Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks return home for Patriot League showdown vs. Navy
1/11/2011 10:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a hard-fought loss at American when it returns home to host Navy on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks' (9-7, 0-1 Patriot League) first home game in exactly two weeks could prove historic as sophomore C.J. McCollum enters only 29 points away from 1,000 in his career.
Entering Saturday's game at American, McCollum still needed 61 more points for 1,000, but a monster 32-point effort pulled him to within shouting distance heading into Wednesday. He is looking to become just the 28th player in school history to reach the historic milestone. He is also on pace to become only the second Lehigh player ever to reach 2,000 career points. Daren Queenan is atop the list with 2,703 points from 1985-88.
Despite jumping out to a first-half lead on Saturday and holding it into the second, American proved too much. A back-and-forth affair saw the Eagles eventually open up a 10-point lead before Lehigh stormed right back, pulling as close as two down the stretch. Vlad Moldoveanu went off for 39 points on an incredible 13-of-18 shooting to lead the Eagles. The game was within a single possession with less than a minute remaining until his fadeaway jumper with 21 seconds on the clock served as a dagger. The showdown featured the last three Patriot League champions as American won two straight titles prior to the Mountain Hawks' championship last season.
McCollum scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half on Saturday. Overall, he hit 8-of-17 second-half shots and 7-of-9 free throws. It marked the second straight game a Lehigh player has reached 20 points in a half; senior Michael Ojo netted 20 in the first half at NJIT. McCollum's 32 points already marked his fourth 30+ point scoring game of the season (and seventh of his career). It marked Lehigh's second loss when McCollum leads the way in scoring; the Mountain Hawks are 8-2 in those games.
For a second straight game, a Lehigh player reached 500 career points. After Ojo did it at NJIT, sophomore Gabe Knutson reached 500 at American. He entered six points away and got exactly six points on the afternoon. Lehigh also took care of the basketball on Saturday, tying a season-best with only nine turnovers.
Longtime rivals, Lehigh and Navy meet for the 68th time on Wednesday with the Midshipmen holding a dominating 48-19 advantage. Navy has impressed of late, winning six of the last seven meetings between the two sides, including both during the Mountain Hawks' Patriot League Championship campaign last year. Lehigh is only 5-16 all-time against Navy at home. The rivals first met during the 1910-11 season and continued to play almost annually until the 1933-34 season. The teams reconvened again in 1979-80 with the rivalry heating up since the formation of the Patriot League.
Navy enters Stabler Arena with a tough 5-12 record (0-1 in league play), but does own loads of talent and potential. The Midshipmen lost their Patriot League opener against red-hot Bucknell on Saturday, 71-64. Their most notable win came over Atlantic 10 foe George Washington in front of 10,227 fans at the BB&T Classic. Leading the way offensively is preseason All-Patriot League selection Jordan Sugars with 15.7 points per game. Greg Brown averages 11.1, while freshman standout J.J. Avila is at 10.8. Senior point guard O.J. Avworo leads the team (and is fifth in the Patriot League) in assists (3.4/game). Navy games have seen a number of turnovers this season as the Midshipmen average 16.6 per game while they force an incredible 20.5 per contest.
The Mountain Hawks remain home on Saturday to host Army at 7 p.m. before hitting the road for a pair next week, at Colgate on Wednesday and Lafayette on Saturday. 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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January 12, 2011
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Opponent:
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Navy Midshipmen
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Tip-off:
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7:00 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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9-7 overall, 0-1 Patriot League
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Navy's Record:
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5-12 overall, 0-1 Patriot League
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Series:
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Navy leads, 46-19
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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 6:30
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Television:
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Service Electric 2 Sports (in the Lehigh Valley)
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Internet Video:
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Patriot League All-Access
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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