Feb. 19, 2000
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, PA - Brian Ehlers scored a season-high 29 points and Stefan Ciosici added his fifth double-double of the season to lead Lafayette to its eighth straight win over Lehigh, this time a 77-63 decision on Saturday in Bethlehem.
In the first half, Lafayette grabbed an early lead, but saw it slip away as the half progressed. The Leopards came out and claimed a 9-2 advantage by 16:36. Lehigh's hot shooting offense erased that seven-point margin and turned it into a 12-point lead of its own by 3:42 left in the half to put Lehigh up 37-25.
The Leopards recovered with a 10-2 run to close the half which pulled Lafayette within four (39-35) going to the locker room. Just four players scored for Lafayette in the opening half, led by 10 from Ciosici followed by nine from Ehlers and Tyson Whitfield and six from Frank Barr. Lehigh shot 52 percent from the field in the opening session compared to Lafayette's 44 percent.
Lafayette battled back in the second half to tie it at 49 at 12:10 on Tim Bieg's first bucket of the game. On Lafayette's next possession, Barr was fouled by Fido Willybiro. After the foul, Willybiro gave Barr a forearm to the face which resulted in Willybiro's ejection from the game for fighting. Barr made one of his two free throws and Brian Burke followed that up with two makes on the technical free throws. On the accompanying possesssion, Ehlers added a bucket to put Lafayette up 54-49 at 11:10. Lafayette seized and never relinquished the momentum following that play.
Burke quelled any chance of a Lehigh comeback with 4:29 left, when he drilled a long-range three to give Lafayette a 13-point lead. The Leopards would hold their biggest advantage of the game with 1:05 remaining when Barr threw down his second dunk of the game to make it 77-58.
Lehigh's Steve Aysworth, who finished with 20, added two more buckets to put the final at 77-63.
The Leopards shot 54 percent from the floor in the second half, led by 20 second-half points from Ehlers. Ciosici finished with 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Barr's 14 points were a career best.
Lafayette improves to 19-6 overall and 9-1 in Patriot League play, while Lehigh falls to 7-18 and 3-7. The Leopards return to action on Wednesday when they host Colgate on senior night.
