Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh welcomes Bucknell for Wednesday night clash
1/17/2012 3:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Winners of 14 of its last 17 games, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks to ride the momentum on Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks (14-5, 2-1 Patriot League) welcome Bucknell (13-6, 3-0) to Stabler Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The showdown features the league's top two overall records as the Bison enter with a one-game lead over Lehigh, American, Holy Cross and Lafayette for first place in the Patriot League standings.
Lehigh and Bucknell will meet for the first time since last season's heartbreaking 66-64 Patriot League Semifinal defeat last March. In that game, the Mountain Hawks battled the top-seeded Bison, but fell just short. Both teams have enjoyed tremendous success so far in 2011-12; the last two league champions were predicted 1-2 in the preseason poll, and have both lived up to the billing thus far.
Not only does Wednesday feature the last two Patriot League Champions, but also the last two Patriot League Players of the Year in juniors C.J. McCollum and Mike Muscala. McCollum leads the Mountain Hawks into action with 159 points over his last six games, upping his average from 18.8 to 21.2 (good for fifth in the nation). That includes 32 last time out at Colgate. Fourteen of those points came in a 2:50 span to help spearhead a 22-3 run to end the first half as the Mountain Hawks cruised to a 78-56 win.
Sophomore Mackey McKnight has continued to impress, dishing seven assists at Colgate, just one game after tying a career-high eight vs. American. He also scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting while posting a season-high three steals without a turnover. He now has 43 assists over his last eight games (5.4 average), helping spark an offense which broke a school-record with its 19th consecutive game with 70+ points - breaking the previous mark of 18 set during the 2009-10 Patriot League Championship season.
Lehigh outrebounded Colgate, 37-30, allowing the Raiders only three offensive rebounds. It marked the seventh time in the last 10 games that the Mountain Hawks have outrebounded their opponent.
A win on Wednesday would give the Mountain Hawks their 15th regular season game of the season, matching last year's total (with 10 games still remaining). Lehigh would improve to 15-5 overall, 10 games over .500 for the first time in the regular season since a 77-63 win over Towson State on Feb. 24, 1988 bumped its record to 18-8.
Bucknell has enjoyed a strong follow-up season after its Patriot League Title a year ago. The Bison enter with a 13-6 record, including a perfect 3-0 in league play with wins over Army, Colgate and Lafayette. The squad has won five straight games overall. Bucknell's nonleague slate was highlighted by a win over Atlantic 10 power Richmond in December. Reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala leads the team in both points (15.6) and rebounds (9.0). Cameron Ayers and Joe Willman are each averaging double figures as well at 12.0 and 10.6, respectively. Bucknell shoots an impressive 46.7 percent from the field, but averages 68.3 per game (10 points less than Lehigh due to 141 fewer field goal attempts than the Mountain Hawks). Muscala leads a strong effort on the boards as Bucknell is +5.4 per game in rebounds.
Bucknell holds a 93-62-1 lead in this long-standing rivalry which dates back to 1901-02. The Bison won the first-ever meeting, 38-16, while Lehigh got on the board with a 46-13 victory in 1908-09. The Mountain Hawks hope to snap a three-game losing streak vs. Bucknell, dropping all three contests last season. Lehigh is 4-5 in the last nine games, winning three straight from 2008-09, then again on Feb. 24, 2010 as part of the squad's Patriot League Championship campaign.
The Mountain Hawks head to Lafayette on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff on CBS Sports Network. Lehigh returns home next Thursday night (Jan. 26) in a second straight game aired live nation-wide on CBS Sports Network. 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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January 18, 2012
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Opponent:
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Bucknell Bison
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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/5,600
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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14-5 overall, 2-1 Patriot League
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Bucknell's Record:
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13-6 overall, 3-0 Patriot League
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Series:
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Bucknell leads, 93-62-1
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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 PM.
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Television:
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Service Electric TV 2 Sports
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Internet Video:
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Lehighsports.com
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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