BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will host the Christmas City Classic for the 12th-consecutive year on Monday and Tuesday as four teams converge in Bethlehem. La Salle and Valparaiso will get the action started at 5:05 p.m. followed by Lehigh and North Florida squaring off at 7:35 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship game on Tuesday at 7:35 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks come into the game on a two-game winning streak after taking down NJIT and Binghamton last week. Alex Ross was the catalyst for Lehigh’s offensive success as she averaged 24.5 points per game in the two Lehigh wins en route to being named the league’s Player of the Week. Her nine made 3-pointers against Binghamton tied a Patriot League record on Sunday.
Lehigh owns an 11-11 record in the Classic, with one championship coming in 2000. The Brown and White has been to the championship game in each of the last four seasons in the Classic, with the last three years resulting in heartbreaking losses. The Mountain Hawks fell in overtime to New Hampshire in 2005, then they lost by three in each of the last two years to Seton Hall and Rhode Island in the title games.
The Mountain Hawks have faced each of the teams in the Classic at least once, with the most history coming against La Salle. The Brown and White has met the Explorers nine times with La Salle holding a 7-2 advantage overall. The teams have not met since 1988-89. Lehigh has faced North Florida and Valparaiso each one time. The Mountain Hawks took home a 54-50 victory at UNF last season and fell to Valparaiso 68-54 in 2002-03.
Lehigh will meet North Florida in the first game of the Classic. The Ospreys have lost their last four games and come into the game with a 2-7 record. They are 0-3 on the road and this will be the team’s first game north of the Mason Dixon line. North Florida has scored less than 50 points in all but three games this season, including the four-consecutive losses.
La Salle moved to 7-5 after a 3-0 week last week to get above .500. The Explorers were led by junior Morgan Robertson who averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over the week and earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors. Robertson leads the conference with six double-doubles on the season. The Explorers have played two of the same opponents the Mountain Hawks have this year, falling to Binghamton 53-47, but pulling out an upset over Villanova, 67-62 in overtime on opening night.
Valparaiso just finished up the toughest portion of its schedule, facing three-consecutive ranked teams. The Crusaders escaped with a 1-2 record in the stretch, pulling out an upset of No. 23 Purdue before losing to No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 23 South Dakota State. Four Crusaders have averaged double figures in points this season as Valparaiso has put up a 4-4 record so far.
The action tips off at 5:05 p.m. at Stabler Arena with La Salle vs. Valparaiso. The Lehigh game against North Florida will follow at 7:35 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh Athletics Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall or by logging onto Lehighsports.com.
Fans that cannot make it out to Stabler Arena can listen to the game live on 91.3 WLVR (FM) with Steve Lomangino and Robbie Aaron calling the action, or they can log on to Lehighsports.com for a live video broadcast.
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Date: |
December 29, 2008 |
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Opponent: |
North Florida Ospreys |
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Tipoff: |
7:35 p.m. |
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Arena: |
Stabler Arena (5,600) |
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Location: |
Bethlehem, Pa. |
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Lehigh’s record: |
8-3 overall |
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North Florida’s record: |
2-6 overall |
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Series: |
Lehigh leads 1-0 |
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Streak: |
Lehigh won only meeting |
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Television: |
None |
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Radio: |
WLVR-FM (91.3) with Steve Lomangino and Robbie Aaron beginning at 7:15 p.m. (La Salle/Valparaiso) |
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Internet broadcast: |
Live video at Lehighsports.com |
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Behind enemy lines: |
http://www.unfospreys.com |
