Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh opens up 2011-12 season at La Salle Friday
11/11/2011 3:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team opens the 2011-12 season Friday as it travels to Philadelphia to take on La Salle Friday at 3 p.m. Lehigh is coming off its third-straight Patriot League regular season title and its third-straight 20-win season, the most consecutive 20-win seasons ever in program history. The Mountain Hawks went 21-11 last season which included a WNIT appearance.
Lehigh's three-straight season-opening win streak was snapped last year in a 70-65 loss at Duquesne. The Mountain Hawks will look to start a new streak Friday afternoon at La Salle as the game begins a stretch of six of its first seven games on the road for Lehigh.
It will be the 13th meeting between Lehigh and La Salle as the Explorers hold the slight edge 7-5. The teams first met during the 1976-77 season in which La Salle won 104-59. Lehigh defeated La Salle for the first time in the 1982-83 season, 76-70. The last time the two schools played at La Salle, in 2009, Lehigh was victorious 58-47. The teams previously met last season at Stabler Arena on January 2nd when the Mountain Hawks won handily 85-67.
La Salle went 10-20 last season including 6-8 in the Atlantic-10 under first year head coach Jeff Williams. It was La Salle's first Tournament appearance since 2006-07.
In this season's A-10 Preseason Poll, La Salle was picked to finish 11th in the 14-team conference. They lost their leading scorer, Ashley Gale, to graduation, but return four starters from last season's team, including All-Rookie selection forward Jess Koci who averaged 7.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg.
While Koci leads the way in the front court, La Salle's top returners in its back court are junior guard Alexis Scott who averaged 11.1 points per game and 30.7 minutes per game last season and senior Nadia Duncan who averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 24.7 minutes per game
Lehigh will be adjusting this season after graduating one of its best players in the history of the program Erica Prosser, who last season was named the Patriot League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player to receive both awards in the same season. The multi-talented point guard finisher her career third in Lehigh history with 1,676 points and second with 541 assists while her 166 made three-pointers ranks her third all-time.
The Mountain Hawks lost three starters including Prosser and will rely heavily on the experience of its front court in seniors Emily Gratch and Alexa Williams.
Gratch is Lehigh's highest returning scorer, having averaged 10.4 points in just over 24 minutes of action per game. She played in all 32 of Lehigh's games with 22 starts, and made over 45 percent of her shots from the field. She is the Mountain Hawks' second-highest returning rebounder after pulling down 5.5 boards per game in 2010-11.
Williams teams up with Gratch to create a formidable front court for the Mountain Hawks, who saw their two-year run with the Patriot League championship end last year. Williams made 18 starts and averaged over 21 minutes with 7.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Williams will share the captaincy duties this season for Lehigh with senior Aly Byorick who played in all 32 games last season and is the team's leading returning three-point shooter as she knocked down 48 treys last year.
Lehigh was picked second in the Patriot League Preseason Poll while Gratch and Williams earned Preseason All-League nods.
Friday afternoon's game will mark its first of four games for the Mountain Hawks this season against Atlantic 10 foes. Lehigh is 13-40 all-time against the A-10. The Mountain Hawks faced four A-10 teams last year, losing to Duquesne and St. Bonaventure and defeating La Salle and Saint Joseph's.
After this weekend, Lehigh will host a pair of A-10 teams as part of the Christmas City Classic in Rhode Island and Richmond.
Lehigh will head back to Philadelphia on Sunday to take on its second A-10 opponent Saint Joseph's at 2 p.m.
Friday's game against La Salle can be heard on WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 2:45 p.m.
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Date:
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November 11, 2011
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Opponent:
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La Salle Explorers
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Tip-off:
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3:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Hagan Arena/4,200
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Location:
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Philadelphia, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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0-0 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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La Salle's Record:
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0-0 overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10
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Series:
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La Salle leads, 7-5
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Radio:
Internet Video:
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WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 2:45
Lehighsports.com
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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
