Saturday, December 21
Brooklyn, N.Y.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
4-6,0-0Patriot
60
at
59
LIU
4-11,0-0NEC
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2
F
Lehigh
28
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60
LIU
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Photo by: Clark Boinis
Lehigh Erases 13-Point Second Half Deficit In Comeback Win Over LIU
12/21/2024 4:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Lehigh men's basketball returned to action on Saturday afternoon after a two-week hiatus for final exams, taking on the LIU Sharks in Brooklyn. Down by as many as 13 in the second half, the Mountain Hawks rallied to earn a 60-59 comeback victory for the team's first road victory of the season.
"Our team showed a lot of resiliency coming off of a long break for exams," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "I thought we fought through with some great individual effort plays and held LIU to 24 points in the second half. Finding a way to win through our defense was very satisfying and is something that our guys can be proud of."
Lehigh (4-6) and LIU (4-11) have played each other five times, with Saturday's game being the first meeting between the two schools since LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post merged in 2019-20. The Mountain Hawks lead the series 3-2 and have won each of the past three meetings.
The Mountain Hawks and Sharks opened the game trading buckets back and forth, eventually resulting in a 14-10 Lehigh lead six minutes into the half. From here, LIU's defense stepped up admirably, holding Lehigh to seven points over the next ten minutes of action. The Sharks held the Mountain Hawks to 38.9% from the floor in the first half, leading by as many as ten in the opening frame. Lehigh managed to close the gap at the end of the half thanks to free throws from Hank Alvey, Keith Higgins Jr. and Cam Gillus. LIU's defense and 17-10 advantage on the glass allowed the Sharks to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
LIU continued to play well into the second half, opening the second stanza on a 9-3 run. Down by 13 and needing a spark, Higgins connected on a triple while being fouled, converting the four-point play to cut the lead to nine with 14:51 remaining. After being stymied for much of the first half, Lehigh's defense returned the favor, holding LIU scoreless for five minutes of action. The Mountain Hawks conducted a 14-0 in that span, gaining their first lead since 8:18 in the first half on a Higgins putback.
LIU would regain the lead briefly off of a Xinyi Li jumper, but a three-point response from Tyler Whitney-Sidney gave Lehigh a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Leading 60-59 with three seconds remaining in the game, Cam Gillus defended LIU's Malachi Davis on a game-winning three-point attempt that bounced off the back iron, and the Mountain Hawks held on to complete the comeback.
"In the second half, I think what really ignited us was not only our defense but also forcing ten LIU turnovers," said Reed. "That differential where we were able to take care of the ball a little bit better and force them into a few turnovers gave us some runout opportunities on a night where we struggled to score and cut down their ability to put the ball in the basket."
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, as Lehigh shot 38.3% while LIU shot 43.9%. A key difference in the game was three-point shooting and free throws, which saw the Mountain Hawks post splits of 50.0% (8-16) and 80.0% (16-20) compared to LIU's 23.5% (4-17) and 62.5% (5-8). LIU won the advantage on the boards 36-26 while each team forced 17 turnovers.
Higgins led the Mountain Hawks in scoring, tallying 16 points to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Higgins has now scored 12+ points in nine consecutive games. Whitney-Sidney scored 11 points with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Ben Knostman rounded out a trio of Lehigh seniors who all reached double-figures, scoring 10 points with three rebounds and two steals while dishing out six assists. Knostman has now reached five or more assists in each of the past three games.
"I was really pleased with the senior trio, they stepped up and made huge plays," said Reed. "You combine their efforts with the complimentary pieces of both Hank, who rebounded the ball well, and Nasir, who gave us some good minutes, we were able to erase a deficit and turn it into a win on the road, which is never easy to do in college basketball."
Gillus added eight points with two made threes while first-year Hank Alvey added six points and seven rebounds. Playing a season-high 27 minutes was sophomore Nasir Whitlock, who tallied five points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Mountain Hawks will conclude their non-league slate at home against Neumann University at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 29 prior to the start of Patriot League play.
