Posted: 01/22/2013
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off its fourth consecutive road victory and second over a Patriot League opponent, the Lehigh women’s basketball team will host Bucknell on Wednesday, January 23 for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Junior Hilary Weaver lit up the scoreboard from beyond the arc with five treys while freshman Kerry Kinek tied a career-high with eight field goals as each poured in 18 points in Lehigh’s 70-62 victory over Colgate last Saturday.
Lehigh picked up its second Patriot League victory behind enemy lines this season with Saturday’s victory over the Raiders. After taking a 16-point lead into halftime, the Mountain Hawks maintained double digit leads throughout the remainder of the evening and ultimately left Hamilton, N.Y. with an eight-point win. Weaver shot 5-of-7 (71 percent) from long range, while her and the rest of the team combined to shoot 49 percent from the field and outrebounded Colgate 42-26. Lehigh never relinquished the lead after scoring the first basket 24 seconds into the game.
The Mountain Hawks will now turn their attention to a Bucknell squad that will enter Wednesday’s contest 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League. The Bison edged Colgate, 53-51, on a last second jumper by junior Audrey Dotson from just inside the free throw line before knocking off Lafayette 50-49 for their second straight league victory.
Lehigh holds a 40-31 edge on the Bison in the all-time series after taking two-of-three from Bucknell a season ago. The Mountain Hawks won the first meeting last year, 53-38, in Lewisburg, Pa. but fell to Bucknell 62-56 in Bethlehem. The two teams then faced off in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament, with the Mountain Hawks avenging the previous loss with a 63-47 victory to eliminate Bucknell from postseason play.
In that tournament game, Kelly Peterson notched a game-high 13 points as the Mountain Hawks put three players in double figures en route to the 16-point victory.
Lehigh has won 11 of the last 12 meetings as last year’s loss snapped a 10-game winning streak over Bucknell. The two teams have matched up six times in the Patriot League Tournament, with the Mountain Hawks coming away with victories in five of those six contests.
The Mountain Hawks are led by Kinek as the 6-3 Whitehall, Pa. native is averaging 12.4 ppg and 8.4 rbg in her inaugural season. Sophomore Katie O’Reilly has found her touch of late, averaging 11.1 ppg over her last 10 games, pushing her season average to 8.7 ppg. O’Reilly will enter Wednesday’s game as the second leading free throw shooter in the Patriot League, posting an 82.5 percent clip from the charity stripe. As a team, Lehigh is tied with Bucknell for second among Patriot League opponents in free throw shooting 71.4 percent from the line.
Junior Shelby Romine paces the Bucknell offense with 14.1 ppg while also leading the team with 60 assists on the season (3.3 apg). Also averaging double figures is sophomore Audrey Dotson with 12.4 ppg. Dotson also averages 8.7 rebounds per game, aiding Bucknell’s paint presence. Another inside presence for Bucknell has been Lindsay Horbatuck, as the senior forward is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game, while also adding 8.3 ppg.
The Bison are the second best scoring offense in the league, averaging 61.0 ppg, trailing just Holy Cross by 0.4 ppg for the Patriot League lead (61.4). The Bison are the best rebounding team in the league, averaging 44.6 rbg and posting a +9.2 in the rebounding margin, but Lehigh has also been strong in the rebounding facet, entering Wednesday’s game with the second-best rebounding margin in the league (+6.6).
Following Wednesday’s game, the Mountain Hawks will hit the road to take on crosstown rival Lafayette on Saturday, January 26 for a 2 p.m. tip-off before returning home to host preseason Patriot League favorite Navy on Wednesday, January 30 at 7 p.m.
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Date:
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January 23, 2012
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Opponent:
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Bucknell
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Tip-off:
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7:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Stabler Arena/5,600
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh’s Record:
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10-8 overall, 2-1 Patriot League
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Bucknell’s Record:
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11-7 overall, 2-1 Patriot League
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 40-31
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:45 PM
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Television:
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Service Electric 2 Sports
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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