Jan. 24, 2003

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - In a game full of big plays and momentum-shifting events, Lafayette came up just short, dropping an 85-73 decision to rival Lehigh in Patriot League action on Friday night at Stabler Arena.

Winston Davis led the Leopards with 18 points, while Rob Dill notched his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards.

In the first half, with Lafayette trailing 20-15 with 11 minutes to play, the Leopards went on a 17-2 run sparked by Andrew Pleick's six points. Davis and Drew Dawson drained back-to-back three's during the spurt and Jaime Hughes added four points as the Leopards opened up a 32-22 advantage at 5:46.

Lehigh came fighting back, spurred by nine points and tough defense by Zlatko Savovic. The Mountain Hawks used a 14-4 run of their own to knot the game at 36-36 with less than a minute remaining.

Davis then hit a three-pointer for the Leopards with 10 seconds to go before the half, only to be matched by a deep three by Savovic at the buzzer, sending the teams into the locker rooms knotted at 39-39.

Lafayette (7-10, 1-3) shot 64 percent from the field in the first half. Most of the Leopards' scoring was done without leading scorer Justin DeBerry who played only seven minutes because of two early fouls. Pleick sparked the Leopards with 11, while Davis added 10 points.

Starting the second half, Lehigh outscored Lafayette 9-2 in the opening minutes, spurred by four points from Savovic and Nick Monserez to open up a 50-43 lead at 15:06. The Leopards trimmed the deficit to six points at 55-49 with 11:43 remaining.

The Mountain Hawks (12-5, 4-0) again stretched the lead to 11 on a three-pointer by Mitch Gilfillan, making the score 60-49 at 10:02. Again, the Leopards roared back as a Davis trifecta and jumper by DeBerry cut the lead to 60-54 with 8:30 to go.

Lehigh then used a 13-6 spurt, punctuated by a deep three by Savovic to build a 73-60 cushion with 3:32 remaining.

Mike Farrell, who finished the game with 10 boards, and Dill again brought the Leopards back to within five at 73-68 at 1:48. But, Lehigh made its free throws down the stretch and Lafayette never got any closer the rest of the way.

Savovic scored a career-high 28 points and tallied seven assists and five steals to lead the Mountain Hawks, while Matt Logie chipped in with 16 points.

The announced attendance at the game was 3,892 - the ninth largest crowd ever at Stabler Arena.

Lafayette returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Bucknell for a 3:15 p.m. tip. Bucknell is coming off a 20-point home win over Army.