"It was very valuable for our guys to feel a change of momentum and capitalize on it," said Reed. "There's been some other games where we've played some good teams and we've been able to rally back, but maybe not eclipse that win mark. This should promote their confidence. Despite the circumstances that we face, if we continue to play as hard as we can and play together, we can ultimately take command of a game and pull out impressive road wins."
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 team showed a lot of resiliency coming off of a long break for exams," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "I thought we fought through with some great individual effort plays and held LIU to 24 points in the second half. Finding a way to win through our defense was very satisfying and is something that our guys can be proud of."
Lehigh (4-6) and LIU (4-11) have played each other five times, with Saturday's game being the first meeting between the two schools since LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post merged in 2019-20. The Mountain Hawks lead the series 3-2 and have won each of the past three meetings.
The Mountain Hawks and Sharks opened the game trading buckets back and forth, eventually resulting in a 14-10 Lehigh lead six minutes into the half. From here, LIU's defense stepped up admirably, holding Lehigh to seven points over the next ten minutes of action. The Sharks held the Mountain Hawks to 38.9% from the floor in the first half, leading by as many as ten in the opening frame. Lehigh managed to close the gap at the end of the half thanks to free throws from Hank Alvey, Keith Higgins Jr. and Cam Gillus. LIU's defense and 17-10 advantage on the glass allowed the Sharks to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
LIU continued to play well into the second half, opening the second stanza on a 9-3 run. Down by 13 and needing a spark, Higgins connected on a triple while being fouled, converting the four-point play to cut the lead to nine with 14:51 remaining. After being stymied for much of the first half, Lehigh's defense returned the favor, holding LIU scoreless for five minutes of action. The Mountain Hawks conducted a 14-0 in that span, gaining their first lead since 8:18 in the first half on a Higgins putback.
LIU would regain the lead briefly off of a Xinyi Li jumper, but a three-point response from Tyler Whitney-Sidney gave Lehigh a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Leading 60-59 with three seconds remaining in the game, Cam Gillus defended LIU's Malachi Davis on a game-winning three-point attempt that bounced off the back iron, and the Mountain Hawks held on to complete the comeback.
"In the second half, I think what really ignited us was not only our defense but also forcing ten LIU turnovers," said Reed. "That differential where we were able to take care of the ball a little bit better and force them into a few turnovers gave us some runout opportunities on a night where we struggled to score and cut down their ability to put the ball in the basket."
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, as Lehigh shot 38.3% while LIU shot 43.9%. A key difference in the game was three-point shooting and free throws, which saw the Mountain Hawks post splits of 50.0% (8-16) and 80.0% (16-20) compared to LIU's 23.5% (4-17) and 62.5% (5-8). LIU won the advantage on the boards 36-26 while each team forced 17 turnovers.
Higgins led the Mountain Hawks in scoring, tallying 16 points to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Higgins has now scored 12+ points in nine consecutive games. Whitney-Sidney scored 11 points with three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Ben Knostman rounded out a trio of Lehigh seniors who all reached double-figures, scoring 10 points with three rebounds and two steals while dishing out six assists. Knostman has now reached five or more assists in each of the past three games.
"I was really pleased with the senior trio, they stepped up and made huge plays," said Reed. "You combine their efforts with the complimentary pieces of both Hank, who rebounded the ball well, and Nasir, who gave us some good minutes, we were able to erase a deficit and turn it into a win on the road, which is never easy to do in college basketball."
Gillus added eight points with two made threes while first-year Hank Alvey added six points and seven rebounds. Playing a season-high 27 minutes was sophomore Nasir Whitlock, who tallied five points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Mountain Hawks will conclude their non-league slate at home against Neumann University at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 29 prior to the start of Patriot League play.
"It was very valuable for our guys to feel a change of momentum and capitalize on it," said Reed. "There's been some other games where we've played some good teams and we've been able to rally back, but maybe not eclipse that win mark. This should promote their confidence. Despite the circumstances that we face, if we continue to play as hard as we can and play together, we can ultimately take command of a game and pull out impressive road wins."
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
LIU
FG%
.383
.439
3FG%
.500
.235
FT%
.800
.625
RB
26
36
TO
17
17
STL
11
10
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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