Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks look to bounce back at Colgate on Wednesday
1/18/2011 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off a heartbreaking loss against Army, the Lehigh men's basketball team travels to Colgate on Wednesday looking to even its Patriot League record. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday marks the first of two straight road games leading into a Saturday afternoon showdown at rival Lafayette.
The story of last Saturday's game for Lehigh (10-8, 1-2 PL) was sophomore C.J. McCollum, who eclipsed 1,000 career points in only his 51st career game. In the process, he became only the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 and the first active sophomore in the nation to reach that milestone. He also became the second quickest player in Patriot League history to reach 1,000; the only player faster was Colgate's Tucker Neale, who did so in his 44th career contest.
Up by only one after 20 minutes, Lehigh began the second half on fire, eventually opening up a 14-point lead with 13:49 remaining. Army responded with a three-point shooting barrage to jump right back into the game before overtaking the Mountain Hawks with 3:03 on the clock. The Black Knights impressed behind the arc, finishing 10-of-25 from long range while the Mountain Hawks drained only 1-of-13. A standout for Lehigh was sophomore Gabe Knutson, who posted 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Only halfway through his sophomore season, McCollum's 1,000 career points already puts him in elite category. His 1,000th came via a short jumper in the lane late in the first half. With that made field goal, he became just the 29th player in school history and 72nd in Patriot League history to reach 1,000. He also became the second Patriot League player to reach 1,000 this season as Lafayette senior Jared Mintz netted his 1,000th only three days earlier.
McCollum is also on pace to become only the second Lehigh player to ever reach 2,000 career points (and fourth in Patriot League history). Daren Queenan is atop the Lehigh list with 2,703 points from 1985-88, while the league record (2,224) is owned by Rob Feaster of Holy Cross from 1991-95.
The nation's freshman leader in scoring last year, McCollum also leads the way among sophomores this season. He also became the nation's first active sophomore to reach 1,000 career points. He currently owns 1,018 career points, a full 62 ahead of the next leading sophomore, Kevin Foster of Santa Clara, who has scored 956.
Saturday's loss snapped Lehigh's three-game winning streak against Army and seven-game home winning streak against Patriot League foes (dating back to last season). The Mountain Hawks showed good balance as all 10 players who saw action finished with at least two points, while eight finished with four or more. Lehigh also led at the half for the 14th time in 18 games, but falls to 8-6 in those contests.
One particular bright spot all season has been free throw showing. Through 18 games, the Mountain Hawks have shot 80 more free throws (while hitting 94 more) than their opponents. Overall, the team is shooting 75.2 percent from the line, 21st in the nation, while freshman Mackey McKnight is 48th nationally with his 86.4 percentage. McCollum is also 81st with an 84.4 percentage.
Perhaps most impressively, the Mountain Hawks currently stand second in the entire nation with 370 made free throws, only 11 behind the leader North Texas. McCollum is also second among individuals in made free throws with 114, only one behind the nation's leader Norris Cole of Cleveland State.
Colgate struggled out of the gate this season in losing its first 11 games, but the Raiders have won two of its last six, including a 67-64 victory over Dartmouth on Monday. The Raiders' strength of schedule is impressive as they have faced powers such as Duke, Maryland and Syracuse. Along with the Dartmouth win, the squad did defeat Longwood to kick off 2011. Out of the team's 15 loss, eight have come by nine points or fewer. Leading the way offensively is Yaw Gyawu, with 12.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. No other player is averaging double figures. Joe Hoban is next with 8.8 points per game followed by Mike Venezia with 8.0. Nick Pascale leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.2 while Mitch Rolls is the team's top assist man with 49 in 17 games (15 starts).
Colgate leads the all-time series, 45-30, but the Mountain Hawks have been strong as of late, winning three in a row and nine of the last 11. The sides first met way back in the 1909-10 season, a 25-24 Colgate victory. The teams played 29 times before the formation of the Patriot League and have met 41 times since, with Colgate coming out on top in 24 of 41 meetings due in large part to one stretch where it won 14 of 15 against the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks continue their two-game road swing at arch rival Lafayette on Saturday at 1 p.m. Listen live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 and on Lehighsports.com. The squad returns home on Jan. 26 when it hosts Bucknell at 7 p.m. inside Stabler Arena. Tickets are 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 19, 2011
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Opponent:
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Colgate Raiders
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Tip-off:
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7:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Cotterell Court/3,000
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Location:
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Hamilton, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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10-8 overall, 1-2 Patriot League
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Colgate's Record:
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2-15 overall, 0-3 Patriot League
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Series:
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Colgate leads, 45-30
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:30
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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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