Monday, November 25
Brookings, S.D.
6:30 PM
Lehigh University
at
Texas Southern
Lehigh wraps up five-game road swing with a pair in South Dakota
11/24/2013 12:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF) | Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it wraps up the Progressive Legends Classic with a pair of games in South Dakota. The Mountain Hawks will face Texas Southern on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET before facing either host South Dakota State or Howard on Tuesday. The two winners will play in the championship game at 9 p.m. ET following the consolation game at 6 p.m.
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Lehigh is coming off a 77-58 loss at Pittsburgh Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks fell behind early, fought back to within 12-9 but a 16-0 Panthers run proved too much to overcome. Lehigh outscored Pittsburgh 47-43 over the game's final 27:04 (including 35-30 in the second half), but Pittsburgh remained in control. Freshman Tim Kempton impressed offensively with a career-high 20 points behind a stellar 7-of-10 shooting. Junior Stefan Cvrkalj was 3-for-3 in three-pointers, scoring nine points in just 10 minutes, while freshman Austin Price and senior Mackey McKnight had eight points apiece.
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McKnight, who played his 100th career game at Pitt, enters Monday with 981 career points, needing just 19 to become the fourth Mountain Hawk in as many seasons to eclipse 1,000.
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All four teams are in similar positions, with Texas Southern entering with a 2-3 record, losing three straight after winning its first two games of 2013-14. The Tigers are coached by former Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who led the Hoosiers to the 2012 National Championship Game. South Dakota State is 1-4 while Howard comes in at 2-4. Lehigh has never played Texas Southern, South Dakota State, or any teams in their conferences (the SWAC and Summit League).
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This marks the third straight season the Mountain Hawks play in a preseason tournament. In 2011-12, Lehigh played in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer before playing in the NIT Season Tipoff last year.
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Texas Southern enters with a 2-4 record, beating Norfolk State and Wiley College before falling to Miami, Florida International, Texas Tech and Stanford. The Tigers won 12 straight games to round out last season, but were ineligible for the postseason due to an NCAA sanction. Aaric Murray leads the team averaging 21.8 points per game along with 6.5 rebounds. Jose Rodriguez is second at 20.2 points while owning a team-leading 7.8 boards. Ray Penn comes in at 14.0 and 5.3 assists per game. Texas Southern has averaged 81.2 points per game and given up 85.0 per contest.
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Lehigh and Texas Southern have never played. The Mountain Hawks have played Howard once (beating them in 1979) while never facing South Dakota State.
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Howard is 2-4 on the season, beating Washington College and Gwynedd Mercy before falling to Old Dominion, Harvard, Pitt and Houston. James Daniel has led the offense, averaging 21.8 points per game. He's led the team in scoring in five of the six games this season, surpassing 20 points on four occasions. Prince Okoroh also averages double figures (10.5 points) while adding 4.8 boards as well. Oliver Ellison leads the team in rebounding (5.2 per game).
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South Dakota State is 1-4, losing to tough foes like San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Montana and Texas Tech. The Jackrabbits' lone win came over Southwest Minnesota State. South Dakota State won the Summit League last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament behind graduated Nate Wolters who is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Five players average double-figure points this season, led by Brayden Carlson (15.6 per game) and Jordan Dykstra (15.0) who also leads the team in rebounds (9.0 average). Jake Bittle averages 14.0 in two games while Chad White (11.6) and Cody Larson (10.8) round out the top five. Dykstra owns a team-leading 13 assists through five games while White has 10.
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Following these two games, Lehigh returns home to host Sacred Heart on Sunday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it wraps up the Progressive Legends Classic with a pair of games in South Dakota. The Mountain Hawks will face Texas Southern on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET before facing either host South Dakota State or Howard on Tuesday. The two winners will play in the championship game at 9 p.m. ET following the consolation game at 6 p.m.
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Lehigh is coming off a 77-58 loss at Pittsburgh Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks fell behind early, fought back to within 12-9 but a 16-0 Panthers run proved too much to overcome. Lehigh outscored Pittsburgh 47-43 over the game's final 27:04 (including 35-30 in the second half), but Pittsburgh remained in control. Freshman Tim Kempton impressed offensively with a career-high 20 points behind a stellar 7-of-10 shooting. Junior Stefan Cvrkalj was 3-for-3 in three-pointers, scoring nine points in just 10 minutes, while freshman Austin Price and senior Mackey McKnight had eight points apiece.
Â
McKnight, who played his 100th career game at Pitt, enters Monday with 981 career points, needing just 19 to become the fourth Mountain Hawk in as many seasons to eclipse 1,000.
Â
All four teams are in similar positions, with Texas Southern entering with a 2-3 record, losing three straight after winning its first two games of 2013-14. The Tigers are coached by former Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who led the Hoosiers to the 2012 National Championship Game. South Dakota State is 1-4 while Howard comes in at 2-4. Lehigh has never played Texas Southern, South Dakota State, or any teams in their conferences (the SWAC and Summit League).
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This marks the third straight season the Mountain Hawks play in a preseason tournament. In 2011-12, Lehigh played in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer before playing in the NIT Season Tipoff last year.
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Texas Southern enters with a 2-4 record, beating Norfolk State and Wiley College before falling to Miami, Florida International, Texas Tech and Stanford. The Tigers won 12 straight games to round out last season, but were ineligible for the postseason due to an NCAA sanction. Aaric Murray leads the team averaging 21.8 points per game along with 6.5 rebounds. Jose Rodriguez is second at 20.2 points while owning a team-leading 7.8 boards. Ray Penn comes in at 14.0 and 5.3 assists per game. Texas Southern has averaged 81.2 points per game and given up 85.0 per contest.
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Lehigh and Texas Southern have never played. The Mountain Hawks have played Howard once (beating them in 1979) while never facing South Dakota State.
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Howard is 2-4 on the season, beating Washington College and Gwynedd Mercy before falling to Old Dominion, Harvard, Pitt and Houston. James Daniel has led the offense, averaging 21.8 points per game. He's led the team in scoring in five of the six games this season, surpassing 20 points on four occasions. Prince Okoroh also averages double figures (10.5 points) while adding 4.8 boards as well. Oliver Ellison leads the team in rebounding (5.2 per game).
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South Dakota State is 1-4, losing to tough foes like San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Montana and Texas Tech. The Jackrabbits' lone win came over Southwest Minnesota State. South Dakota State won the Summit League last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament behind graduated Nate Wolters who is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Five players average double-figure points this season, led by Brayden Carlson (15.6 per game) and Jordan Dykstra (15.0) who also leads the team in rebounds (9.0 average). Jake Bittle averages 14.0 in two games while Chad White (11.6) and Cody Larson (10.8) round out the top five. Dykstra owns a team-leading 13 assists through five games while White has 10.
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Following these two games, Lehigh returns home to host Sacred Heart on Sunday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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| Date: | November 25, 2013 |
| Opponent: | Texas Southern |
| Tip-off: | 6:30 PM ET |
| Arena/Capacity: | Frost Arena/6,500 |
| Location: | Brookings, S.D. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-4, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Texas Southern's Record: | 2-4, 0-0 SWAC |
| Series: | First Meeting |
| Radio: | Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:00 PM ET. |
| Television: | None |
| Internet Video: | Through South Dakota State |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Texas Southern Athletic Site |
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