BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After falling to No. 13/15 Cal on Friday night in Berkeley, Calif., the Lehigh women’s basketball team will look to bounce back with a win when it takes on St. Peter’s in Jersey City, N.J. on Wednesday night for the third time in program history. The game will be the second of the season for both teams as each side will be looking for its first win of the 2012-13 season.

 

Lehigh played a hard-fought tilt with Cal in its season opener before ultimately falling, 80-48. The Mountain Hawks showed flashes of positive play against one of the top teams in the country, highlighted by a stellar debut from freshman forward Kerry Kinek.

 

Kinek lead all scorers with 18 points and added 11 rebounds to register a double-double in her collegiate debut. She was an impressive 6-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe, while also blocking two shots to exert a presence in the paint. Seven of Kinek’s 18 points came in the final 20 minutes in a strong second half effort by the Mountain Hawks that also included Lehigh outscoring the Bears by one off of turnovers (7-6).

 

Senior Kelly Peterson tallied seven points to help the Mountain Hawks’ offensive effort in what was a homecoming appearance for the Concord, Calif. native, while her 31 minutes tied for the team lead along with Kinek.

 

Lehigh finished the contest with 16 points from its bench as sophomore Katie O’Rielly and freshman Elizabeth Sharlow both went 2-for-4 from the field for four points apiece to lead Lehigh’s balanced attack.

 

The Mountain Hawks will be searching for their first victory of the 2012-13 season and hoping to claim that first win from Saint Peter’s for the second consecutive season. After falling to 0-3 a year ago, the Peahens were welcomed into Stabler Arena as the Mountain Hawks knocked them off for a 64-48 victory for their first win of the 2011-12 season behind a career day from Katie O’Reilly. Lehigh holds a 2-0 all-time record against Saint Peter’s as it will make its second trip to Jersey City, N.J. this Wednesday.

 

As a freshman, O’Reilly had the best game of her young career against the Peahens, scoring 14 points and pulling down eight boards in the 16-point win last season, both of which are currently career-highs. It was her first-career collegiate double-digit scoring performance as she shot 41.7 percent from the field (5-for-12) over her 29 minutes on the floor.

 

The Peahens will enter Wednesday’s contest also 0-1 on the season after falling to Brown, 82-48, in their season opener Saturday. The Peahens were able to keep the game close for most of the night but went cold late in the game which allowed Brown to pull away for the victory.

 

Six minutes into the second half, Saint Peter’s trailed Brown by just one (42-41) but managed only one made field goal and six foul shots in the final 14 minutes of play. Senior Kristal Edwards finished the game with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting to lead the Peahens, while also adding four steals and four rebounds to her performance.

 

The strength of the 2011-12 Peahens was their ability to rebound, especially on the offensive glass, as Saint Peter’s led the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) with 15.9 offensive rebounds per game a year ago. Saint Peter’s was also second in the MAAC as it averaged 3.8 blocks per game, showcasing a strong presence in the paint.

 

Last year’s weakness of the Saint Peter’s squad was its ability to score as it shot a combined 53.6 percent from the floor which ranked last in the MAAC. The Peahens lost their top two scorers from last season which does not aid the offensive problems, while they also struggled from the foul line, shooting at a 65.7 percent clip which ranked ninth in the conference.

 

Lehigh will look to maintain its spotless record against the Peahens when the ball is tipped inside the Yanitelli Center on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
 

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