| Patriot League Finals Recap | |||
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Recap by Steve Sheridan No. 1 Lehigh 59, No. 2 American 57 The Lehigh Mountain Hawks capped off a miraculous two-year turnaround with a hard-fought victory in the Patriot League championship game on Sunday afternoon, coming from behind to defeat American, 59-57 at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem. The American Eagles, meanwhile, fell in the title game for the third consecutive year. In the first half, both teams exhibited some of the rust that comes from having a week off between the semifinals and the title game. The first 20 minutes saw many rushed possessions, missed shots and sloppy play on both sides. Lehigh shot only 38 percent from the field and turned the ball over six times, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize. American shot 40 percent themselves, and the host Mountain Hawks went into the halftime break with a slim 30-29 lead. Jason Mgebroff had 11 of his 13 points in the first half and Kyle Neptune scored eight of his 11 during the first 20 minutes, in which American held a lead as great at seven but allowed Lehigh to get back into it late in the half. The second half was all Lehigh for its majority, as the Mountain Hawks fed off the energy of the Stabler Arena crowd and kept the Eagles at bay. Lehigh held a six-point lead with 1:22 to go, appearing to have the game in hand, but American battled back to tie the game after six points by Andres Rodriguez. Rodriguez carried his squad down the stretch, scoring his team’s last 10 points, as the senior guard hit a three-pointer and then followed with a lay-up and a free throw to tie the game with 21 seconds left. Holding for the last shot, freshman Jose Olivero then hit a clutch runner with 3.9 seconds remaining to cap the scoring and send his team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988 with the league’s automatic bid. After a timeout, American’s Matej Cresnik had a wide-open shot from 35 feet to win the game, but the last-ditch shot didn’t draw iron. The Mountain Hawks were led, as they have been all season, by regular season Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Austen Rowland, who scored 14 points. Mgebroff and Neptune were both in double figures, but most of their points came in the first half. The key for Lehigh was its bench, which outscored American 23-12, led by Neptune’s 11. Ra Tiah also had seven points off the bench, helping the team shot a solid 50 percent in the second half to hold off the Eagles. Rodriguez led his team with 16 points, six assists and four steals, helped by 10 points from Freshman of the Year Andre Ingram, but the rest of the Eagle squad was unable to contribute meaningful points. Jernavis Draughn and Jason Thomas combined for 15 points and 11 rebounds, but the duo shot a combined 4-of-16 from the field, as they were unable to help out the two Eagle stars when needed. The Eagles as a team couldn’t hit the big shots in the second half, with a 30 percent shooting percentage in the crucial final 20 minutes. For their efforts, two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Billy Taylor and his crew will be rewarded with a likely 16-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. But coming from a team that was picked to finish fifth in the preseason Patriot League polls, this team will be sure to put a scare into whatever powerhouse they draw in the opening round.
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