Wednesday, January 3
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
3-9,0-1Patriot
66
at
75
American University
7-7,1-0Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
36
30
66
American
39
36
75
Photo by: Scott Fields
Whitney-Sidney Sets New Career-High In 75-66 Loss At American
1/3/2024 11:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON – Lehigh basketball opened its Patriot League schedule on Wednesday afternoon, traveling to American University for a date with the Eagles. A career night from junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney wasn't enough to overcome the Eagles, who came away with a 75-66 victory.
"In the second half, their guys ended up making some pretty good plays and some pretty good shots," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They were getting high quality shots and we were getting so-so shots for a small stretch, and obviously when you think about how many free throws we missed… That's a lot of points left on the line."
The win for American (7-7, 1-0 PL) snapped a four-game skid against Lehigh (3-9, 0-1 PL) that dated back to the 2019-20 season. The series now sits at 33-28 all-time in favor of the Mountain Hawks.
Wednesday night's league opener could certainly be described as a game of runs, as both teams orchestrated several momentum swings throughout the first and second halves. American jumped out of the gate to a 16-8 advantage in the first five minutes of gameplay, shooting over 70% from the field in that span. Lehigh promptly responded with a 15-2 run of their own to take a 23-18 lead largely due to the hot hand of Whitney-Sidney. The two teams traded buckets up until the halftime buzzer sounded with American slightly leading 39-36.
Although the Eagles increased their lead to seven early in the second frame thanks to two Elijah Stephens layups, Lehigh scored nine unanswered to go ahead 45-43 with 15 minutes left to go in the game. The next five minutes of action would belong to American, who outscored Lehigh 14-2 and regained control of the lead. Despite the Mountain Hawks' best efforts to cut into the lead and extend the game, American's second half push was ultimately too much to overcome.
Lehigh forced 17 turnovers to American's eight in the game and tallied 11 steals to AU's five.
"[Turnovers] have been a little bit of a signature for our defense where we've gotten more aggressive," said Reed. "The fact that we took them out of 17 shots because they had 17 turnovers is a positive sign for us without a doubt and hopefully we can keep that activity level high."
While Lehigh saved points on the defensive side of the ball, a lack of offensive production could not make up for it. Only six Mountain Hawks scored points on the night, which was the fewest in any game this season.
Whitney-Sidney finished the game with a new career-high of 26 points on an efficient 61.1% from the floor. The junior added a team-high five assists, grabbed two rebounds, and swiped two steals in a season-high 35 minutes of action.
"I was really pleased that we could get a hot start and it was great to see Tyler play with a great deal of confidence and score the basketball," said Reed. "He had been struggling a little bit, and that should be a huge boost for him."
Finishing in double-figures for an 11th consecutive game was junior Keith Higgins Jr., who tallied 14 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior Jalin Sinclair joined Higgins and Whitney-Sidney in double-digits, scoring ten points of his own.
Senior Burke Chebuhar started his second consecutive game in place of Dominic Parolin, scoring seven points while adding five rebounds and an assist. Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks was sophomore Bube Momah and junior Ben Knostman, who added six and three points respectively.
The Mountain Hawks will be back on the road for their second Patriot League game of the season, traveling to Loyola Maryland on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Baltimore.
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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"In the second half, their guys ended up making some pretty good plays and some pretty good shots," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They were getting high quality shots and we were getting so-so shots for a small stretch, and obviously when you think about how many free throws we missed… That's a lot of points left on the line."
The win for American (7-7, 1-0 PL) snapped a four-game skid against Lehigh (3-9, 0-1 PL) that dated back to the 2019-20 season. The series now sits at 33-28 all-time in favor of the Mountain Hawks.
Wednesday night's league opener could certainly be described as a game of runs, as both teams orchestrated several momentum swings throughout the first and second halves. American jumped out of the gate to a 16-8 advantage in the first five minutes of gameplay, shooting over 70% from the field in that span. Lehigh promptly responded with a 15-2 run of their own to take a 23-18 lead largely due to the hot hand of Whitney-Sidney. The two teams traded buckets up until the halftime buzzer sounded with American slightly leading 39-36.
Although the Eagles increased their lead to seven early in the second frame thanks to two Elijah Stephens layups, Lehigh scored nine unanswered to go ahead 45-43 with 15 minutes left to go in the game. The next five minutes of action would belong to American, who outscored Lehigh 14-2 and regained control of the lead. Despite the Mountain Hawks' best efforts to cut into the lead and extend the game, American's second half push was ultimately too much to overcome.
Lehigh forced 17 turnovers to American's eight in the game and tallied 11 steals to AU's five.
"[Turnovers] have been a little bit of a signature for our defense where we've gotten more aggressive," said Reed. "The fact that we took them out of 17 shots because they had 17 turnovers is a positive sign for us without a doubt and hopefully we can keep that activity level high."
While Lehigh saved points on the defensive side of the ball, a lack of offensive production could not make up for it. Only six Mountain Hawks scored points on the night, which was the fewest in any game this season.
Whitney-Sidney finished the game with a new career-high of 26 points on an efficient 61.1% from the floor. The junior added a team-high five assists, grabbed two rebounds, and swiped two steals in a season-high 35 minutes of action.
"I was really pleased that we could get a hot start and it was great to see Tyler play with a great deal of confidence and score the basketball," said Reed. "He had been struggling a little bit, and that should be a huge boost for him."
Finishing in double-figures for an 11th consecutive game was junior Keith Higgins Jr., who tallied 14 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior Jalin Sinclair joined Higgins and Whitney-Sidney in double-digits, scoring ten points of his own.
Senior Burke Chebuhar started his second consecutive game in place of Dominic Parolin, scoring seven points while adding five rebounds and an assist. Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks was sophomore Bube Momah and junior Ben Knostman, who added six and three points respectively.
The Mountain Hawks will be back on the road for their second Patriot League game of the season, traveling to Loyola Maryland on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Baltimore.
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
Americ
FG%
.426
.551
3FG%
.333
.417
FT%
.500
.786
RB
25
38
TO
8
17
STL
11
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
11
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
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