The Lehigh Mountainhawks, and Columbia Lions, were engaged in a battle of attrition on Tuesday night, in New York City, as both teams squared off their high tempo, offenses, to run the race against each other to outscore, one another other. Columbia never allowed for Lehigh to lead, through the course of the game, with the Mountainhawks willing their way to a tie-game at the four-second mark. This bout between two teams, searching different identities this season, was nothing short of exciting til the end, as both battled throughout the course of the game, to either overcome a a winless start to the season or to commence an undefeated campaign for the first time in over decades. Ultimately, the Columbia Lions would continue their reign, as an unbeaten program, to start of the 2024 / 2025 season, with the final score of the game being 76 - 75.
Below are standout prospects, as viewed, live from Levien Gymnasium :
Keith Higgins, Jr. | Lehigh | 6'4" | SG
The Lehigh, scoring wing, proved to be the standout player of the game, as he shot an mind numbing 7 - 9 from beyond the arc, with Four of those 3pt shots being in the final two minutes of the game. He also showed his ability for being around the ball, on the defensive side, securing several deflections, and letting his active hands, create offensive opportunities for his team, he maintained such defensive poise as he has a combined Three steals & blocks in the match.
Tyler Whitney-Sidney | Lehigh | 6'2" | PG
TWS kept the Lions defense on its toes, as he pestered them with his quick footspeed and wiggle in handling the the ball. Whitney-Sidney showed his ability as a playmaker and shot creator, as he served up Four assists and shot 55% from inside the paint on nine attempts. Although his shooting from range was not in effect on this game, he did have good looks and showed a confidence when shooting.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa | Columbia | 6'2" | SG
The Columbia guard, from the Dominican Republic, really sowed his strength in shooting from range as he netted an absurd 50% on Eight attempts, throughout the course of the game, an showed off the motor by crashing the glass with authority, on five out of his eight total rebounds. His knack for his off-ball game, with constant movement and smart cuts into the driving lane or for an open look from beyond the arc, was very impressive, to cement his role as the leading scorer of this Lions offense.
Kenny Noland | Columbia | 6'2" | G
Noland showed off plenty of intangibles, over the course of the game on both sides of the ball, as he showed a lot of composure, in being able to find opportunities for his teammates to score, and in moving the ball to areas of space to attack from. He had six assists, and although none of them were show time passes, he executed the ability to create hand-off picks, and the ability to work the high-low action, and kicking the ball out to an open man from deep in paint at the block while fighting multiple defenders. His ample footspeed also proved to be trouble to the point of attack on the Lehigh offense, as he pestered the main ball distributors and creators, while also having quick reaction time in contesting and pressuring closeouts
Written by: Nelson Samuels
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