LU65
Sophomore
Posts: 133
Reg: 07-30-06
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12-30-07 07:43 PM - Post#40397
We travel west tomorrow to take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State. The 1pm start assures a Bethlehem New Year's Eve celebration. Looking at the stats and comments below, I'm not sure there'll be much to celebrate on the court immediately following the game. Then again, who knows!
Team / Record / RPI / SOS
PS / 7-4 / 177 / 208
LU / 6-5 / 309 / 339
Penn State:
has not lost at home this year (7 straight) and has won its last four games - home and away.
has never lost to a Patriot League team (20-0 since 1990).
has held its last three opponents (Princeton, Denver and Colgate) to offensive outputs of 38, 39, and 48 points.
is Number 2 in the Big Ten in 3pt FG Defense @ 30.1%.
is deep, "wide-bodied,"Â and experienced. Senior Guards Claxton and Walker will be suiting up for their 98th and 101st collegiate games, respectively. The roster includes 3 seniors and 7 juniors. One of the latter seven is 23 year-old, Danny Morrissey (G). The first five off the bench each average over 14 minutes of playing time. Their starting front line players weighs-in at 240, 240, and 220 - two at 6'5"Â and one at 6'9".Â
has a go-to guy to fear in Geary Claxton: 2nd in scoring (18.5ppg) and 3rd in rebounding (8.4pg) in the Big 10.
out-scores their opponent by 8.6 ppg (70.5 - 61.9)
holds a 6 rebounds per game edge over their opponents
BUT, four teams have beaten them this year. How did they do it? Each showed patience on offense, slowing the game down to their liking (56 FGAs per game) and hit their high-percentage shots - many threes at key times. Each got to the Line an average of 26 times per game and limited the Lions, through clean play, to only 14 free throw attempts per game. It worked, the victors knocked down 71%+ of their free throws, compared to the Lions' 50.9%. The same pattern of play might well fit Lehigh - a team that has attempted - in their six wins to date - an average of 49.7 FG per game. Add in the fact that they are connecting on 41.7% of their 3's and 73.3% of their Free Throws and who knows what might happen tomorrow.
Good luck, Guys.
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LU65
Sophomore
Posts: 133
Reg: 07-30-06
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12-31-07 05:49 PM - Post#40438
In response to LU65
First Half:
40-40 at halftime after Lehigh led by as much as 7. LU not intimidated by crowd or arena, committing just one TO. LU gets 14 bench points and balanced scoring from the starting
five. Each team shoots lights-out (16 for 29 FGs). LU had no answer for Geary Claxton who nets 21. Best half of basketball by LU this year.
Second Half:
LU led by three (47-44) with 15:38 to go before Penn State begins to pull away with baskets in transition aided by a rash of TOs (4 in three minutes) and some questionable/forced shots by Prentice Small and others. Hall did his best to keep the differential in single digits with key threes (finished 5 for 6 from behind the arc). LU doesn't get to the line (3 for 9) and is outscored from the stripe, 18-3. Buchberger and Gourlay do not score despite 18+ minutes of play. Hall (19), Carrington (15) and White (10)led the scoring for Lehigh which shot 49.1% (28-57) overall and 56% (9 for 16) from beyond the arc. Team appeared to run out of gas at the game's 30 minute mark.
All in all, a good effort in what had to be viewed as a "step-up" game against a Big Ten opponent.
Next up: Columbia on Wednesday.
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