Monday, February 12
Lewisburg, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
9-15,6-7Patriot
71
at
63
Bucknell University
10-16,7-6Patriot
1
2
OT 1
F
Lehigh
29
30
12
71
Bucknell
28
31
4
63
Photo by: Ryan McGettigan
Mountain Hawks Defeat Bucknell 71-63 In Second-Straight OT Win
2/12/2024 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Only two days removed from their stunning double overtime comeback victory over Lafayette, Lehigh men's basketball took to the hardwood again on Monday night against Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks came through in the clutch once again, defeating the Bison 71-63 in overtime in front of a national audience on CBS Sports Network.
"It shows tremendous resiliency," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed on the win. "That game against Lafayette was exhausting… we had to battle physically and mentally to get back in to it… there's an easy opportunity for an emotionally letdown. Our guys fought that and they battled tonight."
Lehigh (9-15, 6-7 PL) is now 2-1 in nationally broadcast CBS Sports Network games this season, having narrowly lost 60-57 at Colgate on January 22 while picking up a 78-72 win at Holy Cross on January 27. Bucknell (10-16, 7-6 PL) has now lost three of its last four games and splits the season series with the Mountain Hawks.
The gameplan remained the same as it was against Lafayette for Lehigh to begin the game: attack the paint. They did just that courtesy of two Burke Chebuhar jump hooks inside to give the Mountain Hawks an early 4-0 lead. Lehigh held a 13-6 advantage through the first five minutes of play until Bucknell uncorked a 20-8 run that gave them a five-point advantage with under seven minutes in frame. The Mountain Hawks locked in defensively the close out the half, holding the Bison to two points in the final 6:55 to take a narrow 29-28 lead into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks shot the long ball effectively out of the break, as Joshua Ingram and Cam Gillus combined to knock down three triples in opening three minutes of the half. Ingram continued to stay hot throughout the second stanza, surpassing his previous career-high of 14 to record 20 points in regulation.
After taking a ten-point lead early on in the second, Bucknell rallied back to cut the lead to two off of a Jack Forrest three-pointer. The game remained within a possession or two until the Bison took their first lead of the half from a Ruot Bijiek layup with 8:44 on the clock. Following this, the lead would change hands three more times in the half before a massive Forrest triple gave Bucknell a 59-58 lead with :25 left on the clock.
Needing a bucket to potentially win the game, Reed drew up a play for senior Dominic Parolin, who scored a career-high 33 points in Lehigh's last outing. The big man was fouled and put on the free throw line with 12 seconds on the clock with a chance to either win or tie the game. Parolin's first free throw bounced off the rim, but he calmly sunk the second to send Lehigh to its second overtime session in as many games.
While the Mountain Hawks did strike first in extra minutes, it was their defense that came alive in the overtime period. Lehigh held Bucknell scoreless for the first 2:54 of overtime, giving them enough time to build a five-point lead. Another Forrest three did cut Lehigh's lead to three with 1:19 on the clock, but additional stout defensive possessions and excellent free throw shooting down the stretch paved the way for the Mountain Hawks' second-straight victory.
The two teams shot nearly identical percentages from both the field and three-point range. Lehigh shot 35.4% (23-65) to Bucknell's 35.3% (24-68) while both teams shot 25% (Lehigh 5-20, Bucknell 7-28) from three. However, Lehigh's biggest advantage came at the charity stripe, where the Mountain Hawks hit 20-27 compared to Bucknell's 8-12.
Ingram was sensational for Lehigh, scoring a career-best 24 points while adding a team-high nine rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. The rookie also knocked down three of Lehigh's five shots from outside the arc.
"[Josh] stepped forward with confidence, and I really believe the rest of our team fed off of his positive confidence and energy," said Reed.
"I was pretty aggressive, but I was also letting the game come to me," said Ingram on his performance. "I saw open drives and open shots, and teammate found me."
Chebuhar built upon his success from Saturday, adding 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals while shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field. Also reaching double-figures for the Mountain Hawks was Tyler Whitney-Sidney, who tallied 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
First-year Cam Gillus also impressed with five points, five rebounds and four assists to go along with smothering defense in 36 minutes played.
"When you have a point guard that doesn't turn it over and gets people involved… makes simple plays and defends really well, that solidifies us a great deal," said Reed on Gillus' play.
