
Photo by: Ryan McGettigan
Lehigh Falls In Fast-Paced 92-87 Loss At UMBC
12/2/2023 5:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE – Three Mountain Hawk players eclipsed their career-highs in an offensive showcase between Lehigh and UMBC on Saturday afternoon. Despite putting up their second-highest total of points as a team on the season, the Mountain Hawks were narrowly edged by the Retrievers 92-87 in Baltimore.
"Considering how we shot and finished in the last game, that is a positive sign for our offense," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "In the second half, I think we made a mental and physical adjustment to go stronger with our finishes, and that's a positive sign for [our players'] offensive growth."
Last season, Lehigh fell victim to UMBC in an 88-62 loss at Stabler Arena. The two teams proved to be much more evenly matched this time around, as the lead changed hands six times in the fast-paced affair.
Lehigh conceded a 45-40 halftime lead to UMBC after the Retrievers shot an efficient 58.1% from the field in the opening stanza. UMBC held a nine-point advantage with four minutes to play in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks rallied to close out the frame on 10-6 run.
The statistics comparison between the two sides in the second half was nearly identical, as Lehigh and UMBC both put up 47 points in the half. Lehigh shot 48.6% to UMBC's 50%, both teams hit five triples and the rebounding margin for the second half went in favor of the Retrievers by only two. UMBC's major advantage came by way of the free throw line, where the Retrievers bested the Mountain Hawks 14-17 as opposed to Lehigh's 6-9.
The Mountain Hawks again found themselves facing a large deficit late into the frame, as UMBC led 69-59 with 8:54 left in the game. Lehigh once again rallied back, orchestrating a 9-0 run and eventually tying the contest at 71 apiece thanks to a Tyler Whitney-Sidney triple. The game continued to stay within one possession for Lehigh until the clock went under two minutes, where clutch free-throws for UMBC helped secure them the narrow victory.
Junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney led the way for the Mountain Hawks by scoring a career-high 24 points on 64.3% from the field. Whitney-Sidney also led Lehigh with seven boards and knocked down a career-best four three-pointers.
Sophomore Bube Momah also had an efficient night from the floor, scoring his career-high of 18 points on 8-11 shooting. Momah added five rebounds, two steals, a block and two highlight-worthy dunks in the loss.
"Those were really productive numbers [from Bube]," said Reed. "To get 8-11, there's a big reason why our offensive shooting percentages were a little bit higher just based off of that conversion."
Also posting a career-high was senior Burke Chebuhar, who posted 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action. The Marietta, Georgia native finished through contact three times in the first half to help provide Lehigh a spark off the bench.
"[Burke] was comfortable out there, and I thought he did a really good job," said Reed. "Burke's a pretty smart and skilled player… I think he calmed us down a little bit and gave us that positive spark. Obviously, we rewarded him with starting him in the second half and recognizing that production and performance."
Joining Whitney-Sidney, Momah and Chebuhar in double-figures was junior Keith Higgins Jr. and senior Jalin Sinclair, who posted 18 and 10 points respectively. Saturday's loss marked the third time this season that five Mountain Hawks finished with double-digit point totals.
Lehigh will have a week between games, as the Mountain Hawks are next slated to face Cairn University on Saturday, December 9 at Stabler. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Bethlehem.
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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"Considering how we shot and finished in the last game, that is a positive sign for our offense," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "In the second half, I think we made a mental and physical adjustment to go stronger with our finishes, and that's a positive sign for [our players'] offensive growth."
Last season, Lehigh fell victim to UMBC in an 88-62 loss at Stabler Arena. The two teams proved to be much more evenly matched this time around, as the lead changed hands six times in the fast-paced affair.
Lehigh conceded a 45-40 halftime lead to UMBC after the Retrievers shot an efficient 58.1% from the field in the opening stanza. UMBC held a nine-point advantage with four minutes to play in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks rallied to close out the frame on 10-6 run.
The statistics comparison between the two sides in the second half was nearly identical, as Lehigh and UMBC both put up 47 points in the half. Lehigh shot 48.6% to UMBC's 50%, both teams hit five triples and the rebounding margin for the second half went in favor of the Retrievers by only two. UMBC's major advantage came by way of the free throw line, where the Retrievers bested the Mountain Hawks 14-17 as opposed to Lehigh's 6-9.
The Mountain Hawks again found themselves facing a large deficit late into the frame, as UMBC led 69-59 with 8:54 left in the game. Lehigh once again rallied back, orchestrating a 9-0 run and eventually tying the contest at 71 apiece thanks to a Tyler Whitney-Sidney triple. The game continued to stay within one possession for Lehigh until the clock went under two minutes, where clutch free-throws for UMBC helped secure them the narrow victory.
Junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney led the way for the Mountain Hawks by scoring a career-high 24 points on 64.3% from the field. Whitney-Sidney also led Lehigh with seven boards and knocked down a career-best four three-pointers.
Sophomore Bube Momah also had an efficient night from the floor, scoring his career-high of 18 points on 8-11 shooting. Momah added five rebounds, two steals, a block and two highlight-worthy dunks in the loss.
"Those were really productive numbers [from Bube]," said Reed. "To get 8-11, there's a big reason why our offensive shooting percentages were a little bit higher just based off of that conversion."
Also posting a career-high was senior Burke Chebuhar, who posted 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action. The Marietta, Georgia native finished through contact three times in the first half to help provide Lehigh a spark off the bench.
"[Burke] was comfortable out there, and I thought he did a really good job," said Reed. "Burke's a pretty smart and skilled player… I think he calmed us down a little bit and gave us that positive spark. Obviously, we rewarded him with starting him in the second half and recognizing that production and performance."
Joining Whitney-Sidney, Momah and Chebuhar in double-figures was junior Keith Higgins Jr. and senior Jalin Sinclair, who posted 18 and 10 points respectively. Saturday's loss marked the third time this season that five Mountain Hawks finished with double-digit point totals.
Lehigh will have a week between games, as the Mountain Hawks are next slated to face Cairn University on Saturday, December 9 at Stabler. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Bethlehem.
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
UMBC
FG%
.478
.542
3FG%
.346
.429
FT%
.750
.864
RB
34
32
TO
14
12
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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