3 December, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| Central Connecticut (2-5) |
26 |
26 |
52 |
| Lehigh (4-6) |
24 |
31 |
55 |
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Lehigh remained undefeated at home with a 55-52 last-minute win over Central Connecticut. Freshman point guard Marquis Hall hit a jumper with 57 seconds left to give the Mountain Hawks their final lead.
The first half was back and forth, with Central Connecticut opening an 18-12 lead on back-to-back threes from Joe Seymore and Javier Mojica. Lehigh trailed for most of the first half, but cut their deficit to 2 at halftime and took the lead on the first possession of the second period on a Jose Olivero three-pointer. The Blue Devils reclaimed control, and with 10 minutes to go had opened a 46-39 lead, but Lehigh again fought back. The teams exchanged the lead in the closing minutes, and after Hall’s shot, Central Connecticut missed several opportunities to tie or win the game.
Olivero scored 14 points, leading the Mountain Hawks as usual, but played just 22 minutes because of foul trouble. Kyle Neptune pitched in 12 points and 9 rebounds but shot just 3-for-11 from the floor, and Hall had 8 points and 4 assists. Mojica led the Blue Devils with 20 points, 8 boards and 5 assists. Central Connecticut did not have another player in double figures scoring.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With 2:47 to go, Central Connecticut had the ball and a 50-47 edge, but failed to make it a two-possession game when Dannie Powell missed a shot. Olivero hit a transition lay-up, and then Tristan Blackwood missed a shot for the Blue Devils. Olivero scored a basket to give Lehigh a 1-point lead, and after Blackwood made a jumper, Hall hit a pull-up jump shot to give Lehigh the lead permanently.
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| Key sign it was over |
Down by 1, Central Connecticut ran the clock down to 30 seconds before Blackwood missed a shot. The Blue Devils fouled Hall, who hit 1 of 2 free throws, giving Central Connecticut one more chance to tie or win. They went for the win, but Blackwood’s three-point attempt was off the mark. Olivero was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws, so again the Blue Devils had a chance to tie with a miracle three, but Olivero stole the final inbounds pass.
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| Key performance |
With Olivero in foul trouble and Neptune having an off shooting night, benched former starter Bryan White picked up the slack with 9 points and 5 rebounds.
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| Key statistic |
Central Connecticut was 4-for-9 on foul shots all game. They rarely forced their way to the line, and when they did they couldn’t grab the much-needed points.
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| Notes |
| – |
The Mountain Hawks struggled to a 5-for-18 shooting night from the arc.
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Phil Anderson started at power forward for Lehigh, going scoreless in 18 minutes. White and Zahir Carrington previously started in that position for the Mountain Hawks.
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Lehigh had a strong rebounding night, outboarding Central Connecticut 36-27. The Mountain Hawks grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
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| – |
Lehigh turned the ball over 15 times, with the Blue Devils being credited for 7 steals. Mojica had 4 steals himself.
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Lehigh travels to Princeton Wednesday night.
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