Mountain Hawks look to bounce back at Lafayette Sunday
2/22/2013 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - In the midst of only its second two-game losing streak of the season, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks to bounce back Sunday when it travels to archrival Lafayette. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a hard-fought 61-55 loss to Bucknell Monday night in front of a season-high crowd of nearly 4,000 strong. Sunday's game is critical for the Patriot League standings as a win keeps Lehigh alive for the Regular Season Championship and #1 overall seed.
Tickets for Saturday's game are available by going through the Lafayette ticket office. A sellout is expected with day-of-game walk up sales, so fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets on the Lafayette Athletics' website.
The winner of Lehigh-Lafayette Sunday will finish the day in second place and control its own destiny for the #2 seed, which guarantees home court through the Patriot League Semifinals. With Wednesday's out-of-town results, Lehigh officially clinched a home game in the league quarterfinals set for Wednesday, Mar. 9.
Lehigh struggled offensively on Wednesday night, hitting just 1-of-15 three-pointers and 6-of-15 free throws against Bucknell. However, the Mountain Hawks used strong defense and rode a 15-point second half from senior Holden Greiner to trim an 11-point deficit midway through the half down to three. A Cameron Ayers desperation bank shot fell in the final seconds to turn a three-point deficit to five, effectively ending Lehigh's chances.
Each of the last six meetings between the two sides has been decided by seven points or fewer, including three by three points or less. The road team has also won five straight. Junior Mackey McKnight excelled, posting 17 points, six rebounds and three assists as Greiner and McKnight combined for 62 percent of Lehigh's points Wednesday night.
Lehigh head coach Brett Reed remains tied with Tony Packer for the school record in career wins (112). With a win on Sunday, Reed would become the school record-holder, coming in 143 fewer games than Packer (326 to 183). The Mountain Hawks look to avenge a tough 78-57 loss to Lafayette in their first meeting this season. That snapped a five-game winning streak, handing Lehigh its first Patriot League loss. It also snapped the Mountain Hawks' five-game winning streak against the Leopards.
Lafayette has come on in league play, entering the weekend in third place with a 7-4 record. After starting 1-2 with losses at Army and Bucknell, the Leopards are 6-2 since with wins at Lehigh and vs. Bucknell. Seth Hinrichs leads the team in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (5.0) while Dan Trist averages 12.7 and 3.9 boards while Tony Johnson comes in at 11.8 points and 4.9 assists per contest. Levi Giese is the only Lafayette player to start all 28 games as he's second on the team with four rebounds per contest. A strong three-point shooting team, Lafayette was 50 percent from long range in the second half against Lehigh. The Leopards are minus 4.9 on the glass, averaging just 29.8 boards per contest.
Lafayette's win last month snapped a five-game Lehigh winning streak in the all-time series. The Leopards own a 135-80 all-time advantage. The Mountain Hawks are 7-3 over their last 10 against Lafayette, including season sweeps in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The last time Lafayette swept the season series in competitive results came in 2001-02. The first meeting was in 1901-02, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four before Lafayette's first win in 1914-15.
The Mountain Hawks host Navy (Wednesday) and Army (Saturday) to close out the regular season. Saturday's Army game will be Lehigh's sixth CBS Sports Network game of the season. Tipoff Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. and Saturday is set for 12 p.m.
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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 24, 2013
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Opponent:
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Lafayette Leopards
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Tip-off:
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12:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Kirby Sports Center/3,500
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Location:
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Easton, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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18-7 overall, 8-3 Patriot League
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Lafayette's Record:
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14-14 overall, 7-4 Patriot League
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Series:
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Lafayette leads, 135-80
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 11:30 AM
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Television:
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CBS Sports Network
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Internet Video:
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None
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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