Mountain Hawks return to action Saturday at Iowa State
11/10/2011 11:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - After a valiant effort at St. John's which fell just short, the Lehigh men's basketball team has a quick turnaround when it travels to Iowa State for a Saturday showdown against the Cyclones. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. (ET), 1 p.m. (local). It will mark the Mountain Hawks' first trip to the state of Iowa since Dec. 3, 1993 when they faced the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Please note: Saturday's game will air locally on Mediacom. It was originally scheduled to stream live on ESPN3.com, but has since been dropped. However, fans can tune into all the action on WLVR 91.3 FM, or by clicking here.
Saturday will mark a special homecoming for a pair of Mountain Hawks - Gabe Knutson (Urbandale) and Corey Schaefer (Johnston). Both Knutson and Schaefer impressed in Wednesday's opener at St. John's as part of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. In an ESPN2 nationally-televised contest, Knutson finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and dishing three assists. Schaefer stood poised in his collegiate debut, playing 19 minutes while scoring five points and serving as a strong spark for the Lehigh offense.
Please note: Saturday's game will air locally on Mediacom. It was originally scheduled to stream live on ESPN3.com, but has since been dropped. However, fans can tune into all the action on WLVR 91.3 FM, or by clicking here.
Saturday will mark a special homecoming for a pair of Mountain Hawks - Gabe Knutson (Urbandale) and Corey Schaefer (Johnston). Both Knutson and Schaefer impressed in Wednesday's opener at St. John's as part of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. In an ESPN2 nationally-televised contest, Knutson finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and dishing three assists. Schaefer stood poised in his collegiate debut, playing 19 minutes while scoring five points and serving as a strong spark for the Lehigh offense.
The Mountain Hawks opened up as much as a 16-point first-half lead, but St. John's stormed back, using a big second half at the free throw line to rally for a 78-73 victory. Twenty of the Red Storm's second-half points came at the charity stripe while it took 30 second-half attempts, more than double Lehigh's total attempts for the game (13). Lehigh's junior class shined on Wednesday, all eclipsing double figures: C.J. McCollum (19), Knutson (16) and Holden Greiner (12). The Mountain Hawks also outrebounded an athletic St. John's squad, 36-28, which included a 17-6 edge on the offensive glass.
Saturday will be Lehigh's fourth-ever game against a current member of the Big 12 and first since the 2010 NCAA Tournament against Kansas. Overall, the Mountain Hawks have posted 0-1 records against Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M. Lehigh is looking for its first win over a BCS Conference foe since Nov. 20, 2008 when it defeated Rutgers, 76-71.
Homecomings are fairly common for the Mountain Hawks as head coach Brett Reed tries to schedule games near players' hometowns whenever possible. Already this season, freshman Conroy Baltimore played close to home at St. John's Wednesday (he is a Bronx, N.Y. native and lives approximately 10-15 miles from the St. John's campus in Queens). On Saturday, both Knutson and Schaefer will make a homecoming at Iowa State. Knutson is from Urbandale while Schaefer is from Johnston, both approximately a 40 minute drive from Iowa State's campus in Ames.
With a roster full of transfers, Iowa State enters its second year of the Fred Hoiberg era. The Cyclones could potentially see eight newcomers play for the first time on Saturday (Chris Babb, Chris Allen, Tavon Sledge, Aaron Law, Anthony Booker, Percy Gibson, Tyrus McGee and Royce White). The Cyclones lost three double-figure scorers from a season ago, but a strong core of transfers look to step in and contribute, including projected starters: (preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year) Royce White (Minnesota), Chris Allen (Michigan State), Scott Christopherson (Marquette) and Chris Babb (Penn State). Christopherson is the team's leading returning scorer from a year ago (13.7 points per game) for a team that jumped out to a quick 13-3 nonconference record before going 3-13 in the Big 12. Iowa State averaged 74.8 points per game a year ago.
The Mountain Hawks' busy schedule continues when they head to Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday before a three game in three day weekend at Liberty. Lehigh faces William & Mary, host Liberty and Eastern Kentucky as part of the 2K Sports Classic Subregional Round. 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 12, 2011
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Opponent:
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Iowa State Cyclones
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Tip-off:
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2:00 PM (ET)
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Arena/Capacity:
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Hilton Coliseum/14,356
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Location:
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Ames, Iowa
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Lehigh's Record:
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0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Iowa State's Record:
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0-0 overall, 0-0 Big 12
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Series:
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First Meeting
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:30.
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Television:
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Mediacom (locally)
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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