Feb. 22, 2004
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Five Lehigh players scored in double figures as Lehigh claimed a 78-73 win over Lafayette in the 200th meeting between the rivals before a Stabler Arena record crowd of 5,206.
The loss drops Lafayette (18-7 overall, 9-3 Patriot League), which leads the all-time series over Lehigh 132-68, into a tie for second in the Patriot League standings with Bucknell.
The rematch nearly lived up to the season's first meeting, a 111-104 overtime win for Lafayette in Easton. The score was tied 13 times and the lead changed hands on nine occasions in Sunday's contest.
Lehigh (17-8, 10-2) took the lead for good with 4:52 left when Jason Mgebroff broke a 70-70 tie with a pair of foul shots. The Mountain Hawks stretched the lead to four on a three-pointer by Austen Rowland two minutes later, but Lafayette would draw back within two with 2:10 left on a pair of foul shots by Justin DeBerry. Following a timeout, Dayne Mickelson tipped in a Rowland miss for his only basket of the day, putting the game out of reach with 29 seconds left.
Lehigh scored five points in the final minute of the first half to take a 35-32 halftime lead. Nick Monserez hit a triple with 47 seconds left, then Ra Tiah scored on a breakaway off a Monserez steal just before the buzzer.
The Leopards took their largest lead of the game, six points, via a 12-3 run over two minutes early in the second half. Lafayette, which finished 11-of-22 from beyond the arc, hit three-pointers on four straight possessions during the run, two apiece by Sean Knitter and Winston Davis.
Lehigh, however, immediately answered with a 7-0 run of its own to reclaim the lead, 56-55, with 12:03 left. Marcus Harley ended the spurt with a three-pointer to give the Leopards their final lead of the game, 58-55, with 11:30 left.
DeBerry and Davis led four Leopards in double figures with 15 points apiece. DeBerry also handed out five assists, while Davis grabbed seven boards. Knitter finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Pat Betley chipped in 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers in the first half.
Kevin Tempest led the Mountain Hawks with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Mgebroff and Rowland added 12 each, while Ra Tiah and Kyle Neptune tossed in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Lafayette closes out the regular season next week at home, hosting Navy at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and American at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
