Mountain Hawks to host 16th Annual Christmas City Classic
12/28/2012 1:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's basketball team is set to host its 16th annual Christmas City Classic tournament beginning Saturday, December 29 through Sunday, December 30 to include Boston University, Binghamton and Fairleigh Dickinson. The Mountain Hawks will begin on Saturday against the Binghamton Bearcats before concluding the Classic on Sunday against Boston University. Both games are scheduled to tip at 4:30 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks' annual tournament will begin with a tilt between Boston University and Fairleigh Dickinson at 2 p.m. on Saturday followed by Binghamton and Lehigh at 4:30 p.m. Also playing on Saturday will be the Lehigh men's basketball team at 7 p.m. against Bryant. The Sunday slate will start with Binghamton and Fairleigh Dickinson at 2 p.m. and conclude with the Mountain Hawks and Boston University at 4:30 p.m.
Lehigh will enter Saturday's game with the Bearcats at 4-6 in non-league play and on the heels of a 73-63 loss to Sacred Heart on December 20. Tied at 56 with under six minutes to play, the Pioneers finished the game on a 17-7 run over the final 5:58 to grab the 10-point victory. Senior Kelly Peterson led the Lehigh offense with a team-high 16 points, while sophomore Katie O'Reilly chipped in 13. It was the second straight game that Peterson and O'Reilly scored at least 13 points apiece.
Senior Becky Guman's layup tied the game at 56, but Sacred Heart's Kiley Evans dropped a game-high 29 points including five three-pointers, the fourth of which sparked a 9-0 run which created the separation needed for the Pioneers to close out the game. The loss snapped Lehigh's two-game winning streak before the nine-day hiatus.
The Mountain Hawks are led by freshman Kerry Kinek who is averaging 12.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Kinek has recorded three double-doubles this season and ranks sixth in the Patriot League in scoring, first among freshmen. After her nine points and nine rebounds against Sacred Heart, Kinek was named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
Peterson has scored 29 points over the last two games and has bumped her average from 8.0 ppg to 9.3 ppg, good for second on the team. O'Reilly has also scored 29 points over the last two games, hitting double digits for the first two times this season including a career-high 16 points in the 72-49 rout of Niagara.
Also coming on as of late is junior Hilary Weaver. After missing two games at the end of November, Weaver has registered 18 assists over her previous four games and has pulled to a tie with senior Marybeth Egan for the team lead at 23 for the season.
Binghamton will enter Saturday's game 1-10 this season and on a two-game skid. The Bearcats picked up their first win of the season over Buffalo on December 8, 65-60, but since have dropped to Niagara and Syracuse. The Mountain Hawks hold a 7-3 all-time advantage over Binghamton and have won five consecutive games over the Bearcats.
Binghamton is led by Jasbriell Swain who averages 9.7 ppg and Sharae Swinson who is averaging 9.3. Swain also leads the team with 83 rebounds (7.5 rbg) followed by Kara Elofson with 63 (5.7 rbg). Swain is also the leading distributor with 32 assists on the season (3.2 apg), but has yet to connect on a trey over her 10 attempts. Stephanie Jensen is the Bearcats' sharpshooter with a team-leading eight three-pointers and is shooting at a .333 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Boston University will enter Sunday's game after playing Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers will begin the tournament riding a five-game winning streak and are off to their best start (8-3) under ninth year head coach Kelly Greenberg. Boston University is currently ranked 14th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and holds a 2-0 all-time lead in the series against Lehigh, though the two squads have not faced each other since November of 2001.
The Terriers are led by Chantell Alfrod who leads the America East Conference with 18.9 ppg and also chips in 5.5 rbg. Also averaging double digits is Mo Moran at 10.8 ppg, while Rashidat Agboola is the leading rebounder as she pulls down 9.2 per tilt which is also tops in the America East Conference. Moran also shares the rock, dishing out 78 assists thus far this season (7.1 apg).
Boston University is the second-best scoring offense in the America East, averaging 62.5 ppg. The Terriers are also the best three-point shooting team in their conference, averaging 8.5 treys per contest this season. Boston University has the best turnover margin in the conference at +3.18 and leads all other teams in blocked shots at 5.3 per game.
Following the Christmas City Classic, the Mountain Hawks will return to the road to travel to Mount Saint Mary's on January 2 before making a trip to NJIT on January 5. Lehigh will return to Stabler Arena on January 7 for an 11:30 a.m. tip against Columbia in what will be the team's annual Education Day game.
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.
Like Lehigh women's basketball on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for the most up-to-date news, reports and recaps.
Buying online is the preferred method. A print-at-home option is available for fans' convenience.
Lehighsports.com will broadcast all five games slated to be played inside Stabler Arena this weekend and can be found in the "Related Links" section above.
Complete Weekend Schedule:
Saturday
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Boston University – 2 p.m.
Binghamton at Lehigh – 4:30 p.m.
Bryant at Lehigh – 7 p.m. (men's basketball)
Sunday
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Binghamton – 2 p.m.
Boston University at Lehigh – 4:30 p.m.
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Date:
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December 29, 2012
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Opponent:
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Binghamton Bearcats
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Tip-off:
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4:30 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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4-6 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Binghamton's Record:
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1-10 overall, 0-0 America East
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 7-3
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:45 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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Date:
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December 30, 2012
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Opponent:
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Boston University Terriers
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Tip-off:
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4:30 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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4-6 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Boston University's Record:
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8-3 overall, 0-0 America East
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Series:
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Boston University leads, 2-0
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Radio:
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Live on WLVR 91.3 and Lehighsports.com with Matt Markus Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:45 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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