Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh heads to No. 1 UConn for challenging tournament
11/26/2010 3:50:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women's basketball team looks to bounce back from its first losing streak since 2007 when it heads to UConn to take part in the World Vision Challenge this weekend. The Mountain Hawks (1-3) will face LSU on Friday (5 p.m.), No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Howard on Sunday (2 p.m.) inside Gampel Pavilion.
Lehigh fought back from an early 12-point deficit on Tuesday at Villanova to take the lead before heading to overtime. The Wildcats took as much as an eight-point advantage in the extra session, but the Mountain Hawks' resiliency continued to come through as they pulled within one and had a chance at the buzzer to pull out the road victory.
The Mountain Hawks will play LSU on Friday, marking the third straight season they will face a team from the SEC. They played at Vanderbilt last November, a year after playing Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. Lehigh will also look to snap UConn's record winning streak, which stands at 81 entering the weekend. The Mountain Hawks have faced the Huskies before with the last coming during the 1996-97 season.
Numerous Lehigh players either tied or set career-highs in various categories at Villanova Tuesday. Junior Emily Gratch finished with 22 points to tie a career-best. Senior Kristen Dalton and sophomore Becky Guman also tied career-highs with eight and six rebounds, respectively. Senior Erica Prosser had a monster all-around game with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists; she now leads the Patriot League in assists and is third in scoring.
The Mountain Hawks have been incredibly tough to beat after a loss, but for the first time since Feb. 2 and 9 of 2007, they have dropped two consecutive games in the same season. They had been 13-0 following a loss before Tuesday's defeat stood as their second in a row.
Greatch has been a standout over the mini two-game losing skid, finishing with a career-high tying scoring effort on Tuesday, this after posting 14 points behind a perfect 5-for-5 shooting against Princeton. She also grabbed three rebounds, while dishing an assist, block and making three steals in 28 minutes against the Tigers. That earned her a start at Villanova where she impressed with 22 points, and five rebounds. Gratch currently leads the Patriot League with an incredible .679 field goal percentage.
The second “Tigers” that Lehigh will face within a week (the other being Princeton), LSU has struggled a bit out of the gate in 2010-11, posting a 2-3 record against some tough foes. The Tigers have beaten UMass and Seton Hall while falling to Northwestern, No. 7 Ohio State and Tulane. Leading the way offensively is Adrienne Webb with 14.4 points. She is followed by LaSondra Barrett with 10.5, Katherine Graham with 8.2 and Taylor Turnbow with 6.8. Turnbow is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 7.6
Well known for its incredible 81-game winning streak (entering the weekend), Connecticut hasn't lost a game since an 82-73 defeat against Stanford in the 2008 Final Four. The Huskies also lost to Friday's opponent (LSU) in the Elite Eight the year prior. Since, UConn has gone through more than two undefeated seasons (both 39-0) while winning its sixth and seventh national championships. Last season, the Huskies' average margin of victory was an incredible 35 points.
This year, UConn is off to much of the same, winning its first three games by a combined score of 253-152. It did have a scare against No. 2 Baylor when it barely eked out a 65-64 victory. Leading the way offensively is All-American Maya Moore, who averages 27 points per game. Tiffany Hayes is averaging 19 while Bria Hartley is at 14 per contest. If the Huskies continue winning, they will break the NCAA Basketball Record for all-time winning streak, currently at 88 and held by John Wooden's UCLA men's squad from 1981-84.
Howard, out of the MEAC, enters the weekend with a 2-3 overall record, with wins over Radford and Loyola and losses at Buffalo, Vanderbilt and Jacksonville. The squad is led by Saadia Doyle, who is averaging 21.4 points per game; no other player is in double figures. Next up are Cheyenne Curley-Payne with 9.5 and Tamoria Holmes with eight. Incredibly, all five members of their starting lineup this season are sophomores.
This weekend marks Lehigh's first-ever meetings against LSU and Howard in women's basketball while the Mountain Hawks and Huskies have met three times in the past with UConn winning them all. The most recent came during the 1996-97 season, a 103-35 UConn victory. The teams also met in 1987-88 and 1989-90. The closest Lehigh has come was an 85-65 loss in 1989-90.
Following their busiest stretch of the season, the Mountain Hawks will return home on Wednesday to host Saint Joseph's in a special 12 p.m. tip-off. They stay home on Saturday to host Binghamton at 5 p.m. as part of a basketball doubleheader with the men's team. Tickets for all home games are now on sale and may be purchased on Lehighsports.com or by calling the ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME.
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Date:
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November 26, 2010
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Opponent:
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LSU Tigers
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Tip-off:
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5:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Gampel Pavilion/10,027
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Location:
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Storrs, Conn.
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Lehigh's Record:
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1-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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LSU's Record:
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2-3 overall, 0-0 SEC
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Series:
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First Meeting
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Radio:
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WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 4:45
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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Date:
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November 27, 2010
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Opponent:
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#1 Connecticut Huskies
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Tip-off:
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7:30 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Gampel Pavilion/10,027
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Location:
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Storrs, Conn.
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Lehigh's Record:
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1-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Connecticut's Record:
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3-0 overall, 0-0 BIG EAST
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Series:
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Connecticut leads, 3-0
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Radio:
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WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 7:15
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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Date:
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November 28, 2010
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Opponent:
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Howard Bison
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Tip-off:
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2:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Gampel Pavilion/10,027
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Location:
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Storrs, Conn.
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Lehigh's Record:
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1-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Howard's Record:
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2-3 overall, 0-0 MEAC
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Series:
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First Meeting
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Radio:
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WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 1:45
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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MHT EP10 - Women's Basketball
Friday, February 27
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Basketball
Tuesday, February 17
Interview after win vs Colgate 1/10
Saturday, January 10
Interview after Bucknell win 1/3/25
Saturday, January 03
