Wednesday, November 6
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
0-2,0-0Patriot
77
at
85
Georgetown University
1-0,0-0Big East
1
2
F
Lehigh
39
38
77
Georgetown
44
41
85
Photo by: Ryan McGettigan
Lehigh Competes In 85-77 Loss At Georgetown
11/6/2024 10:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON – Lehigh men's basketball's opening week continued with another road test on Wednesday, this time against the Georgetown Hoyas out of the BIG EAST conference. The Mountain Hawks and Hoyas battled the whole way through, but Georgetown ultimately pulled out an 85-77 victory in their season opener.
"Our guys came to play tonight," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They played with confidence. They brought a toughness and an edge to them that we didn't see two nights ago, and I'm really pleased to be able to see that fight and competitiveness out of these guys."
Lehigh (0-2) met Georgetown (1-0) for the fifth time in series history, with the latest coming in the 1985 NCAA Tournament in a game that featured Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing and Lehigh's all-time leading scorer Darren Queenan. Wednesday's game was played at historic McDonough Arena on Georgetown's campus, a court that Ewing once called home.
"To play in a venue like [McDonough] that's really tight and really loud where you can feel the momentum is a great experience for our guys," said Reed. "We actually have an opportunity later in the year to recognize the 1985 championship team that last played Georgetown, and I hope that if those guys were watching and looking in, they got a sense of pride with the battle and the fight that our guys showed tonight."
The Mountain Hawks offense came out of the gates hot after being stymied in Monday's loss at Northwestern. Lehigh shot 51.6% from the floor and 50% from three in the first half, largely led by senior Keith Higgins Jr. and sophomore Cam Gillus. Higgins opened the game on 4-4 shooting while Gillus posted a 4-5 mark through the first six minutes, culminating in a 21-14 Lehigh lead at 14:00 in the first half. The duo accounted for 28 of Lehigh's 39 points in the opening frame. The Hoyas also shot the ball efficiently in the first half to the tune of 63% from the field. Georgetown was led by Micah Peavy's 18 first half points to help them carry a 44-39 lead into the locker room.
Both offenses continued to produce in the second half, albeit without the same efficiency. Georgetown's size advantage allowed them to control the boards, which included 11 offensive rebounds that produced 13 second-chance points in the second period. Despite the rebound battle favoring the Hoyas, the Mountain Hawks still found offense through Higgins, Gillus, senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney and first-year Hank Alvey, who accounted for 33 of Lehigh's 38 second half points. Although Peavy only scored two points in the final 20 minutes, his teammates Malik Mack, Jayden Epps and Thomas Sorber combined to score 35 second half points to secure a hard-fought win over the Mountain Hawks.
Higgins led the team offensively with 22 points while knocking down four triples. It was the tenth time that Higgins has scored 20 or more points in his career.
Gillus, who played his high school ball at nearby Sidwell Friends School, finished the night with 21 points, the most he's scored since his 30-point outburst against Boston U. in last season's Patriot League semifinal. The sophomore added a career-high eight rebounds and four assists to go along with five made triples.
"[Keith and Cam] stepped up and made a lot of points at the three-point line," said Reed. "You come off of a rough shooting night two nights ago, sometimes that can play with your head. But these guys are confident in their skills, confident in their abilities, and they stepped up and made those plays."
Making his second-career start, Alvey added 14 points on 5-8 shooting as well as three assists. Whitney-Sidney joined him in double figures with 13 points while hauling in eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The Mountain Hawks now return to Bethlehem after their four-day road trip to start the season, but will play again in six days on November 12 on the road against Columbia University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in New York City.
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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"Our guys came to play tonight," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They played with confidence. They brought a toughness and an edge to them that we didn't see two nights ago, and I'm really pleased to be able to see that fight and competitiveness out of these guys."
Lehigh (0-2) met Georgetown (1-0) for the fifth time in series history, with the latest coming in the 1985 NCAA Tournament in a game that featured Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing and Lehigh's all-time leading scorer Darren Queenan. Wednesday's game was played at historic McDonough Arena on Georgetown's campus, a court that Ewing once called home.
"To play in a venue like [McDonough] that's really tight and really loud where you can feel the momentum is a great experience for our guys," said Reed. "We actually have an opportunity later in the year to recognize the 1985 championship team that last played Georgetown, and I hope that if those guys were watching and looking in, they got a sense of pride with the battle and the fight that our guys showed tonight."
The Mountain Hawks offense came out of the gates hot after being stymied in Monday's loss at Northwestern. Lehigh shot 51.6% from the floor and 50% from three in the first half, largely led by senior Keith Higgins Jr. and sophomore Cam Gillus. Higgins opened the game on 4-4 shooting while Gillus posted a 4-5 mark through the first six minutes, culminating in a 21-14 Lehigh lead at 14:00 in the first half. The duo accounted for 28 of Lehigh's 39 points in the opening frame. The Hoyas also shot the ball efficiently in the first half to the tune of 63% from the field. Georgetown was led by Micah Peavy's 18 first half points to help them carry a 44-39 lead into the locker room.
Both offenses continued to produce in the second half, albeit without the same efficiency. Georgetown's size advantage allowed them to control the boards, which included 11 offensive rebounds that produced 13 second-chance points in the second period. Despite the rebound battle favoring the Hoyas, the Mountain Hawks still found offense through Higgins, Gillus, senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney and first-year Hank Alvey, who accounted for 33 of Lehigh's 38 second half points. Although Peavy only scored two points in the final 20 minutes, his teammates Malik Mack, Jayden Epps and Thomas Sorber combined to score 35 second half points to secure a hard-fought win over the Mountain Hawks.
Higgins led the team offensively with 22 points while knocking down four triples. It was the tenth time that Higgins has scored 20 or more points in his career.
Gillus, who played his high school ball at nearby Sidwell Friends School, finished the night with 21 points, the most he's scored since his 30-point outburst against Boston U. in last season's Patriot League semifinal. The sophomore added a career-high eight rebounds and four assists to go along with five made triples.
"[Keith and Cam] stepped up and made a lot of points at the three-point line," said Reed. "You come off of a rough shooting night two nights ago, sometimes that can play with your head. But these guys are confident in their skills, confident in their abilities, and they stepped up and made those plays."
Making his second-career start, Alvey added 14 points on 5-8 shooting as well as three assists. Whitney-Sidney joined him in double figures with 13 points while hauling in eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The Mountain Hawks now return to Bethlehem after their four-day road trip to start the season, but will play again in six days on November 12 on the road against Columbia University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in New York City.
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
GTown
FG%
.475
.484
3FG%
.435
.227
FT%
.647
.783
RB
26
42
TO
15
14
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
F/C
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