Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
3-11, 0-2
Lehigh
9-6, 2-0
Brown's Perfect Night Not Enough as Bison Men Fall at Lehigh 75-70
1/14/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2004
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Donald Brown and Charles Lee both registered their first career 20-point games and Bucknell nearly erased all of a 16-point second-half deficit, but Lehigh made 7 of 10 free-throws in the final minute to hold off the Bison 75-70 Wednesday night at Stabler Arena.
Brown went 10-for-10 from the floor and scored 22 points, while Lee added 23, but it wasn't enough to prevent Bucknell from dropping to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in Patriot League play.
Kevin Bettencourt had 10 points and a career-high nine assists and Chris McNaughton had 10 points as well for Bucknell.
Jose Olivero scored 20 points and Austin Rowland had 18 and nine assists for Lehigh (9-6, 2-0).
Lehigh seemingly took control late in a well-played first half that featured nine lead changes, including seven in a span of eight possessions. After Brown gave the Bison a 26-25 lead with a leaner in the paint, Olivero drained a 3-pointer to put the Mountain Hawks ahead to stay.
Rowland followed with the biggest play of the half when he hit the front end of a one-and-one, missed the second, but then stole the ball from Davorin Skornik on the rebound. Rowland finished the play with a layup, drew a foul and made it a four-point possession with another free throw.
The seven straight points for Lehigh sparked a 16-7 run to close the half, giving the Mountain Hawks a 41-33 lead at the break.
Lehigh pushed the lead to double digits with a 9-1 run to start the second half, capped by a Rowland 3-pointer. That gave the Mountain Hawks a 16-point cushion at 50-34 with 15:33 to play.
Four quick points from Brown and a 3-pointer from Lee cut Bucknell's deficit to seven at 54-47 with 11:06 left, but Olivero countered the Lee three with five straight points of his own to make it 59-47 with 10:12 left.
But a persistent Bucknell squad would not die, as Brown scored six points in a 14-4 run, the last reverse layup with 1:06 remaining that made it just a three-point game at 68-65.
Ra Tiah made two from the line with 59 seconds left, and after a Bison turnover, Olivero sank two more from the stripe to make it 72-65.
Brown hit his second 3-pointer of the night with 48 seconds left to make it 72-68, but the Bison could get no closer.
With a six-game road trip now complete, Bucknell returns to Sojka Pavilion on Saturday against Navy at 3:15.
