BOX SCORE

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Dec. 7, 2011) – The Saint Francis University men's basketball team fell to Lehigh Wednesday on the road, 71-50.
 
The Red Flash (2-7, 2-0) posted their second highest point total in half this season in the second frame against the Mountain Hawks (7-3, 0-0) but it was not enough to recover from a slow start. Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) led the way for SFU with 17 off the bench, while Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) added 16, all in the second half. Holden Greiner led the way for Lehigh with 17 but was held to just two in second half.  
 
Lehigh flew out of the gates to start the game connecting on six of their first 10 shots with five coming from behind the 3-point arc. The Mountain Hawks were electric from the field in the first half shooting 58.6-percent (17-of-29) while the Flash shot just 16.7-percent (4-of- 24) from the field. Lehigh forced SFU into nine first half turnover while only committing four. The Red Flash picked up the defense in the latter stages of the first half and slowed the Lehigh attack but could not get its offense on track. The Mountain Hawks rode their hot 3-point shooting (8-of-13) to a halftime advantage of 43-11.
 
The Red Flash battled hard in the second half and got a solid effort from Ervin, who scored 12 in the second stanza, but it was not enough to rally the Red Flash. The Flash used solid defense to help generate some easy baskets and get the offense on track. Eatherton poured in 16 in the second half and shot 5-of-6 from the field after going 0-3 in the first frame. The Flash shot better in the second half going 14-of-28 from the field and half now who 50-percent from the field or better in seven of their last eight halves.
 
Saint Francis returns home to take on American at 7 p.m. Saturday DeGol Arena. The game is part of an afternoon-evening double-header with the women's team who takes on Towson at 4 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES
- The Red Flash did have junior guard Chris Johnson (Newport News, Va./Denbigh) or freshman guard Dominique Major (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) against Lehigh. Both have been indefinitely suspended from the team due to violation of team rules and conduct detrimental to the team and did not make the trip.
 
- Lehigh's first five field goals were all 3-point baskets. The Mountain Hawks went 8-for-13 in the first half from behind the 3-point arc with Holden Greiner leading the way going 5-for-5.
 
- SFU 16.7-percent shooting in the first half ranked as a season low and ended a streak of six consecutive half of 50-percent shooting or better.  
 
- Matthew Mazzara saw his first game action as a member of the Red Flash basketball team. Mazzara is also a member of the SFU football team and is the starting holder.
 
- SFU outscored Lehigh 39-28 in the second half and held them without a field goal over the final 4:30 of game.
 
- Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) posted a solid game for the Flash with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.