Posted: 03/06/2013 | Last updated: March 6, 2013 at 12:50 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Riding wins in four of its last six games, the fifth-seeded Lehigh women’s basketball team will open the Patriot League Tournament on Thursday when it heads to Holy Cross to face the No. 4 seed Crusaders at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The teams split the regular season series, with the Mountain Hawks taking the first game at the Hart Center 67-65 on a layup from sophomore Katie O’Reilly as time expired. Lehigh looks to advance to the league semifinals for an eighth straight season.
The Mountain Hawks won four straight games after falling to Holy Cross at home on Feb. 10, 72-66. They responded by beating American (71-55), Colgate (62-40), Bucknell (49-37) and Lafayette (60-40) before falling at league-leading Navy and Army. However, Lehigh did show strong flashes, holding a double-digit second-half lead Saturday at West Point before the Black Knights stormed back. The winner of Thursday’s Lehigh-Holy Cross quarterfinal faces the winner of #1 Army and #8 Colgate in the Patriot League Semifinals on Monday.
Lehigh has enjoyed success in the postseason, making the Patriot League Semifinals seven straight seasons including two league titles. The Mountain Hawks are 18-13 all-time in the tournament under head coach Sue Troyan, but just 1-7 against Holy Cross and 2-5 in games played in Worcester, Mass.
Freshman Kerry Kinek wrapped up a sensational season by being named First Team All-Patriot League and an All-Rookie Team member. She leads the team, and is among the league leaders in scoring (12.7) and rebounding (8.3). Senior Kelly Peterson earned a spot on the Academic All-Patriot League Team for a second straight year. She enjoyed a strong performance in the regular season finale at Army, scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Holy Cross leads the all-time series, 38-16, but the Mountain Hawks have impressed as of late. Their 10-game winning streak against the Crusaders was snapped in the last meeting, but they’ve still won 10 of the last 11 beginning in the 2008-09 season. Lehigh ended up posting four straight season sweeps.
The sides first met in 1990-91 for the beginning of Patriot League play. The Crusaders won that meeting (75-55) and the first eight before Lehigh’s first win in 1993-94 (77-74). Holy Cross began 25-1 against Lehigh, but the Mountain Hawks are 15-13 since.
Both of this year’s meetings went right down to the wire. In the Patriot League opener, O’Reilly gave Lehigh the win with a layup as time expired. Then Holy Cross bounced back to beat Lehigh 72-66 in front of a nationally-televised audience on Feb. 10. The Crusaders shot 75 percent from three in the second half to negate a career-high 22-point performance from Kinek.
Holy Cross has enjoyed a strong season, earning a top-four seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2009. The Crusaders are 16-13 overall and have won four of their last five and seven of their last nine to close out the regular season.
First Team All-Patriot League performer Alex Smith leads the team (and league) in scoring (14.7 points per game) while adding 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. Second Teamer Amy Lepley averages 11.5 and 5.3, respectively. Brisje Malone comes in at 9.1 points and a team (and Patriot League) leading 4.9 assists per game while Christine Ganser averages 7.6 and 4.8.
A dynamic shooting team, Holy Cross leads the Patriot League with 60.0 points per game. The Crusaders are second in the league in three-point shooting (33.5) while Smith is second at 38.9. Holy Cross is 7-6 at home this season and 9-7 on the road. Thursday’s matchup features the longest tenured coaches in the Patriot League as Holy Cross’ Bill Gibbons is in his 28th season while Troyan is in her 18th.
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Date:
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March 7, 2013
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Opponent:
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Holy Cross Crusaders
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Tip-off:
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7:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Hart Center/3,600
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Location:
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Worcester, Mass.
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Lehigh’s Record:
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14-15 overall, 6-8 Patriot League
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Army’s Record:
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16-13 overall, 8-6 Patriot League
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Series:
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Holy Cross leads, 38-16
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:45 PM
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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