Wednesday, February 9
Hamilton, N.Y.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
9-16,7-6Patriot
62
at
78
Colgate
13-11,9-2Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
32
30
62
Colgate
41
37
78
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Colgate Pulls Away From Mountain Hawks in Second Half, 78-62
2/9/2022 10:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HAMILTON, N.Y. – After a Tyler Whitney-Sidney 3-point play pulled Lehigh within nine early in the second half, Colgate answered with 28 of the next 41 points to take a 74-50 advantage. The Mountain Hawks held the Raiders to just four points over the final six minutes, but could never get back in the game, falling 78-62 on Wednesday night at Cotterell Court. Senior Nic Lynch continued his strong play, posting a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double.
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Lynch is now averaging exactly 20 points over his last three games. With the loss, Lehigh falls to 7-6 in Patriot League play, now in a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings (with Army West Point and Loyola) with five regular season games remaining.
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"In the beginning of the game, I thought we were a step slow," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Colgate had some small advantages and it seemed like they were playing out of quicker decisions where we were maybe a step behind and not necessarily in front of them. It always seemed like we were playing catchup or a little bit reactionary on defense. Offensively, turnovers ended up hurting us a little bit in the first half. I thought some of our turnovers were simply not squaring our shoulders, not seeing the entire floor and getting locked in on one look.
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"Then when we did square our shoulders and go to the rim, it seemed like we were shooting shots that they were able to block," Reed continued. "Colgate puts you in a difficult spot because they do shoot the ball so well from the 3-point line. Tonight, they scored very effectively inside the arc, which proved too much for us."
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Scoring was abundant early with each team scoring on its first two possessions. Colgate eventually opened a 10-4 lead, but the Mountain Hawks responded with an 8-2 run – including a pair of 3-pointers from Whitney-Sidney and junior Evan Taylor – to pull even at 12 with 13:29 left in the first half.
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The teams were also tied at 14, 16 and 18 before six straight Colgate points gave the Raiders some separation. Colgate's lead eventually reached 11 at 33-22 with 6:18 on the clock, but a quick 7-0 Mountain Hawks' surge – including a Lynch 3-point play followed by a Taylor jumper – got Lehigh within 33-29 with 3:51 remaining in the first.
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Early in the second half, the Raiders went back up double figures on multiple occasions. That's when a Whitney-Sidney 3-point play got the Mountain Hawks within 46-37 with 16:54 on the clock. However, Colgate answered with nine straight points and continued to build its lead until it eventually reached 24, 74-50, with 6:29 remaining following a Jeff Woodward layup.
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For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 41.3 percent from the floor (26-of-63), including 31.8 percent from 3-point range (7-of-22). Colgate finished at 54.5 percent (30-of-55) and 25.0 percent from behind the arc (4-of-16). After seven first-half turnovers, Lehigh had just two in the second half. The Raiders had eight for the game.
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The Mountain Hawks return home on Saturday to host Lafayette at 12 p.m. Lehigh will be recognizing its 2012 team, which won the Patriot League Championship and beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament. The Rivalry is presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. To purchase tickets, please click here.
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"We've got to be able to play an even better brand of basketball," said Reed. "We've seen some of the better teams; we've seen where we've been hurt and we've got to be able to make some adjustments. There have been times when our team has been really locked in, played really well off each other sharing it, moving it. You even saw it in small stretches during the course of this game. But need to see it more consistently."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. ÂGallery: (2-9-2022) Men's Basketball at Colgate, 2/9/22
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Lynch is now averaging exactly 20 points over his last three games. With the loss, Lehigh falls to 7-6 in Patriot League play, now in a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings (with Army West Point and Loyola) with five regular season games remaining.
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"In the beginning of the game, I thought we were a step slow," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Colgate had some small advantages and it seemed like they were playing out of quicker decisions where we were maybe a step behind and not necessarily in front of them. It always seemed like we were playing catchup or a little bit reactionary on defense. Offensively, turnovers ended up hurting us a little bit in the first half. I thought some of our turnovers were simply not squaring our shoulders, not seeing the entire floor and getting locked in on one look.
