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LEWISBURG – Alex Timmerman scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but Bucknell's long-distance shooting struggles continued in a 72-64 loss to Lehigh on Thursday night at Sojka Pavilion.
It was a game of runs, as both teams battled turnovers that led to extended dry spells. Bucknell bridged the halftime break with a 15-2 run to cut a 14-point deficit down to one at 34-33, but Lehigh quickly responded with a 14-2 surge to go back up by 13. The Bison shot back with a 9-2 run to get within six, only for the Mountain Hawks to score 11 of the next 13 to go up 61-46. Bucknell again got within six after a 12-3 spurt, but three straight layups by Tyler Whitney-Sidney closed it out for Lehigh.
Whitney-Sidney hit 10 of 13 shots in the game and finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Evan Taylor added 20 points and eight boards, and Keith Higgins Jr. tallied 12 points. Those three guards accounted for 55 of Lehigh's 72 points.
Xander Rice finished with 14 points, seven assists, and three steals for the Bison, who dropped to 7-9 overall and 0-3 in the Patriot League. Bucknell came up with a season-high 11 steals in the game, but Lehigh (6-8, 1-2 PL) had 14 as the two teams combined for 32 turnovers.
Going into the Merrimack game on Dec. 18, Bucknell was shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range as a team to rank in the top 10 nationally in both categories. But the Bison have suddenly hit a dry spell from downtown. They hit just 4 of 20 from the 3-point arc against Lehigh and are now 12-for-63 (.190) in Patriot League play.
Timmerman connected on 12 of his 18 field goal attempts on the way to his sixth career double-double. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, including 19 of Bucknell's final 28 points.
Bucknell was strong on the glass, outrebounding Lehigh 34-24. The Bison limited the Mountain Hawks to one offensive rebound and finished with a 12-0 edge in second-chance points.
Lehigh shot 61.5 percent in the second half and 54.0 percent for the game, including a 9-for-19 mark from 3-point range.
The game was knotted at 14-all after Andre Screen's tip-in at the 10:37 mark of the first half, but Lehigh scored 11 straight points to close out an 18-4 run. Back-to-back threes from Whitney-Sidney and Taylor gave the visitors a 32-18 lead.
The Bison closed the half well, outscoring Lehigh 8-2 over the final 2:11, with Rice's floater just before the buzzer making it a 34-26 game at the half. Screen scored with his left hand on the wraparound possession to start the second half, and Bucknell scored the first seven of the period while holding Lehigh scoreless for the first 4:43.
But the Mountain Hawks came out of the under-16 timeout on fire, scoring 14 points in just 2:59 to take a 48-35 lead. Timmerman's free throws after the under-8 break cut it to 50-44, but Lehigh's guards came up big when needed. Whitney-Sidney drove for a layup and Higgins hit a three, and after Timmerman scored at the rim, a layup each from Whitney-Sidney, Taylor, and Higgins made it a 61-46 game.
The Bison head to Lafayette on Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest before hosting Loyola (Md.) for a 7 p.m. tip on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
LEHIGH (6-8, 1-2 PL)
Jakob Alamudun 1-4 0-0 2; Henri Adiassa 0-0 3-4 3; Evan Taylor 8-17 1-1 20; Keith Higgins Jr. 3-8 4-4 12; Tyler Whitney-Sidney 10-13 1-2 23; Dominic Parolin 3-4 0-0 6; Ben Knostman 1-1 0-0 3; Reed Fenton 1-1 0-0 3; Jake Betlow 0-2 0-0 0; Jalin Sinclair 0-0 0-0 0; JT Tan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-50 9-11 72.
BUCKNELL (7-9, 0-3 PL)
Ian Motta 0-6 2-2 2; Alex Timmerman 12-18 2-2 27; Andrew Screen 3-6 0-0 6; Elvin Edmonds IV 3-7 2-4 9; Xander Rice 6-14 0-0 14; Jake van der Heijden 0-2 0-0 0; Josh Bascoe 0-0 0-0 0; Jack Forrest 0-5 0-0 0; Josh Fulton 0-1 0-0 0; Ruot Bijiek 2-3 0-1 4; Noah Williamson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-63 6-9 64.
Halftime: Lehigh, 34-26. 3-point goals: Lehigh 9-19 (Taylor 3-6, Higgins Jr. 2-4, Whitney-Sidney 2-4, Knostman 1-1, Fenton 1-1, Betlow 0-1, Alamudun 0-2), Bucknell 4-20 (Rice 2-7, Edmonds IV 1-3, Timmerman 1-2, Motta 0-1, Fulton 0-1, Bijiek 0-1, van der Heijden 0-2, Forrest 0-3). Fouled out: Lehigh-none; Bucknell-none. Rebounds: Lehigh 24 (Taylor 8), Bucknell 34 (Timmerman 10). Assists: Lehigh 14 (Whitney-Sidney 5, Knostman 5), Bucknell 18 (Rice 7). Technical fouls: Lehigh-none; Bucknell-none. Total fouls: Lehigh 14, Bucknell 13. A: 747.