Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh announces '09-10 men's hoops schedule
8/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head men’s basketball coach Brett Reed has announced the Mountain Hawks 2009-10 schedule, which includes 14 home dates, five matchups versus teams that participated in the 2009 postseason, and 12 games against teams that won at least 15 games a season ago. Reed led the Mountain Hawks to the best non-league record in school history a season ago and has won over 65-percent of his games at Stabler Arena during his first two years on the sideline.
Lehigh will start the 2009-10 season on Friday, November 13 when the Mountain Hawks travel to Virginia to take on the University of Richmond out of the Atlantic-10. Last season the Spiders won 20 games and advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Lehigh remains on the road for a matchup versus Rider on November 16 in New Jersey. The Broncs tallied 19 victories a season ago and return a talented squad for the coming year.
The Mountain Hawks open their home schedule on November 18 when Quinnipiac comes to Stabler Arena, while five days later the Hawks of Monmouth make the trip to South Bethlehem. A trip to Loretto, Pennsylvania to face St. Francis (Pa.) awaits Lehigh on November 25 and the Seawolves of Stony Brook will serve as Lehigh’s final opponent for the opening month of the season on November 30 at Stabler Arena.
Lehigh opens December with a tough two-game road trip, first traveling to New York City to take on the Columbia Lions on December 3, while two days later the Mountain Hawks will receive a stern test from the Dayton Flyers in Ohio. Dayton won 27 games last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This game will mark the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Dayton.
Home dates with Dartmouth (December 17) and Marist (December 22) are sandwiched between a trip to Philadelphia to take on the St. Joseph’s Hawks in their recently renovated Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena on December 20. The Mountain Hawks have not faced Marist since the 1990-91 season, while the meeting with St. Joseph’s marks the first time since the early 1980’s the two schools have met in back-to-back seasons.
Trips to Longwood (December 28) and Delaware State (December 30) close out the 2009 calendar year, while a visit from NJIT on January 2 rings in the New Year. Lehigh and Yale will meet for the first time since the 1999-00 season on January 5 as the Bulldogs travel to Stabler Arena for what will be the Mountain Hawks final non-league test on the schedule.
The Mountain Hawks open their 2010 Patriot League slate on Saturday, January 9 when the American Eagles come to town. Road games at Navy (January 13) and Army (January 17) follow, while a visit from Colgate on January 20 is next on the schedule. Lehigh and archrival Lafayette will renew acquaintances on January 23 at Stabler Arena before the Brown and White embarks on a difficult three-game trip.
Lehigh heads to Lewisburg on January 27 to face Bucknell, while a date with Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts looms on January 30. The Mountain Hawks begin the second half of league action on February 6 in the nation’s capital versus the American Eagles. Lehigh returns home on February 10 to face Navy, and three days later the Black Knights of Army come to town.
The final two league road contests will take Lehigh to Colgate (February 17) and rival Lafayette (February 20), while the final week of the regular season will bring Bucknell (February 24) and Holy Cross (February 27) to Bethlehem.
The 2010 Patriot League Tournament gets underway on Wednesday, March 3 with the quarterfinal round, while the semifinals are slated for March 7 and the championship will take place on March 12.
The Mountain Hawks return nine letterwinners, including four starters from a season ago for the 2009-10 campaign. Among the returning starters are All-League honorees Zahir Carrington and Marquis Hall.
