Army Late Basket snapped Lehighs eight-game winning streak

BETHLEHEM, Pa. After fighting back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half, the Lehigh men’s basketball team suffered a 71-69 loss against Army West Point on a Jared Cross layup with 5.4 seconds left at Stabler Arena on Wednesday night. .

The Mountain Hawks (13-9, 8-3 PL) suffer their first loss since Jan. 2 and drop the season series to the Black Knights. Army (13-11, 7-4 PL) won its second straight game and will sweep Lehigh for the first time since the 2020 season. Lehigh remains in sole possession of second place in the league, while the Black Knights are now alone in third place.

Lehigh’s biggest lead came after its first basket, but Army would hold the lead for most of the first half. The Black Knights were ahead by a narrow margin and peaked at five points, 25-20, which came after the Mountain Hawks tied the contest at 20-20. Second year student Keith Higgins Jr. got Lehigh within one point, 31-30, with 1:18 left in the half, but Army’s Jalen Rucker’s step-back jumper at the horn sent Lehigh into the locker room trailing by four points, 36-32.

STUFFED! JT Tan forbids the army in the basket. #GoLehigh

Look @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPN – https://t.co/1rkyqzE6un pic.twitter.com/RsRiHIosiC

Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 2, 2023

Army started with a six-point run to extend its lead to 10 points, the Black Knights’ largest of the game, nearly two minutes into the second half. The Mountain Hawks scored the next 13 points to take their first lead since the start of the game, 43-42. During the next four minutes of play, the teams would be tied four times, as a sophomore Tyler Whitney-Sidney tied the contest at 50-50 after a steal and a goal.

The Black Knights went back in front with two possessions and held a five-point lead before Lehigh rallied back to take a one-point lead on a pair of free throws by Whitney and Sidney to make it 63-62 with four minutes left. to be afraid. Again, Whitney-Sidney gave the Brown and White the lead with a few fouls with 1:07 left. After Army’s Ethan Roberts sank a front end one-and-one chance to tie the game, Lehigh grabbed the rebound with 45 seconds left. On that possession, Higgins Jr. missed an elbow on a jump shot that gave the Black Knights the ball with 13.5 seconds left. Cross got behind the Mountain Hawks defense and made a layup with just 5.4 seconds left. Second year student Ben Knostmann tried to drive before the buzzer, but Army’s Abe Johnson knocked it away, sealing the victory for the Black Knights.

Four Mountain Hawks finished in double figures, scoring 50 of Lehigh’s 69 points. Second year student Keith Higgins Jr. led all scorers with 17 points and a team-high five assists. He also added a rebound and one assist. Junior Dominic Parolin added 12 points and six boards with two assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Parolin was a clean 6-6 at the charity stripe, while Whitney-Sidney added 11 points, five of which came from the foul line, and recorded two assists, one rebound and a steal. Rounding out the double-digit scorers was Knostman, who scored a career-high 10 points for the Brown and White. Knostman was 5-8 from the floor with five rebounds, one steal and an assist.

STEAL AND RETURN!! TWS gets a takeaway and a basket. #GoLehigh

Look @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPN– https://t.co/1rkyqzE6un pic.twitter.com/x9WvdR1w4y

Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) February 2, 2023

Senior Evan Taylor recorded eight points and led the team with seven boards and two assists. Classmate Reed Fenton drained two of Lehigh’s three 3-pointers for his six points and grabbed one rebound.

Rucker had a game-high 23 points, leading a trio of Black Knights in double figures. Rucker added eight boards, three assists and a steal, while Coleton Benson and Charlie Peterson each had 13 points.

Lehigh shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the floor and shot a season-low 15.8 percent (3-19) from 3-point range, while Army shot 46.3 percent (25-54) and 37.5 percent (6). -for-16) from behind the arc.

Lehigh committed eight turnovers, which Army converted into just six points, while the Black Knights forced 18 errors, which the Mountain Hawks turned into 22 points. The brown-white rebounded 38-31, but led the score 36-28.

On Saturday afternoon, the Mountain Hawks look to sweep rival Lafayette inside the Kirby Sports Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM.

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