I'm trying to remember the last time that Lehigh won five different sporting events on the same weekend. I can't think of any time it's ever happened... and if it has, it's doubtful if it involved not one, but two sweeps of "that school in Easton".I'm also trying to remember the last time the Lehigh men's and women's basketball teams all competed in front of crowds more than 1,000 strong. With 1,748 packing into Stabler to see the Lady Hawks, over 3,000 in Easton to see the Lehigh men beat "that school in Easton", and an average of over 1,700 fans in Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for three wrestling duals on campus - that's got to be some sort of record.
Start with the wrestling trifecta this weekend - and while it's not totally unexpected that the Lehigh grapplers beat Drexel, Harvard and Brown on Friday and Saturday, the way they did it - with only six defeats in twenty-seven matches - has to leave smiles with Lehigh wrestling fans. Specifically, it was a perfect 9-0 record in 133, 141 and 149: Junior 133 lb Matt Fisk, with one major decision; junior 141 lb Seth Ciasulli, with two falls; and senior 149 lb Trevor Chinn, with one technical fall and one regular fall. With the amount of bonus points this trio racked up, look for No. 16 Fisk and No. 14 Chinn to climb up the national rankings - and possibly see Ciasulli as well break into the rankings too, by the time Lehigh faces Bucknell at home in a couple weeks.
The party didn't stop there, as the men's basketball team held off pesky Lafayette 60-57 at Kirby Sports Center in Easton. While junior G Marquis Hall was the lead story, scoring his 1,000th point en route to an 18 point, 5 rebound, 3 steal day, it would really be free throws that would determine the winner here - and junior F Zahir Carrington's draining of two free throws with four seconds left to seal the victory. Carrington, senior F Phil Anderson and junior G Dave Buchburger had a great day on the boards, totalling 24 boards between the three of them.
Still, head coach Brett Reed, with the loss on Wednesday to Colgate still undoubtedly fresh on his mind, wasn't exactly pleased: “We didn’t necessarily play smart for the entire game, and down the stretch we were fortunate rather than good, but nonetheless we were able to make some free throws and play very tough defense to secure the victory. I guess we like to make it entertaining.”
The 12-7 Mountain Hawks (Real Time RPI: 225) won't have too much time to celebrate with 5-14 Bucknell (Real Time RPI: 264) coming to town. While the Bison have struggled with a brutal out-of-conference schedule, they have won their last two against Colgate and Lafayette and always seem to beat Lehigh year in and year out. Sophmore G G.W. Boon has emerged in the past few games as a bona-fide starter in league play, averaging 11.3 ppg in Bucknell's extraordinarily balanced offense. Crucial to Lehigh's chances will be defending the arc: as a team, the Bison are shooting 34% from 3-point range, and will certainly have to hold them below their average if they hope to come away with the "W". They will be playing at 7:00 P.M. at Stabler this Wednesday.
Completing the historic weekend was a 73-51 drubbing of the Lady Leopards at Stabler on Saturday by the Lady Hawks, paced by - who else - sophomore G Erica Prosser, with 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals - and seven of the first eleven points in the second half to make a four point halftime lead into an insurmountable 15 point mountain. (Unsurprisingly, she won her fourth Patriot League Player of the Week honors for her performance.) Head coach Sue Troyan also went to her bench to get production: senior F Haly Crites and freshman F Emily Gratch both led the team with 4 rebounds apiece, and junior G Kristen Dalton came off the bench and added 10 points.
Another Patriot League test awaits on Wednesday for the 14-5 Lady Hawks (Real Time RPI: 116) as they travel to Lewisburg to face the 10-8 Bison (Real Time RPI: 225). Bucknell reversed a three game skid on Saturday by pulverizing hapless Colgate 86-54 - their biggest scoring total on the year. Like Lehigh, the Lady Bison have their own superstar to deal with: senior G Amanda Brown, averaging 15.3 ppg with a 3-point percentage of 38%. Not far behind is senior F Lauren Schoeber, with 9.7 ppg and 35% from the 3-point arc.
Prosser vs. Brown on Wednesday? Should be fascinating - and may be a tough battle for the Lady Hawks.
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