Mountain Hawks hit the road for showdown at Wagner
12/9/2011 6:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks for its eighth win in its last nine games on Saturday when it hits the road for a big nonleague tilt at red-hot Wagner. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. The sides have posted a combined 14-5 record this season as the upstart Seahawks are tied for the NEC lead with seven nonconference wins.
The Mountain Hawks bounced back from a tough loss at Cornell in impressive fashion, jumping out to a 26-2 lead and extending it all the way to 68-26, allowing Lehigh's starters to rest through the majority of the second half. Junior C.J. McCollum played a career-low 19 minutes, but still tallied 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Gabe Knutson played 19 as well (to tie a career low). The starters were efficient, combining for 52 points on 18-of-31 shooting. Leading the charge off the bench were senior Justin Maneri and freshman Conroy Baltimore, who finished with eight and seven points, respectively; Maneri went 4-of-6 from the floor while Baltimore was 3-of-5. Junior Holden Greiner posted a game-high 17 points, 15 of those coming in the first half on a perfect 5-of-5 from long range.
This marks the second straight season Lehigh and Wagner will square off. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Seahawks, 73-57 in their home opener a year ago. Overall, Lehigh is riding a four-game winning streak against NEC foes dating back to last season.
Lehigh is enjoying its most successful nonleague season so far since 2008-09 when it was 10-5 heading into Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks began that campaign 10-3. Saturday marks Lehigh's second-to-last game before a 10-day break for exams.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for their fifth straight game against an NEC squad (dating back to last season). Lehigh has already defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, Quinnipiac and Saint Francis (Pa.) this year. A win on Saturday would bump the Mountain Hawks' road record over .500 to 4-3.
Wagner enters Saturday's showdown with a 7-2 record, which includes wins in six of its last seven games. The Seahawks' only losses have come to #4 UConn (78-66) and defending NEC Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Long Island (78-73) while they defeated archrival Lafayette on the road, 76-70. Leading the charge are the Hurley brothers - Dan (head coach) and Bobby (assistant) - who have quickly turned the program around. Last season, Wagner posted an eight-win improvement, finishing sixth in the NEC standings while advancing to its conference tournament. That has continued into this year. Leading the offense is Tyler Murray with 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Jonathon Williams and Latif Rivers aren't far behind with 13.4 and 12.9 averages, respectively. Murray also leads the team in rebounding with his 5.3 average. Wagner is coming off a 58-43 win over Hofstra Tuesday.
Wagner leads the all-time series, 12-6. After the Seahawks won five in a row from 1998-03, the Mountain Hawks have bounced back by winning two of the last three, including a 73-57 home-opening victory last season. That marked the first game between the two sides since Jan. 2, 2005. Lehigh and Wagner first met during the 1973-74 season.
Lehigh returns home on Monday to host Arcadia at 7 p.m. in the final game before final exams. The Mountain Hawks will then return to action on Thursday, Dec. 22 when they travel to Michigan State to face the Spartans. That game will tip at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. 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 10, 2011
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Opponent:
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Wagner Seahawks
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Tip-off:
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4:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Spiro Sports Center/2,100
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Location:
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Staten Island, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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7-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Wagner's Record:
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7-2 overall, 0-1 NEC
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Series:
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Wagner leads, 12-6
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway following the women's game vs. Robert Morris.
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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WagnerAthletics.com
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
