Basketball Game Preview: Lehigh Lightning vs. South Fort Myers Wolfpack

Two dominant guards in Rianne Smith and Mariah Thorne are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lehigh Lightning will be playing in front of their home fans against the South Fort Myers Wolfpack at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. South Fort Myers took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Lehigh, who comes in off a win.

Having struggled with four losses in a row, Lehigh turned things around against Fort Myers on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 47-44 victory over the Green Wave. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lightning have posted since January 18, 2024.

It was another big night for Smith, who went 7 for 17 on her way to 24 points and five steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Lehigh's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Benhova Agustin, who posted nine points.

Meanwhile, South Fort Myers played a tough matchup on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Neumann 53-23. The Wolfpack have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Lehigh will have to keep a close watch on Thorne and Ja'Meria Church, a pair of players who had a big impact on South Fort Myers' prior game. Thorne had five points and three blocks, while Church earned nine points. That's the most blocks Thorne has posted since back in January of 2024.

South Fort Myers' defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Lehigh, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-7.

Everything came up roses for Lehigh against South Fort Myers in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the team secured a 63-19 win. Does Lehigh have another victory up their sleeve, or will South Fort Myers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.