Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh heads to Bucknell for semifinal showdown on CBS College Sports
3/4/2011 10:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Following an impressive 87-75 win over Navy, the fourth-seeded Lehigh men's basketball team (16-14) looks to take the next step towards its second straight Patriot League Championship when it travels to top seed Bucknell for the semifinals on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and will air nationally on CBS College Sports following the first game of the day which features Lafayette at American.
Lehigh looks to advance to the Patriot League Championship Game for the second straight season and third time in program history. The Mountain Hawks are also vying for their fifth straight Patriot League Tournament win dating back to last season.
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a stellar all-around effort on Wednesday when they posted an 87-72 win over Navy. A mini 4-0 run to end the first half carried over into the second as Lehigh opened as much as a 23-point lead before withstanding Navy's comeback attempt. Sophomore C.J. McCollum led the way with 25 points on an efficient 7-of-15 shooting while junior Jordan Hamilton finished with a career-high 15, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Senior Prentice Small also posted a season-high 11 points.
McCollum's 25 points marked his first 25+ point game since Feb. 16 when he netted 31 in an overtime defeat vs. Colgate. He also jumped into 40th place on the Patriot League career scoring list, now with 1,289 points. It only took him four games to jump from No. 50 all the way to 40.
Lehigh outrebounded Navy all three games this season by a combined total of 145-91 (56-35, 49-25 then 40-31). The Mountain Hawks only turned the ball over 14 times on Wednesday after 22, then 20 turnovers in the two regular season games against the Midshipmen.
Sunday will feature a battle of the last two Patriot League Players of the Year. After McCollum won it as a freshman, he fell short this year as Bucknell's Mike Muscala walked away with the honor. McCollum's play has jumped greatly from last season, however, as he is averaging a league-leading 21.9 points per game, 23.2 in Patriot League play.
The Bison have rolled to a 23-8 overall record and a 13-1 Patriot League mark to earn the league's No. 1 seed. After starting 2-6, Bucknell enters Sunday winners of eight straight, 17 of their last 18 and 21 of their last 23. The Bison have been especially tough at home, winning 12 of 13 at Sojka Pavilion with the only loss coming to Wagner back on Nov. 29. Since, the team has won 11 in a row at Sojka. The team's lone league loss came on Jan. 29 at Army by a 90-70 final. Bucknell did face a tough non-league schedule early on, falling at Big East powers Villanova and Marquette to begin the season. Its biggest non-league win came over Atlantic 10 power Richmond on Jan. 2.
Leading the way offensively is Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala, who has scored 14.8 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game. Bryson Johnson (11.6 ppg) and G.W. Boon (9.0 ppg) are right behind him while Darryl Shazier has impressed at the point, posting a Patriot League leading 5.7 assists per game (176 in 31 games). Shazier was named First Team All-Patriot League, Johnson was a second team honoree while freshman Cameron Ayers cracked the rookie team. Bucknell has also hit an incredible 79.0 percent of its free throws as a team, good for third in the nation.
Bucknell has won both meetings this season to extend its all-time series lead to 92-62-1, including 29-15 since the beginning of Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks had previously won four of the previous seven, including three straight victories from 2008-09, then a dominating 81-59 home win last Feb. 24. That came after Lehigh fell to the Bison in an 81-76 overtime classic at Sojka Pavilion. The sides first met during the 1901-02 season, a 38-16 Bucknell victory. Lehigh's first win came in 1908-09 (a 46-13 final). The teams have played six times in the Patriot League Tournament with the Bison winning four. The last time was on Mar. 7, 2004, a 60-45 Lehigh victory (also in the semifinals) on the way to its first Patriot League Championship.
The winner of the Lehigh/Bucknell game will play either second-seeded American or sixth-seeded Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship Game on Friday, Mar. 11 at 4:45 p.m.
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Date:
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March 6, 2011
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Opponent:
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Bucknell Bison
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Tip-off:
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7:30 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Sojka Pavilion/4,000
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Location:
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Lewisburg, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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16-14 overall, 6-8 Patriot League
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Bucknell's Record:
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23-8 overall, 13-1 Patriot League
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Series:
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Bucknell leads, 92-62-1
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 7:00
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Television:
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CBS College Sports
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Internet Video:
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None
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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