Lehigh looks to extend win streak at Fordham Thursday
11/30/2011 10:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to extend its win streak to six when it heads to the Bronx, N.Y. on Thursday for a showdown with Fordham at historic Rose Hill Gym. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks hope to avenge last year's 74-67 loss to the Rams as Fordham handed Lehigh its first home defeat of the season.
Thursday will be a homecoming for Bronx, N.Y. native Conroy Baltimore, who also played close to home at St. John's in the season opener.
The Mountain Hawks extended their winning streak to five on Monday, using another balanced team effort to defeat Quinnipiac, 86-75. All five victories have come by double figures as the win streak matches Lehigh's longest since its 2009-10 Patriot League Championship season when it had two separate streaks of six (Dec. 22 - Jan. 9) and five (Feb. 24 - Mar. 12), respectively.
Junior C.J. McCollum scored a team-high 23 points on Monday; despite only four made field goals, he hit 15-of-18 from the free throw line. Fellow juniors Gabe Knutson and Holden Greiner also shined with 19 and 11 points, while sophomore Mackey McKnight scored all 10 of his points in the second half. It marked the fourth straight game Lehigh has placed four different Mountain Hawks in double figures.
The win came over a strong Quinnipiac squad coming off two consecutive 20-win seasons and national postseason appearances. The Bobcats have played two other Patriot League foes this season, defeating Navy (78-54) while falling to American (74-73). With Quinnipiac third in the nation in rebounding coming in, Lehigh won the battle of the boards, 36-34 led by a team-leading eight from Greiner.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for their sixth-straight win, which would match the longest since early in their 2009-10 Patriot League Championship season. Lehigh is looking to snap a two-game losing streak against Fordham and beat the Rams (and a current member of the Atlantic 10) for the first time since Jan. 11, 1995. A win would push Lehigh's record to 6-2, which would mark its best start since the 1980-81 season when it was 7-1 after eight games.
Fordham enters with a 2-2 record, alternating losses and wins this season. The Rams began with a 78-53 loss at Syracuse before topping Binghamton (64-49), falling at Loyola Chicago (64-50), then defeating Colgate (79-69). Chris Gaston, who picked up his 1,000th career point on Tuesday, leads the team in both scoring (15.5) and rebounding (9.3). Three others are averaging double-figure points: Bryan Smith (13.8), Devon McMillan (12.5) and Branden Frazier (10.5). Fordham is pesky on defense, averaging 11.3 steals per game while forcing 19.0 turnovers per contest.
Fordham leads the all-time series, 12-7, including winning two straight and eight of the last nine. The teams first met during the 1913-14 season, a 51-21 Lehigh victory. The sides met often in the early 1990s when both were in the Patriot League; Lehigh finished with a 2-9 record in that span. Last season's contest was the first since the 1994-95 campaign, Fordham's last in the Patriot League.
Lehigh has a quick turnaround as it heads to Cornell on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Big Red. The Mountain Hawks will return to Stabler Arena next Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. showdown against Saint Francis (Pa.). 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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December 1, 2011
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Opponent:
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Fordham Rams
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Tip-off:
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7:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Rose Hill Gym/3,200
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Location:
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Bronx, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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5-2 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Fordham's Record:
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2-2 overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10
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Series:
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Fordham leads, 12-7
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM with Matt Kerr. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:30.
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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FordhamSports.com
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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