15 February, 2007
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
OT |
Final |
| Lehigh (12-15, 7-4 Patriot) |
29 |
20 |
7 |
56 |
| Colgate (9-16, 4-8 Patriot) |
28 |
21 |
4 |
53 |
| Cotterell Court – Hamilton, NY |
Boxscore |
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The Colgate Raiders lost their second consecutive overtime home game 56-53 to Lehigh. The loss severely cripples Colgate’s chances of hosting a Patriot League Tournament game, and clinches a third place finish in the league for the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh withstood great performances by Willie Morse, who had 18 points and 4 three-pointers, and Kyle Chones, who contributed 17 points, 5 three-pointers and 6 rebounds. The Hawks were led by Jose Olivero’s 16 points and Marquis Hall’s 14.
The teams traded control for most of the game. Lehigh sprinted to an 8-0 lead to start the game, but Colgate quickly closed within 2. Not long after, Lehigh went up 21-14, but the Raiders took a 25-23 lead just 1:42 later. Similarly, the Hawks ran off 7 unanswered points to start the second half, but Colgate made a 12-4 run to take a small lead, leading to the final moments, where Lehigh used a 4-point possession to force overtime.
The overtime was slow moving, with the teams combining for just 4 field goals. Colgate had a last-gasp opportunity to force double overtime due to Lehigh’s troubles at the foul line, but Morse’s three-point attempt missed. Both teams had trouble from the line all night: Lehigh shot 12-of-21 on foul shots, while Colgate was 5-of-11.
Lehigh center Jason Mgebroff saw his first action since injury sidelined him in December. Mgebroff had 5 points and 1 rebound in 7 minutes.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
Kyle Chones hit a pair of three-pointers as part of a 6-1 Colgate run, giving the Raiders a 49-45 lead with 1:32 to go. Olivero was fouled. After hitting his first free throw, he missed the second but grabbed the offensive rebound, leading to a Hall three that tied the game up. Each team missed one more shot, forcing overtime.
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| Key sign it was over |
Olivero and Phil Anderson each went 1-for-2 from the line in the final seconds, giving the Raiders a final chance to tie it, but Morse’s buzzer-beating attempt missed.
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| Key performance |
Olivero led Lehigh with 16 points. He also grabbed 6 rebounds, including the key offensive rebound late in regulation that allowed the Hawks to force overtime.
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| Key statistic |
Lehigh scored 20 points off 15 Colgate turnovers. The Raiders only scored 9 points off 12 Lehigh turnovers.
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| Notes |
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Zahir Carrington contributed 8 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Lehigh.
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Kendall Chones played just 8 minutes for the Raiders, going scoreless. Instead it was Peter Minchella picking up 20 minutes off the bench. He had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks.
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With the loss and American’s win over Army, the Raiders are a full game behind the Eagles for fourth place in the league. Each team has two games left to play. American holds the tiebreaker over Colgate by virtue of sweeping the season series.
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On Saturday, Colgate heads to Marist to participate in the ESPNU BracketBuster. On Sunday, Lehigh faces rival Lafayette.
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