Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Lehigh defeated Saint Peter's 70-58 in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Tuesday night.
Sajanna Bethea (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) paced the Peacocks (0-2) in her Yanitelli Center debut, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Bethea was 5-for-10 shooting and made all six of her free throws.
Rebecca Sparks (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck [Saint Francis]) tallied 11 points and four assists while Hala Mostafa (Cairo, Egypt/Modern Narmer Language School) and Alyssa Velles (Franklin, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) finished with nine points apiece.
Lexi Martins finished with a double-double for Lehigh (4-0), tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds. Kerry Kinek tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort.
Lehigh pulled away in the final six minutes of the second half to hold on for the victory and continue its unbeaten streak all-time against Saint Peter's.
Trailing 20-12 with 9:04 left in the first half, Saint Peter's used an 8-0 run to trim the deficit. Sparks sparked the run with five points, including a traditional three-point play with 6:20 remaining on the clock.
Back-to-back baskets from Martins extended Lehigh's lead 28-20 with 4:51 remaining in the half. Following a field goal from Sparks, Lehigh scored three free throws to hold a 31-22 advantage.
Saint Peter's ended the first half on a 4-1 run, fueled by Bethea, to trim the deficit and trail 32-26 heading into the locker room.
In the second half, the Mountain Hawks opened up with a layup from Elizabeth Sharlow. Following the basket, the Peacocks used a 9-4 run to knot the contest at 38 with 15:37 left on the clock. A pair of charity tosses from Sparks at 15:14 gave Saint Peter's its first lead of the night.
The Peacocks extended their lead with six unanswered points to hold a 44-38 edge with 14:07 left in regulation. Lehigh responded with a 6-0 run of their own to tie the game at 44.
After exchanging baskets, Lehigh regained the lead with a jumper from Kinek with 9:20 remaining. The Peacocks countered with a 3-pointer from Velles to take the lead, 51-50.
Both teams continued to trade buckets, knotting the contest at 56 with 6:21 left to play.
Lehigh began to pull away, finishing the contest on a 14-2 run to win 70-58 and move to 4-0 on the year.
Antonia Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Dwight School) finished with eight points, four assists and three rebounds on the night, while Marcia Senatus (Roselle, N.J./Trenton Catholic) recorded three points and one rebound in her first action of the season.
Saint Peter's returns to action on Nov. 29, when the team travels down the road to take on Seton Hall in the Seton Hall Thanksgiving Tournament. Game-time is set for 12:00 p.m.
