Lehigh wraps up regular season play Saturday at Army
2/24/2012 2:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team wraps up regular season play on Saturday when it travels to Army looking for its school-record 23rd win of the season. Tipoff against the Black Knights is set for 4 p.m. The Mountain Hawks tied the wins record with Wednesday's 58-41 win at Navy, a mark originally set just two seasons ago. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Lehigh will be the #2 seed and host #7 Colgate in the Patriot League Quarterfinals next Wednesday (Feb. 29).
With Bucknell's win over American Thursday night, the Mountain Hawks sewed up the #2 seed in the Patriot League standings. The Bison are the top seed followed by Lehigh; the Eagles have the inside track for #3, but Holy Cross could catch them with a win coupled with an American loss on Saturday. Five through eight are all locked in: Lafayette, Army, Colgate and Navy. Should the Mountain Hawks beat the Raiders in the quarterfinals, they'd host a semifinal game next Saturday (Mar. 3) at either 2 or 4:30 p.m.
This marks the third straight season that Lehigh will host a Patriot League Quarterfinal game. Lehigh has won each of the last two contests, defeating Navy last season and Army during its 2009-10 championship campaign. Tickets for Wednesday night's game are on sale on Lehighsports.com, over the phone (610-758-4263) or in-person at Stabler Arena, Monday-through-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $6 for students/children/seniors.
Lehigh pulled out a hard-fought 58-41 win at Navy Wednesday night. The Mountain Hawks used a strong defensive effort to hold the Midshipmen to only 41 points, the fewest points allowed by the Lehigh defense (nine fewer than the previous best of 50 against Saint Francis). Sophomore B.J. Bailey was a big story, scoring a career-high 11 points which included 3-of-3 from three-point range. Junior C.J. McCollum led the way in points for a 16th straight game, netting 24. Lehigh is riding a four-game winning streak, marking the third time this season the Mountain Hawks have won at least four straight contests.
The win was the Mountain Hawks' fifth straight against Navy, all coming in the last two seasons. In addition, Lehigh reached 10 Patriot League victories, reaching double figures for the fifth time in school history (previously in 1990-91, 2003-04, 2005-06 and 2009-10). The Mountain Hawks have allowed only 147 points over the last three games (49.0 average) to help lower the team's season average to 64.7; the last time Lehigh has allowed 70 or more points was nine games ago (Jan. 22 at Lafayette).
With a win on Saturday, Lehigh would tie a school record for most Patriot League victories in a season. The Mountain Hawks were 11-3 in league play in 2005-06.
Army has enjoyed an up and down season, entering Saturday with a 12-6 record, 5-8 in Patriot League play. The Black Knights started the season 3-7, but went 8-6 in one stretch beginning in December and running through most of January. Army's five league victories have come against Navy (twice), Colgate (twice) and Holy Cross while dropping every other Patriot League contest by double figures. Ella Ellis leads the offense with 17.8 points per game (third in the league) while two others also average double figures - Julian Simmons (11.5) and Josh Herbeck (10.7). Ellis and Jordan Springer lead the way in rebounding with 4.7 and 4.5, respectively. This is for an Army offense ranked third in the league in scoring offense, only behind Lehigh and Lafayette. The Black Knights own a 42.7 field goal percentage, including 36.3 from three-point range. They have turned the ball over 15.8 times per game, but also force 15.8 turnovers per contest too.
Lehigh has won two straight against Army, but the Black Knights still own a 60-34 lead in the all-time series. The Mountain Hawks have won five of their last six after Army took three-of-four from 2008-09. The Black Knights impressed early on, going 41-4 over the first 45 meetings from 1906 through '78. Since, Lehigh is 30-19, which includes a 16-7 record since the 2002-03 season.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook for exclusive content, team updates and more: http://www.facebook.com/LehighMensBasketball. Vote C.J. McCollum for the Lou Henson Award: http://www.votelouhenson.com/.
Date:
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February 25, 2012
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Opponent:
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Army Black Knights
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Tip-off:
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4:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Christl Arena/5,043
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Location:
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West Point, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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22-7 overall, 10-3 Patriot League
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Army's Record:
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12-16 overall, 5-8 Patriot League
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Series:
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Army leads, 60-34
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr. Pregame coverage gets underway at 3:30 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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