Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Colgate came down with a severe case of the “stuck-ons,” and Lehigh waltzed to a 62-40 victory here Saturday night.
Two separate scoring droughts – one in each half – where the Raiders found themselves “stuck on” the same point total for extended periods of time, hurt the Colgate cause.
Randyll Butler converted a driving layup with 10:43 left in the first half that tied the score at 18. But Lehigh reeled off the next 12 and didn't allow a Colgate point until Reid scored with just 1:38 showing for a scoreless gap of 9 minutes and 5 seconds.
Five points by the Raiders to close the half narrowed the intermission deficit to 30-23.
Then to start the second half, Colgate managed only two points – a layup by
Lauryn Kobiela – over the first six-plus minutes as Lehigh opened a 41-25 advantage. From that 18-18 tie, the Mountain Hawks outscored their guests 23-7 to nearly account for the entire winning margin.
“Doug Bruno used to say you don't want to be 'stuck on,'”
Nicci Hays Fort said of her mentor, the DePaul head coach. “Those stretches are what we have to avoid. We were stuck on 18 for a really long time, and then we were stuck on 23 and 25.
“We have to find ways to go get baskets, to generate baskets. And if we're not hitting them, then we've got to be able to go do other things like steals and offensive boards.”
Colgate was held without a double-figure scorer for the fourth time this season.
Jhazmine Lynch and
Josie Stockill paced the offense with nine points apiece, while
Kelly Reid added six and Butler four.
Fast Start Doesn't Last
“We did a great job of coming out and looking to attack and being the aggressor,” Hays Fort said of the game's opening phase. “We were fearless and just catching and shooting.
“But then we got a little passive. Lehigh did a good job of mixing up the defenses and keeping us on our toes, and we quit attacking.”
Stockill earned her first collegiate start in place of
Lulu Brase, who played but was under the weather. Stockill added six rebounds and two blocked shots – upping her season total to 32.
“We have some illnesses going around and Josie's been playing well, so she was the one who stepped into that role,” Hays Fort said.
Reid led all rebounders with eight to go with her 3-of-3 shooting night from the floor.
Colgate finished 16-of-61 as a team for 26.2 percent, including 4-of-17 from long range. The Raiders made four of their seven free-throw attempts. Lehigh was 21-of-58 from the field for 36.2 percent, including 2-of-18 from three-point distance. The Mountain Hawks were 18-of-28 at the line and won the rebounding battle 52-39.
“We took some good shots,” Hays Fort said. “I thought we had a lot of good shots. We just didn't knock them down. We've got to be able to execute.
“We had some good moments; we just got in huge scoring droughts.”
Free-Throw Streak Ends
Lynch converted her first three free throws of the night before the fourth one rimmed in and out. That ended her streak of 17 consecutive free throws made dating to the last time these teams played in Hamilton back on Jan. 19.
Lehigh won that game, 70-62.
The winners were paced by freshman Kerry Kinek, who scored 16 points and added seven boards. Hilary Weaver tossed in 12 points – including nine in a row for the Mountain Hawks during one second-half stretch – and Lindsay Hoskins scored 11. Becky Guman matched Kinek with seven rebounds.
Colgate dropped to 7-18 overall and 1-9 in the Patriot League. Lehigh is now 12-13 and 4-6.
The Raiders are home again Wednesday, hosting first-place Army (19-6, 8-2) in a 7 p.m. start. Saturday at Annapolis, the Black Knights pulled into that tie atop the Patriot League standings thanks to a 48-40 win over Navy.
