Lehigh welcomes Quinnipiac for home opener Monday
11/26/2011 3:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Riding a four-game winning, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns to action on Monday following an eight-day layoff when it welcomes perennial NEC power Quinnipiac to Stabler Arena for its home opener. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks are coming off three wins in a 48-hour span at the 2K Sports Classic Lynchburg Subregional, defeating strong mid-major programs William & Mary, Liberty and Eastern Kentucky, all by double figures.
Admission is FREE with Lehigh ID and buses will be running. There will also be FREE food and drink for all Lehigh students, sponsored by RHA.
Admission is FREE with Lehigh ID and buses will be running. There will also be FREE food and drink for all Lehigh students, sponsored by RHA.
Lehigh's 4-2 start to the season is its best after six games since the 2008-09 campaign when the Mountain Hawks were 5-1. The squad began its weekend with a dominating 25-point victory over William & Mary, using a 40-7 run to open a 48-14 advantage at the half. The Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 25-7 lead Saturday against host Liberty, then fought off a number of comeback attempts to pull away in the end. The Flames are coming off a 19-win season and second-place Big South finish. Finally on Sunday, Lehigh outscored Eastern Kentucky, 45-28 in the second-half to turn an eight-point halftime advantage into another 25-point win.
A big story was balance as four different Mountain Hawks reached double-figure points in each of the three games. The most impressive showing was Sunday when junior Holden Greiner was the high-scorer with 13, but Lehigh still reached 76 points; three others eclipsed double figures while three had seven or more as well. Junior C.J. McCollum had the most dominating performance with 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting Saturday vs. Liberty, to help earn Tournament MVP honors while Greiner was named to the All-Tournament Team. The Mountain Hawks' 3-1 tournament record, matched Arizona, Valparaiso and champion Mississippi State with the best overall record in the event.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for third straight win against an NEC foe, and the fourth in their last five games. A win would extend Lehigh's overall winning streak to five games, the most since the end of the 2009-10 regular season and through the Patriot League Tournament, culminating with their Championship Game win over Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks have won five straight home openers overall; their last home-opening loss came on Nov. 20, 2005, 64-54, to Princeton.
With 80 points on the week, McCollum jumped to 10th in Lehigh and 30th in Patriot League history with 1,423 career points.
A perennial NEC and mid-major power, Quinnipiac is coming off two straight 20+ win seasons and national postseason tournaments. The Bobcats made the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last season and the NIT the year prior. Quinnipiac lost 2010 NEC Player of the Year Justin Rutty, but return significant talent. The squad is 2-2 through four games with wins over Yale and Navy (both at home), and losses at Fairfield and American (both on the road). Sophomore Ike Azotam has been stellar so far, averaging a team-leading 17.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game. James Johnson is right behind (17.0 ppg) while two others are averaging more than nine per contest. Rebounding is one of Quinnipiac's strengths across the board as it stands +14.0 in rebounding margin (47.2 to 33.2).
Quinnipiac leads the all-time series, 3-1, including an 84-78 victory last season in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats won the first two meetings in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before Lehigh responded with a 79-71 win during its Patriot League Championship campaign. The all-time series has been fairly high scoring with the team's combining for 180, 150, then 162 points the last three times they've met.
Lehigh returns to action Thursday when it travels to the Bronx to face Atlantic 10 foe Fordham. The Mountain Hawks head to Cornell just two days later for a Saturday night showdown with the Big Red. Both gametimes are set for 7 p.m. 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.
Follow Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LehighMensBasketball
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Date:
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November 28, 2011
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Opponent:
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Quinnipiac Bobcats
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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/6,000
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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4-2 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Quinnipiac's Record:
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2-2 overall, 0-0 NEC
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Series:
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Quinnipiac leads, 3-1
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:45.
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Lehighsports.com
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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