Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks open Patriot League play at Holy Cross Saturday
1/5/2012 2:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off its best nonleague season in school history, the Lehigh men's basketball team opens up Patriot League play on Saturday when it travels to Holy Cross to face the Crusaders. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in the Hart Center. The Mountain Hawks come in with the league's best record (12-4) while Holy Cross is 6-8, but an impressive 4-1 at home.
Lehigh wrapped up its nonleague schedule with a school-record 12 wins - 10 coming by double figures. That included a last-second road win at Wagner (currently ranked 50th in RPI) along with an 18-point triumph at Fordham, handing the Rams their only home loss of the season. Fordham is 6-1 at home, including consecutive wins over Georgia Tech of the ACC and 21st nationally-ranked Harvard.
The Mountain Hawks wrapped up nonleague play with a dominant 82-55 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday. That gave Lehigh its best-ever record through 16 games in the program's 100+ year history. The squad used a 35-6 run over the final 15:24 of the first half to take a 29-point halftime lead and cruise to victory. Junior C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 18 points while sophomore Mackey McKnight finished with 12 on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, while also tying a season-high six assists. It marked his fifth game with five or more assists this season as he has 23 helpers over the past five games.
Lehigh looks to improve to 14-8 in Patriot League openers and 8-6 away from home. The Mountain Hawks have faced American, Army, Lafayette and Navy in league openers all-time. Junior Holden Greiner enters Saturday with 490 career points, looking to reach the 500 milestone one game after McCollum eclipsed 500-career rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks have enjoyed success away from home, owning a 6-4 road record and 2-0 neutral site mark on the season. They're looking for their third straight road win Saturday, which would mark the seventh win in their last nine games away from home (including the two neutral site contests).
Lehigh looks to improve to 7-3 over its last 10 Patriot League openers. The Mountain Hawks have impressed in their first Patriot League games, posting a 13-8 record in league openers. Only eight of those 21 games have been at home, with Lehigh posting a 6-2 mark in the friendly confines and 7-6 away from home. The Mountain Hawks are 4-3 against American, 5-2 against Army, 3-1 against Navy and 1-2 against Lafayette. Lehigh has faced American in each of its last seven Patriot League openers.
Holy Cross enters Patriot League play with a 6-8 record, but 4-1 at home. The Crusaders' lone loss came in their home opener against Harvard, 73-64. The squad has defeated Hartford, New Hampshire, Sacred Heart and San Francisco, while defeating Boston College, 86-64, at the DCU Center in Worcester. Holy Cross comes in winners of two of its last three overall, beating San Francisco (88-83) and Dartmouth (65-61) before falling at Yale last time out. Leading the offense is preseason All-Patriot League honoree Devin Brown; he averages 15.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. R.J. Evans and Dave Dudzinski are in double figures as well with 13.1 and 10.1 points, respectively. Justin Burrell has been one of the league's top freshmen thus far, averaging seven points per contest.
The Crusaders lead the all-time series between the two teams, 34-15, but the Mountain Hawks have won three of their last four and four of their last seven overall. Lehigh took three straight from Holy Cross, beginning with a season sweep during the 2009-10 Patriot League Championship campaign before a 79-75 overtime win last Jan. 29 in Stabler Arena. The sides first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening in 1991 for Patriot League play.
Lehigh returns home next Wednesday (Jan. 11) to host American at 7 p.m. in Stabler Arena. 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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January 7, 2012
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Opponent:
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Holy Cross Crusaders
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Tip-off:
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3:30 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Hart Center/3,600
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Location:
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Worcester, Mass.
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Lehigh's Record:
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12-4 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Holy Cross' Record:
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6-8 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Series:
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Holy Cross leads, 34-15
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 FM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr. Pregame coverage gets underway at 3:15 PM.
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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