Photo by: Ryan McGettigan
Lehigh Suffers Road Setback At Monmouth 88-79
11/21/2023 11:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – 'Feast Week' in college basketball is officially underway, and Lehigh men's basketball kicked off their holiday with a road trip to Monmouth University on Tuesday evening. The Mountain Hawks fell by a score of 88-79 to the Hawks in the two teams' third meeting in as many years.
"I really thought they made some key and critical shots… We've got to give [Monmouth] credit," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "The things that ended up hurting us the most were fouling jump-shooters and maybe figuring out a way to be a little more disruptive [during their run]."
Lehigh (1-4) and Monmouth (2-2) are two teams that are quite familiar with one another, as the Mountain Hawks and Hawks have faced off in each of the past three seasons and ten times overall under the direction of Brett Reed. Monmouth's win set the all-time series at 6-6 and Reed's record against them to 5-5.
The Mountain Hawks found themselves in a shootout to begin the game, as both teams recorded three-point percentages over 50% in the first half (Lehigh 64%, Monmouth 55%). Junior Keith Higgins Jr. helped pace Lehigh, knocking down four triples in the opening frame. The Mountain Hawks led 42-41 in the closing seconds of the half before a Nikita Konstantynovskyi hookshot as time expired gave Monmouth the narrow advantage headed into the locker room.
Monmouth's hot shooting from outside continued into the second, as the Hawks shot 60% from outside in the final 20 minutes. Bucknell transfer Xander Rice, Abdi Bashir Jr. and Jack Collins combined for all twelve of Monmouth's triples in the game, helping pave the way for the Hawks' victory.
All five Lehigh starters scored in double-figures for the first time this season. Higgins Jr. led the group with 20 points followed by Tyler Whitney-Sidney (12p), Bube Momah (12p), Dominic Parolin (11p) and Jalin Sinclair (11p).
Parolin led the Mountain Hawks both on the glass and in the assists category, hauling in nine boards and dishing out four assists. Momah had an excellent day on the defensive side of the ball as well, blocking a career-high five shots while grabbing two steals.
"[Bube] gave us a go-to score with his back to the basket," said Reed. "He cleaned up a lot of plays, he challenged at the rim which was really impressive. The combination of both Bube and Dom getting six offensive rebounds was really important as well."
Lehigh is back on the road Friday to take on Big East side Providence following the Thanksgiving holiday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Amica Mutual Pavilion. The game will be broadcasted nationally on FS2.
"I thought it was two good teams going at it [tonight]," said Reed. "I like the fact that we've gotten a pretty significant challenge [in non-conference]. If our kids have the right type of maturity and perspective, they'll be able to appreciate it and apply very positive things moving forward as well."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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"I really thought they made some key and critical shots… We've got to give [Monmouth] credit," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "The things that ended up hurting us the most were fouling jump-shooters and maybe figuring out a way to be a little more disruptive [during their run]."
Lehigh (1-4) and Monmouth (2-2) are two teams that are quite familiar with one another, as the Mountain Hawks and Hawks have faced off in each of the past three seasons and ten times overall under the direction of Brett Reed. Monmouth's win set the all-time series at 6-6 and Reed's record against them to 5-5.
The Mountain Hawks found themselves in a shootout to begin the game, as both teams recorded three-point percentages over 50% in the first half (Lehigh 64%, Monmouth 55%). Junior Keith Higgins Jr. helped pace Lehigh, knocking down four triples in the opening frame. The Mountain Hawks led 42-41 in the closing seconds of the half before a Nikita Konstantynovskyi hookshot as time expired gave Monmouth the narrow advantage headed into the locker room.
Monmouth's hot shooting from outside continued into the second, as the Hawks shot 60% from outside in the final 20 minutes. Bucknell transfer Xander Rice, Abdi Bashir Jr. and Jack Collins combined for all twelve of Monmouth's triples in the game, helping pave the way for the Hawks' victory.
All five Lehigh starters scored in double-figures for the first time this season. Higgins Jr. led the group with 20 points followed by Tyler Whitney-Sidney (12p), Bube Momah (12p), Dominic Parolin (11p) and Jalin Sinclair (11p).
Parolin led the Mountain Hawks both on the glass and in the assists category, hauling in nine boards and dishing out four assists. Momah had an excellent day on the defensive side of the ball as well, blocking a career-high five shots while grabbing two steals.
"[Bube] gave us a go-to score with his back to the basket," said Reed. "He cleaned up a lot of plays, he challenged at the rim which was really impressive. The combination of both Bube and Dom getting six offensive rebounds was really important as well."
Lehigh is back on the road Friday to take on Big East side Providence following the Thanksgiving holiday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Amica Mutual Pavilion. The game will be broadcasted nationally on FS2.
"I thought it was two good teams going at it [tonight]," said Reed. "I like the fact that we've gotten a pretty significant challenge [in non-conference]. If our kids have the right type of maturity and perspective, they'll be able to appreciate it and apply very positive things moving forward as well."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
Lehigh
MU
FG%
.452
.527
3FG%
.381
.571
FT%
.714
.692
RB
33
35
TO
13
16
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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