Bethlehem, PA - Lehigh opens its 2004-05 season on Friday evening as the Mountain Hawks take on Big Ten and in-state foe Penn State. Lehigh is coming off one of its most successful seasons in school history, which ended with a Patriot League Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain Hawks return four starters from last season’s team and welcome in four very talented newcomers as well. Lehigh is 1-1 under Billy Taylor in season openers and 0-2 in road openers under its head man.
Lehigh and
Penn State have hooked up 39 times in the past with the Nittany Lions winning 28 of those contests. The last game, which was played in Happy Valley, came on December 5, 2001 and saw Lehigh battle tough, trailing by just three points at halftime before falling 61-48. Matt Crawford led the Mountain Hawks with 12 points and nine rebounds, while the Nittany Lions received 20 points from Sharif Chambliss on 6 of 8 shooting from the floor. Current Mountain Hawks Nick Monserez and Dayne Mickelson competed in the game also.
Lehigh has not defeated Penn State since a 79-72 victory in Bethlehem on December 7, 1987 in which Daren Queenan, Lehigh’s all-time leading scorer, scored 31 points, including the 2,000th of his illustrious career.
Although Lehigh and
Penn State have hooked up 39 times all-time, the Mountain Hawks have played several other Big Ten opponents over the years, with the last game coming in 2002 when the Brown and White traveled to Champaign, Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini in Assembly Hall. In front of almost 12,000 people the Mountain Hawks fell by a score of 90-56, as Matt Logie scored 18 points on 5 of 10 shooting. Lehigh has also taken on Iowa twice (1985 and 1993) and the Wildcats of Northwestern once (1992).
Date: | November 19, 2004 |
Opponent: | Penn State Nittany Lions |
Tip-off: | 7:30 pm |
Arena: | Bryce Jordan Center (15,261) |
Location: | State College, PA |
Lehigh’s Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
PSU Record: | 1-2 overall, 0-0 Big Ten |
Series: | Penn State leads 28-11 |
Streak: | Penn State has won six in a row |
Television: | WFMZ Channel 69 live and Satellite AMC 9 Transponder 17 with Steve Degler, Nathan Jameson and Mike Yadush |
Radio: | ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM with Matt Kerr and Jeff Tourial at 7:00 pm |
Internet Broadcast: | www.lehighsports.com |
Game Notes: | Click Here |
Key Stats: | • Lehigh’s 20 wins last season were the second most in school history, just one off of the record, which was 21 in 1987-88. • Lehigh is 60-43 all-time in season openers, including 1-1 under Billy Taylor. The Mountain Hawks have lost their last five road openers, including a tough 58-56 loss in Fairfield, CT to Sacred Heart last season.• This year’s Mountain Hawk team is comprised of players from an amazing nine different states. There is one player from each of the following states: Montana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Tennessee. There are two players from New Jersey and Virginia and three players from both Florida and Washington.• Lehigh currently has one of the youngest coaching staffs in all of Division I. The average age of head coach Billy Taylor (31) and assistants, Brett Reed (32), Bob Simmons (32) and Matt Logie (23) is just 29 years of age. |
Behind Enemy Lines: | http://www.gopsusports.com/home/index.cfm |