Â
"Then when we did square our shoulders and go to the rim, it seemed like we were shooting shots that they were able to block," Reed continued. "Colgate puts you in a difficult spot because they do shoot the ball so well from the 3-point line. Tonight, they scored very effectively inside the arc, which proved too much for us."
Along with Lynch's 18 points, senior Jeameril Wilson (11) and first year Keith Higgins Jr. (10) also reached double figures. Entering the day shooting a league-leading 40.3 percent from 3-point range, the Raiders were just 4-of-16, but finished 26-of-39 inside the arc.Wednesday night highlights 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ECFAFkUbsL
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 10, 2022
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Scoring was abundant early with each team scoring on its first two possessions. Colgate eventually opened a 10-4 lead, but the Mountain Hawks responded with an 8-2 run – including a pair of 3-pointers from Whitney-Sidney and junior Evan Taylor – to pull even at 12 with 13:29 left in the first half.
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The teams were also tied at 14, 16 and 18 before six straight Colgate points gave the Raiders some separation. Colgate's lead eventually reached 11 at 33-22 with 6:18 on the clock, but a quick 7-0 Mountain Hawks' surge – including a Lynch 3-point play followed by a Taylor jumper – got Lehigh within 33-29 with 3:51 remaining in the first.
Six consecutive Colgate points helped the Raiders retake a 10-point lead. In the final minute, a Higgins 3-pointer followed by a Nelly Cummings jumper sent the teams to halftime with Colgate leading, 41-32.Trailing 33-22, the Mountain Hawks are on a 7-0 run to get right back in this one. Included was this @Niclynch44 3-point play.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 10, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/njeG3dJSAl pic.twitter.com/TeC63p8NOj
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Early in the second half, the Raiders went back up double figures on multiple occasions. That's when a Whitney-Sidney 3-point play got the Mountain Hawks within 46-37 with 16:54 on the clock. However, Colgate answered with nine straight points and continued to build its lead until it eventually reached 24, 74-50, with 6:29 remaining following a Jeff Woodward layup.
Lehigh did end the game on a 9-1 run, holding Colgate to one point over the final 4:41. Four points from first year Burke Chebuhar, including a 3-pointer with 29 seconds on the clock, wrapped up the scoring..@twhitneysidney, the hoop and the harm.
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 10, 2022
Watch on ESPN+ https://t.co/njeG3dJSAl pic.twitter.com/MBgUBt4vJn
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For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 41.3 percent from the floor (26-of-63), including 31.8 percent from 3-point range (7-of-22). Colgate finished at 54.5 percent (30-of-55) and 25.0 percent from behind the arc (4-of-16). After seven first-half turnovers, Lehigh had just two in the second half. The Raiders had eight for the game.
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The Mountain Hawks return home on Saturday to host Lafayette at 12 p.m. Lehigh will be recognizing its 2012 team, which won the Patriot League Championship and beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament. The Rivalry is presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. To purchase tickets, please click here.
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"We've got to be able to play an even better brand of basketball," said Reed. "We've seen some of the better teams; we've seen where we've been hurt and we've got to be able to make some adjustments. There have been times when our team has been really locked in, played really well off each other sharing it, moving it. You even saw it in small stretches during the course of this game. But need to see it more consistently."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. Â
Coach Reed following tonight's defeat at Colgate pic.twitter.com/x1JKDEwtn5
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 10, 2022
Here's another look at @Evant2415's chasedown block in the first half.#SCTop10 #PLTop3 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/G8YpQlkGSK
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 10, 2022
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Team Stats
Lehigh
Colg
FG%
.413
.545
3FG%
.318
.250
FT%
.600
.667
RB
32
36
TO
9
8
STL
2
5
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
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