Wednesday, January 10
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
4-10,1-2Patriot
80
vs
86
Bucknell University
5-11,2-1Patriot
1
2
F
Bucknell
47
39
86
Lehigh
30
50
80
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Comeback Effort Falls Short In 86-80 Loss To Bucknell
1/10/2024 11:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A strong effort in the second half was not enough for Lehigh to overcome Bucknell on Wednesday night at Stabler Arena. Despite outscoring the Bison 50-39 in the second stanza, excellent three-point and free throw shooting propelled Bucknell past the Mountain Hawks by a score of 86-80.
"When you're down that much at the half, you've got a dog fight ahead of you," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our guys took the fight to end in the second half, and I'm proud of them for that."
Bucknell (5-11, 2-1 PL) snapped a four-game losing streak to Lehigh (4-10, 1-2 PL) with the win. The Bison now hold a 111-73-1 advantage over the Mountain Hawks in what was the 185th all-time meeting between the two Keystone state rivals.
Lehigh found themselves facing a large deficit early in the game thanks to Bucknell's shooting efficiency. The Bison connected on 42.9% of their three-pointers and 90% of their free throws in the opening frame, leading to a 47-30 halftime advantage for Bucknell. Despite conceding an 11-2 Lehigh run that gave the Mountain Hawks a slight lead five minutes in, Bucknell's shooting prowess kept them ahead after the first 20 minutes.
However, a renewed and re-energized Mountain Hawks team took the floor in the second half, shooting over 60% from the field, 50% from three, and over 85% from the free throw line in the frame. Lehigh's newfound momentum thrust them back into the game after facing a 17-point deficit at halftime.
After shooting only 37.5% from the charity stripe in the first half, an 18-21 effort helped Lehigh keep pace in the second. Senior Jalin Sinclair shot 11-12 in what would be a career-high output from the free throw line.
The Mountain Hawks meticulously chipped away at Bucknell's lead throughout the half, culminating in a Nasir Whitlock triple that cut the lead to three and brought Stabler Arena to its feet with under five minutes to play in regulation.
Despite their best efforts, clutch free throw shooting and two baskets for Bucknell's seven-footer Noah Williamson in the closing minutes allowed the Bison to hold onto their lead against Lehigh. Joining Williamson (19p) in double-figures for Bucknell was guard Josh Bascoe with 23 points and current Patriot League scoring leader Jack Forrest with a game-high 24.
"We were fighting and fighting, and then they'd hit a three, they'd hit another three, then they'd hit a two," said Reed. "That was an explosion of points that really cut a little of the momentum and wind from our sails because I thought that we ended up making a strong push during that time."
Sinclair led the Mountain Hawks in scoring for the second consecutive game following his 30-point explosion in Saturday's win over Loyola. The senior guard tallied 20 points with much of his damage coming at the free throw line.
Sophomore Bube Momah tied his career-high of 19 points in the loss, adding two rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal in addition to hitting a career-high two three-pointers.
Whitlock also tied his career-high of 11 points, which included a 3-4 mark from beyond the three-point line. Junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored in double-figures for the third straight game with ten while dishing out a season-high seven assists in the loss.
Senior Burke Chebuhar, who has made his first four career starts for Lehigh in each of the past four games, reached double-figures for the second time in his career with ten points. The Marietta, Georgia native added a career-high 12 rebounds in what was his first career double-double and only second for Lehigh thus far on the season.
"[Burke] was efficient, he made his free throws, and rebounded well for us," said Reed. "There was a lot of times he came up with some big boards in traffic, which was great to see."
In his first game back from injury, senior Dominic Parolin added six points and six rebounds in only 11 minutes off the bench. Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks were first-years Cam Gillus and Joshua Ingram, who each tallied two points off the bench.
The Mountain Hawks return to Stabler Arena on Saturday, January 13 to welcome the Holy Cross Crusaders. Tip-off is set for 5 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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"When you're down that much at the half, you've got a dog fight ahead of you," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our guys took the fight to end in the second half, and I'm proud of them for that."
Bucknell (5-11, 2-1 PL) snapped a four-game losing streak to Lehigh (4-10, 1-2 PL) with the win. The Bison now hold a 111-73-1 advantage over the Mountain Hawks in what was the 185th all-time meeting between the two Keystone state rivals.
Lehigh found themselves facing a large deficit early in the game thanks to Bucknell's shooting efficiency. The Bison connected on 42.9% of their three-pointers and 90% of their free throws in the opening frame, leading to a 47-30 halftime advantage for Bucknell. Despite conceding an 11-2 Lehigh run that gave the Mountain Hawks a slight lead five minutes in, Bucknell's shooting prowess kept them ahead after the first 20 minutes.
However, a renewed and re-energized Mountain Hawks team took the floor in the second half, shooting over 60% from the field, 50% from three, and over 85% from the free throw line in the frame. Lehigh's newfound momentum thrust them back into the game after facing a 17-point deficit at halftime.
After shooting only 37.5% from the charity stripe in the first half, an 18-21 effort helped Lehigh keep pace in the second. Senior Jalin Sinclair shot 11-12 in what would be a career-high output from the free throw line.
The Mountain Hawks meticulously chipped away at Bucknell's lead throughout the half, culminating in a Nasir Whitlock triple that cut the lead to three and brought Stabler Arena to its feet with under five minutes to play in regulation.
Despite their best efforts, clutch free throw shooting and two baskets for Bucknell's seven-footer Noah Williamson in the closing minutes allowed the Bison to hold onto their lead against Lehigh. Joining Williamson (19p) in double-figures for Bucknell was guard Josh Bascoe with 23 points and current Patriot League scoring leader Jack Forrest with a game-high 24.
"We were fighting and fighting, and then they'd hit a three, they'd hit another three, then they'd hit a two," said Reed. "That was an explosion of points that really cut a little of the momentum and wind from our sails because I thought that we ended up making a strong push during that time."
Sinclair led the Mountain Hawks in scoring for the second consecutive game following his 30-point explosion in Saturday's win over Loyola. The senior guard tallied 20 points with much of his damage coming at the free throw line.
Sophomore Bube Momah tied his career-high of 19 points in the loss, adding two rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal in addition to hitting a career-high two three-pointers.
Whitlock also tied his career-high of 11 points, which included a 3-4 mark from beyond the three-point line. Junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored in double-figures for the third straight game with ten while dishing out a season-high seven assists in the loss.
Senior Burke Chebuhar, who has made his first four career starts for Lehigh in each of the past four games, reached double-figures for the second time in his career with ten points. The Marietta, Georgia native added a career-high 12 rebounds in what was his first career double-double and only second for Lehigh thus far on the season.
"[Burke] was efficient, he made his free throws, and rebounded well for us," said Reed. "There was a lot of times he came up with some big boards in traffic, which was great to see."
In his first game back from injury, senior Dominic Parolin added six points and six rebounds in only 11 minutes off the bench. Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks were first-years Cam Gillus and Joshua Ingram, who each tallied two points off the bench.
The Mountain Hawks return to Stabler Arena on Saturday, January 13 to welcome the Holy Cross Crusaders. Tip-off is set for 5 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
Buck
Lehigh
FG%
.491
.456
3FG%
.500
.350
FT%
.840
.724
RB
32
36
TO
14
16
STL
10
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
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