Feb. 18, 2006
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Sara Ellis scored 24 points to lead three Lehigh players in double figures as the Mountain Hawks avoided a season sweep at the hands of Lafayette with a 79-50 victory in Patriot League women's basketball on Saturday night at Stabler Arena.
Ellis, who entered the night with 992 career points, was 8-of-18 from the field, including five three-pointers, to break out a month-long shooting slump. The junior guard was 20-for-91 in Lehigh's recent seven-game losing streak, which included a 67-64 loss at Kirby Sports Center on Jan. 21. She was 3-of-13 in the Mountain Hawks' 71-53 win over Colgate on Wednesday.
Jenny Callan added her 16th double-double of the season, with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Adrienne Blount had 11 points for Lehigh, which improved to 4-8 in league play (9-16 overall).
Kara Stetler led Lafayette (7-18, 2-10 PL) with 11 points, and Val Gomez set a career-high with seven rebounds.
Ellis scored Lehigh's first eight points of the game and netted 19 in the first half. She opened the game with a three-pointer and a jumper, and answered a three by Stetler with another triple to stake the Mountain Hawks to an 8-3 advantage.
Kristin Doherty hit a three and Lindsay Myers scored to tie the game at 8-all, and the Leopards led twice in the opening four minutes, first on a jumper by Gomez and later on a jumper by Myers to give Lafayette a 12-10 edge at the first media timeout out.
From there, Lehigh used an 18-3 stretch in the middle of the first half to gain control of the contest. Callan scored five straight points after Blount knotted the score at 12-all before Gomez chipped into the advantage with a bucket. The Mountain Hawks scored 10 of the next 11 points, capped by a three from Ellis, and led 28-15 with 8:07 left in the half.
Blount gave Lehigh a 33-19 lead with 5:37 remaining, and Ellis and Callan did the rest of the Mountain Hawks' first half scoring from the foul line for a 40-26 advantage at the break.
Lafayette pulled within 10 to start the second half as Gomez and Vanessa Van De Venter both made a pair of free throws but would get no closer after intermission. Lehigh built a lead of as many as 25 with 7:16 left at the culmination of a 10-0 run, and then used the last two minutes to extend the final margin.
The Leopards will close out the regular season with home against Army on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and American on Saturday, Feb. 25.
