Thursday, January 5
Lewisburg, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
6-8,1-2Patriot
72
at
64
Bucknell
7-9,0-3Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
34
38
72
Bucknell
26
38
64
Photo by: L.J. Smith
Lehigh Claims First Patriot League Victory on the Road Over Bucknell
1/5/2023 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team earned their first Patriot League win, 72-64, over Bucknell inside of Sojka Pavilion on Thursday evening, powered by 20-point performances from sophomore Tyler Whitney-Sidney and senior Evan Taylor.
The Mountain Hawks (6-8, 1-2 PL) record their first league win of the season and snap a three-game losing streak while Bucknell has dropped its last five contests and remains winless in league play. This Lehigh victory marks the third straight win over the Bison as the Mountain Hawks won at Sojka Pavilion for the second straight season.
"I was proud of the way the guys played and defended together," stated Head Coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our defensive unity and positioning were really good."
Both squads would exchange baskets early and the Mountain Hawks were able to build a five-point lead, 14-9, before Bucknell tied things up at 14-14 with 10:37 remaining in the half. The Bison got within three points, 21-18, then Lehigh put together an 11-0 run to extend its lead to 32-18 and force Bucknell to call a timeout with 2:49 to play in the first. The Brown and White would hit two free throws to end their half of scoring, but the Bison cut their deficit to single digits with a jumper before time expired to put the score at 34-26 heading into halftime.
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The second half started with the Bison holding Lehigh without a basket until the 15:17 mark and they cut the deficit to just one point, 34-33. Lehigh then went on a small run of its own to go back in front 41-33 with 13:57 to play in regulation. Lehigh extended its advantage back to double-digits but Bucknell would not go away quietly, coming back within eight points, 52-44 approaching the seven-minute mark. The Mountain Hawks reached their largest lead of 15 points, 61-46, with 5:14 to play as the Bison fought back to single digits once again, which led to the final score of 72-64.
"Being able to neutralize Bucknell's size was a big part of the game plan and it took a lot of effort from our bigs, who continued to work hard tonight," added Reed.
Whitney-Sidney led all Mountain Hawks with 23 points while dishing out a team-high five assists to go with seven rebounds and three steals. He finished shooting 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the field and 50 percent (2-for-4) beyond the three-point line.
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Taylor scored 11 of his 20 points in the first half and ended the night with a team-leading eight rebounds. He made eight baskets from the field for a clip of 47.1 percent and knocked down three three-pointers for the Mountain Hawks. Also finishing in double-figures was sophomore Keith Higgins Jr., who contributed 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Junior Dominic Parolin tossed in six points while senior Reed Fenton, sophomore Ben Knostman and first-year Henri Adiassa each added three points. Knostman was also the co-leader in assists with Whitney-Sidney and Adiassa led the squad with his career-highs of four steals and three blocked shots.
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Bucknell was led by Alex Timmerman, who recorded a double-double with team-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Xander Rice was the only other Bison to reach double digits in scoring with his 14 points and led the team with seven assists.
The Brown and White shot a season-high 54.0 percent (27-for-50) from the floor while shooting 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from long distance while the Bison shot 41.9 percent (26-for-62) and 20.0 percent (4-for-20) from behind the three-point line.
Lehigh committed 15 turnovers that Bucknell turned into 13 points while the Bison were forced into 17 miscues that the Mountain Hawks turned into 25 points. The Brown and White were out-rebounded 34-24 but still managed to score more points in the paint, 36-34.
Reed concluded with, "Our team was very unselfish tonight, which led players to open spots and allowed our guys to get open and find ways to baskets."
The Mountain Hawks are back on the road for another Patriot League matchup, as they travel to Navy on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. Single-game tickets are on sale HERE.
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The Mountain Hawks (6-8, 1-2 PL) record their first league win of the season and snap a three-game losing streak while Bucknell has dropped its last five contests and remains winless in league play. This Lehigh victory marks the third straight win over the Bison as the Mountain Hawks won at Sojka Pavilion for the second straight season.