Having played two games in three days, the Mountain Hawks will finally have some time in between contests, as their next bout is on Saturday, February 17 at home against Loyola Maryland. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Stabler Arena.
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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"It shows tremendous resiliency," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed on the win. "That game against Lafayette was exhausting… we had to battle physically and mentally to get back in to it… there's an easy opportunity for an emotionally letdown. Our guys fought that and they battled tonight."
Lehigh (9-15, 6-7 PL) is now 2-1 in nationally broadcast CBS Sports Network games this season, having narrowly lost 60-57 at Colgate on January 22 while picking up a 78-72 win at Holy Cross on January 27. Bucknell (10-16, 7-6 PL) has now lost three of its last four games and splits the season series with the Mountain Hawks.
The gameplan remained the same as it was against Lafayette for Lehigh to begin the game: attack the paint. They did just that courtesy of two Burke Chebuhar jump hooks inside to give the Mountain Hawks an early 4-0 lead. Lehigh held a 13-6 advantage through the first five minutes of play until Bucknell uncorked a 20-8 run that gave them a five-point advantage with under seven minutes in frame. The Mountain Hawks locked in defensively the close out the half, holding the Bison to two points in the final 6:55 to take a narrow 29-28 lead into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks shot the long ball effectively out of the break, as Joshua Ingram and Cam Gillus combined to knock down three triples in opening three minutes of the half. Ingram continued to stay hot throughout the second stanza, surpassing his previous career-high of 14 to record 20 points in regulation.
After taking a ten-point lead early on in the second, Bucknell rallied back to cut the lead to two off of a Jack Forrest three-pointer. The game remained within a possession or two until the Bison took their first lead of the half from a Ruot Bijiek layup with 8:44 on the clock. Following this, the lead would change hands three more times in the half before a massive Forrest triple gave Bucknell a 59-58 lead with :25 left on the clock.
Needing a bucket to potentially win the game, Reed drew up a play for senior Dominic Parolin, who scored a career-high 33 points in Lehigh's last outing. The big man was fouled and put on the free throw line with 12 seconds on the clock with a chance to either win or tie the game. Parolin's first free throw bounced off the rim, but he calmly sunk the second to send Lehigh to its second overtime session in as many games.
While the Mountain Hawks did strike first in extra minutes, it was their defense that came alive in the overtime period. Lehigh held Bucknell scoreless for the first 2:54 of overtime, giving them enough time to build a five-point lead. Another Forrest three did cut Lehigh's lead to three with 1:19 on the clock, but additional stout defensive possessions and excellent free throw shooting down the stretch paved the way for the Mountain Hawks' second-straight victory.
The two teams shot nearly identical percentages from both the field and three-point range. Lehigh shot 35.4% (23-65) to Bucknell's 35.3% (24-68) while both teams shot 25% (Lehigh 5-20, Bucknell 7-28) from three. However, Lehigh's biggest advantage came at the charity stripe, where the Mountain Hawks hit 20-27 compared to Bucknell's 8-12.
Ingram was sensational for Lehigh, scoring a career-best 24 points while adding a team-high nine rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. The rookie also knocked down three of Lehigh's five shots from outside the arc.
"[Josh] stepped forward with confidence, and I really believe the rest of our team fed off of his positive confidence and energy," said Reed.
"I was pretty aggressive, but I was also letting the game come to me," said Ingram on his performance. "I saw open drives and open shots, and teammate found me."
Chebuhar built upon his success from Saturday, adding 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals while shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field. Also reaching double-figures for the Mountain Hawks was Tyler Whitney-Sidney, who tallied 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
First-year Cam Gillus also impressed with five points, five rebounds and four assists to go along with smothering defense in 36 minutes played.
"When you have a point guard that doesn't turn it over and gets people involved… makes simple plays and defends really well, that solidifies us a great deal," said Reed on Gillus' play.
Having played two games in three days, the Mountain Hawks will finally have some time in between contests, as their next bout is on Saturday, February 17 at home against Loyola Maryland. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Stabler Arena.
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
Buck
FG%
.354
.353
3FG%
.250
.250
FT%
.741
.667
RB
47
45
TO
8
12
STL
8
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
9
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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