Mountain Hawks return home to host Saint Peter’s on Wednesday
12/28/2010 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Looking to get back on track with league play less than two weeks away, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns home on Wednesday to host a strong Saint Peter's squad at Stabler Arena. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. prior to a pair of Christmas City Classic games hosted by the Lehigh women's team.
The Mountain Hawks enter with a 6-6 record after a tough 76-49 loss at USC last Thursday. A red-hot Trojans' squad led from the opening whistle, using hot three-point shooting to propel them to victory. Freshman Mackey McKnight impressed for the Mountain Hawks with 10 points, including eight in the game's first 8:17. On Monday, he was honored with his second Patriot League Rookie of the Week award. The string of Lehigh awards is lengthy; the Mountain Hawks have garnered seven of the league's 14 awards handed out this season, winning player of the week four times and rookie of the week on three occasions. McKnight is now tied with Bucknell's Cameron Ayers and Navy's J.J. Avila for the most rookie of the week laurels this season, while teammate Anthony D'Orazio has garnered one as well.
Lehigh head coach Brett Reed has put together an impressive resume early in his coaching career, which includes a 20-win season, Patriot League Championship, NCAA Tournament appearance and more. But it all started with his first-career win against Wednesday's opponent, Saint Peter's. The Mountain Hawks topped the Peacocks, 60-56, on Nov. 14, 2007, for the first win of his career.
Senior David Safstrom enjoyed a stellar game last time out at USC, setting a career-high with four points (coming on consecutive second-half possessions), while also tallying a career-high four blocks and tying a career-high with five rebounds. All this came in his third start of the season. The game only saw 22 total turnovers, 12 for Lehigh and 10 for USC.
The trip marked a homecoming for four Mountain Hawks, especially senior Michael Ojo, who is from Santa Monica, Calif. Three other Lehigh players reside on the west coast as well - John Adams (Cupertino, Calif.), Jordan Hamilton (Seattle, Wash.) and Safstrom (Everett, Wash.). It marked Lehigh's first game against a California opponent since facing Cal State Northbridge in Eugene, Oregon, on Nov. 12, 2006. It was also Lehigh's first game in the state of California since playing at San Diego during the 1999-00 season.
The game came on a Thursday, marking the last day of the week the Mountain Hawks have played. They have already played on all seven days of the week, just 12 games into the season. Lehigh's best day thus far has been Monday (3-0 record), while its worst is Friday (1-3).
Sophomore C.J. McCollum has received plenty of attention from local and national media after a tremendous start to his sophomore season. Just recently, he was noted on ESPN.com's weekly look at the mid-major scene. It read, “This sophomore is special, and he's putting up big numbers for Patriot League contender Lehigh.”
He was also referenced on Rush The Court's website as one of the Mid-Major's Best. Here's what it reads: “C.J. McCollum has established himself as one of the best players in all of Mid-Major basketball. He had a big year last year as just a freshman, and has only built on that success. Among Mid-Major players, McCollum is seventh in scoring at 22.5 points a game and he is also corralling an impressive 7.7 rebounds for a guy that is listed at just 6-3. I have been saying this for some time now, but McCollum is the Patriot League's best player since Adonal Foyle.”
Wednesday will be only the fourth-ever meeting against Saint Peter's. After the Peacocks won the first matchup, 74-62, during the 1954-55 season, the Mountain Hawks pulled out a 60-56 victory on Nov. 14, 2007 and a 79-62 win on Nov. 15, 2008.
Saint Peter's has enjoyed an impressive season to date, winning seven of its first 12 games, including a recent five-game winning streak, which was snapped by Rutgers last Thursday. The squad also stands atop the MAAC with a perfect 2-0 record. The Peacocks have defeated SEC foe Alabama while also beating Long Island, Loyola, Manhattan, Wagner, Fairleigh Dickinson and Binghamton. Wesley Jenkins leads the way (and is the only in double figures) with 11.6 points per game, while Nick Leon averages 9.3 (and 3.3 assists) and Ryan Bacon scores nine, along with a team-leading 5.8 rebounds. Jeron Belin and Steven Samuels average more than eight points a game with 8.3 and 8.1, respectively.
The Mountain Hawks have faced every team from the MAAC at least once, led by 50 games against Rider. Lehigh is 36-53 against the conference overall, posting winning records against Loyola (5-4) and Marist (4-0) and a .500 mark against Saint Peter's (1-1). Lehigh has faced one MAAC team this season, topping Marist, 91-78, on Dec. 10.
The Mountain Hawks embark on a three-game road trip, at Yale on Dec. 31 (2 p.m. tip) and NJIT on Jan. 4 (7 p.m.) before the Patriot League opener at American on Jan. 8. 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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December 29, 2010
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Opponent:
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Saint Peter's Peacocks
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Tip-off:
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2:30 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Stabler Arena/5,600
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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6-6 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Saint Peter's Record:
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7-5 overall, 2-0 MAAC
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 2-1
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 2:15
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Internet Video:
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Lehighsports.com
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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