"I was proud of the way the guys played and defended together," stated Head Coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our defensive unity and positioning were really good."
Both squads would exchange baskets early and the Mountain Hawks were able to build a five-point lead, 14-9, before Bucknell tied things up at 14-14 with 10:37 remaining in the half. The Bison got within three points, 21-18, then Lehigh put together an 11-0 run to extend its lead to 32-18 and force Bucknell to call a timeout with 2:49 to play in the first. The Brown and White would hit two free throws to end their half of scoring, but the Bison cut their deficit to single digits with a jumper before time expired to put the score at 34-26 heading into halftime.
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SMOOTH!! Evan Taylor spins around his defender to sink the basket and draw the foul! Lehigh is up 26-18 with 3:56 to play in the first half! #GoLehigh
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 6, 2023
Watch on @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPN - https://t.co/1rkyqzEEjV pic.twitter.com/jbbrIZDf0r
The second half started with the Bison holding Lehigh without a basket until the 15:17 mark and they cut the deficit to just one point, 34-33. Lehigh then went on a small run of its own to go back in front 41-33 with 13:57 to play in regulation. Lehigh extended its advantage back to double-digits but Bucknell would not go away quietly, coming back within eight points, 52-44 approaching the seven-minute mark. The Mountain Hawks reached their largest lead of 15 points, 61-46, with 5:14 to play as the Bison fought back to single digits once again, which led to the final score of 72-64.
"Being able to neutralize Bucknell's size was a big part of the game plan and it took a lot of effort from our bigs, who continued to work hard tonight," added Reed.
Whitney-Sidney led all Mountain Hawks with 23 points while dishing out a team-high five assists to go with seven rebounds and three steals. He finished shooting 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the field and 50 percent (2-for-4) beyond the three-point line.
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The pass and finish!! Knostman sets up Whitney-Sidney for the acrobatic finish! #PLTop3 #GoLehigh
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 6, 2023
Watch on @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPN - https://t.co/1rkyqzEEjV pic.twitter.com/JyVIIx84Ko
Taylor scored 11 of his 20 points in the first half and ended the night with a team-leading eight rebounds. He made eight baskets from the field for a clip of 47.1 percent and knocked down three three-pointers for the Mountain Hawks. Also finishing in double-figures was sophomore Keith Higgins Jr., who contributed 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Junior Dominic Parolin tossed in six points while senior Reed Fenton, sophomore Ben Knostman and first-year Henri Adiassa each added three points. Knostman was also the co-leader in assists with Whitney-Sidney and Adiassa led the squad with his career-highs of four steals and three blocked shots.
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Good ball movement leads to a PAROLIN FLUSH!! Knostman finds Parolin open in the paint and throws it down! #PLTop3 #GoLehigh
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 6, 2023
Watch on @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPNhttps://t.co/1rkyqzEEjV pic.twitter.com/kifE0VeZpV
Bucknell was led by Alex Timmerman, who recorded a double-double with team-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Xander Rice was the only other Bison to reach double digits in scoring with his 14 points and led the team with seven assists.
The Brown and White shot a season-high 54.0 percent (27-for-50) from the floor while shooting 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from long distance while the Bison shot 41.9 percent (26-for-62) and 20.0 percent (4-for-20) from behind the three-point line.
Lehigh committed 15 turnovers that Bucknell turned into 13 points while the Bison were forced into 17 miscues that the Mountain Hawks turned into 25 points. The Brown and White were out-rebounded 34-24 but still managed to score more points in the paint, 36-34.
Reed concluded with, "Our team was very unselfish tonight, which led players to open spots and allowed our guys to get open and find ways to baskets."
The Mountain Hawks are back on the road for another Patriot League matchup, as they travel to Navy on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. Single-game tickets are on sale HERE.
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Team Stats
Lehigh
Buck
FG%
.540
.429
3FG%
.474
.200
FT%
.818
.667
RB
24
34
TO
15
17
STL
14
11
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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