BALTIMORE – Lehigh University made nine first-half 3-pointers and 14 in the game Saturday as the Mountain Hawks pulled away for a 72-61 Patriot League victory over host Loyola University Maryland in Reitz Arena.
 
More than half of Lehigh's 24 field goals came on their 3-pointers as they attempted 35 of 54 shots from behind the line in the game.
 
Ella Stemmer made a three from the right wing in transition at 3:28 in the first quarter to provide the Mountain Hawks (11-5 overall, 3-2 Patriot League) with a four-point lead, but Bri Rozzi scored two of her team-high 13 points on a floater in the lane 32 seconds later to pull Loyola (3-11, 0-4) back within a pair.
 
Kaylee Van Epps widened the margin to four before the end of the quarter with a basket for Lehigh, the opening points of an 8-0 run. Mackenzie Kramer and Emma Grothaus both made threes in the first 2:06 of the second quarter to push the lead to 10.
 
Rozzi and Chaira Roberts both knocked down jumpers for Loyola to bring the Lehigh lead back to single digits, but Van Eps hit a three at 5:46, and it was back to nine. After a Taleah Dixon field goal for the Greyhounds, Kramer made another to move the Mountain Hawks' lead to 28-18.
 
Lehigh pushed the second-quarter lead to 12 on three occasions before Keegan Douglas made a three from the top-left of the perimeter for Loyola with less than two seconds left in the half, sending the teams to the locker room with the Mountain Hawks in front, 35-26.
 
Loyola twice got the deficit down to eight early in the third on baskets by Caramina Tañedo and Rozzi, but Lehigh had answers to each.
 
Dixon drove the baseline, scored on a reverse layup and made a free throw after being fouled at 7:45 in the third, drawing Loyola within seven, 41-34, but Lehigh responded with the next nine points to grow its lead to 16.
 
Rozzi's 13 points led Loyola, while Lex Therien managed her fourth-straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Douglas matched her career-high with nine points, a total also recorded by Dixon.
 
The Greyhounds continue a busy stretch with three road games in the coming week, starting with a 5 p.m. contest on Monday, January 17, at College of the Holy Cross.