com/82WyRhrmXz
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 24, 2022
Lehigh's offense was on fire, featuring four players scoring in double digits. In Lynch's last regular-season game at Stabler Arena, he shot 61.1 percent from the floor (11-of-18) and 62.5 percent from 3-point range (5-of-8). Jeameril Wilson made his last regular-season game at Stabler Arena count with 13 points, shooting 54.5 percent from the floor (6-of-11).Thank you students and fans 🤝 What a great night in Stabler Arena! #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/kdteieKOm2
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 24, 2022
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First year Keith Higgins Jr. contributed 13 points, shooting 60 percent from 3-point range (3-of-5). Classmate Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 12 points, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor (4-of-6) and 50 percent from behind the arc (1-of-2). Higgins also had a team-high five assists and three steals. Fifth year senior Marques Wilson was also recognized pregame and enjoyed a strong effort, recording five points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Stacy Beckton Jr. led the scoring for the Eagles with 17 points while Colin Smalls added 16.Senior Night dub highlights 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ipXbDUHTrA
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 24, 2022
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Lynch drained a three at the top of the arc to start the scoring for the Mountain Hawks, in a sign of things to come. A little later in the half, the Eagles used a 12-2 run to take a 23-12 lead with 11:11 on the clock.
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That's when Lehigh turned things around as it scored 28 of the next 32 points. In the span of 1:45, the Mountain Hawks went 4-of-4 from 3-point range – two from Lynch and one each from Marques and Jeameril Wilson. Jeameril's 3-pointer helped the Mountain Hawks take the lead back at 26-25 with 8:38 remaining in the half.
The Mountain Hawks were relentless on both sides of the ball, taking their first double-digit lead at 37-27 lead with 4:05 left in the first half. After that point, Lynch added another layup and buried a 3-pointer for a total of 20 first-half points as Lehigh took a 46-34 lead going into halftime.The Mountain Hawks are on 🔥!!
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 24, 2022
Fourth straight made three, Lehigh now 6-of-9 for the half. Mountain Hawks are on a 14-2 run to take the lead!
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/hyYa5l5mg0 pic.twitter.com/9y2WACDmWF
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"[Nic's shooting] makes us so hard to guard," said Reed. "What do you do when that guy can stretch the floor in the way in which he can? He was terrific. Not only did he knock down perimeter shots, but he also had some interior toughness. He got one rebound in the second half; he went and snatched that thing with two hands and just did a great job.
Â
"That kid has been phenomenal during his time with us," Reed continued. "He's somebody that's always coachable. He'll do whatever you ask of him and give his very best to it. The game rewarded him tonight."
Â
Whitney-Sidney drained an open 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh's offense kept its momentum, going on a 12-2 to start the stanza, to take a 58-36 lead with 15:04 on the clock. Lynch's career night saw him knock down his fifth 3-pointer with 12:56 remaining, giving him a career-high 27 points.
Whitney-Sidney added two layups, including a 3-point play – all in less than two minutes – to maintain a 68-46 lead with 7:25 left in the game. With 5:02 remaining, Lynch finished an old-fashioned 3-pointer play to give him 30 points and Lehigh a 71-51 lead, on the way to the 78-61 final..@Niclynch44 AGAIN! His fifth made three of the game gives him a career-high 27 points, with more than 12 minutes still remaining!
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 24, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/hyYa5l5U5y pic.twitter.com/yb0DEmerZd
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For the game, Lehigh shot 50 percent from the floor (28-of-56) and 44.4 percent from 3-point range (12-of-27). American shot 47.3 percent from the floor (26-of-55) and 25 percent from behind the arc (1-of-4). The Mountain Hawks had seven steals, which helped cause 16 Eagles' turnovers. Lehigh had just eight turnovers itself. American held a 34-26 edge in rebounds.
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With a win, the Mountain Hawks have secured a ticket to the Patriot League Quarterfinals and a top six seed in the Patriot League standings. Heading into Saturday's regular season finale at Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks are in sole possession of fourth place in the standings, and with a win, would secure a home game in the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
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Gametime on Saturday at Lafayette is set for 2 p.m.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
ÂMiss last night's Instagram Live of the Senior Night ceremony? Check it out, here! pic.twitter.com/2K0FdkdyGA
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 25, 2022
Team Stats
Americ
Lehigh
FG%
.473
.500
3FG%
.250
.444
FT%
.727
1.000
RB
34
26
TO
16
8
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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