Lehigh heads to Colgate for Saturday afternoon tilt
2/15/2013 3:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - In the midst of a busy stretch featuring three games in six days, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks to make it five straight wins when it heads to Colgate to face the Raiders Saturday. Opening tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will air live locally on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a hard-fought 60-47 win over American Wednesday night which saw them relinquish a 16-point second-half lead, but end the game on a 17-4 run for the double-digit victory.
With a win on Saturday, Lehigh head coach Brett Reed would become the winningest coach in school history. He enters tied with Tony Packer with 112 career victories. Should Reed reach 113 on Saturday, it would come in 145 less games than Packer (326 to 181).
The Mountain Hawks used hot three-point shooting to jump out to leads of 36-20 and 38-22 over American. They finished 10-of-19 from long range, their fifth game this season over 50 percent and 10th knocking down double-digit treys. Senior Gabe Knutson led the way with 18 points which included 4-of-5 from long distance. That tied a career high for most threes; he also finished 4-of-5 at North Texas. Junior Anthony D'Orazio scored nine of his season-high tying 15 points in the second half, finishing 3-of-6 from three for the game. Junior Mackey McKnight dished a career-high nine assists. The Mountain Hawks only turned the ball over seven times and have posted single-digit turnovers in six of their last nine games.
The defense continued to impress, allowing 50 or fewer points for the fifth time this season, all coming in the last 10 games. Four have come in league play, allowing 47 to Holy Cross, 45 to Colgate, 49 at Navy and 47 vs. American.
Lehigh looks to continue its road success on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks have won five straight away from home, nine of its last 10 and nine straight over Patriot League foes (dating back to last season). Bucknell is tied for the nation's lead in road wins (10) while the Mountain Hawks are right behind with nine.
Following Saturday's contests, Lehigh and Bucknell will meet in a rare Monday night game in Stabler Arena. It will feature a rematch of last season's Patriot League Championship Game and mark the first meeting in Stabler Arena since Jan. 18. Lehigh lost that game 68-61, but has won three straight since at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. There are already more than 15 media members confirmed for Monday's game along with 10 NBA scouts. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Colgate has been much improved this season, entering with a 3-6 Patriot League record (9-17 overall) while hanging tough in nearly every contest. The Raiders own league wins over Army, Navy and Holy Cross while most recently falling at Bucknell by single digits (69-61). Murphy Burnatowski leads the team in scoring (17.1 points per game) and is second in rebounding (5.3). Pat Moore comes in at 9.8 points per contest while Brandon James averages 8.0 and Mitch Rolls 7.2. Luke Roh leads the team in assists (3.4) and rebounds (6.5). The Raiders are 5-4 at home this season and just 3-13 on the road.
The Mountain Hawks have won four straight and seven of the last nine to pull within 47-34 in the all-time series. Lehigh has won the last four by double figures after dropping both meetings during the 2010-11 season. Earlier this season, Lehigh's defense dominated in a 60-45 win. The sides first met during the 1909-10 season, a 25-24 Colgate victory, before reconvening in 1959-60. Lehigh's first win was in 1961-62 by a 72-71 final.
The Mountain Hawks return home Monday to host Bucknell in a nationally-televised showdown on CBS Sports Network. The winner will have the inside track at the Patriot League Regular Season Championship and #1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
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Individual and season tickets are on sale and may be purchased 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.
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Date:
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February 16, 2013
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Opponent:
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Colgate Raiders
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Tip-off:
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2:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Cotterell Court/3,000
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Location:
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Hamilton, N.Y.
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Lehigh's Record:
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18-5 overall, 8-1 Patriot League
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Colgate's Record:
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9-17, 3-6 Patriot League
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Series:
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Colgate leads, 47-34
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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 1:30 PM
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Television:
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Tim Warner Cable Sports Channel
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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