Lehigh and Lafayette clash Saturday in Patriot League Semifinals
3/8/2013 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Riding a three-game winning streak, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns to the site of its last defeat when it heads to Lafayette for a huge Patriot League Semifinal showdown on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Mountain Hawks are eying their third appearance in the Patriot League Title Game in the last four seasons, as are the Leopards. Lehigh won the league title in 2010 and 2012 while Lafayette advanced to the championship game in 2010 and 2011.
Lehigh's ticket allotment for Saturday's game has sold out. Fans can still order tickets through GoLeopards.com and at the Kirby Sports Center Saturday, while supplies last.
The Mountain Hawks have struggled in the season series with Lafayette, dropping both games this season. Most recently, they fell victim to an impressive surge by Lafayette, especially Tony Johnson who finished the Feb. 24 game with 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting. The Leopards' win on Jan. 27 snapped a five-game Lehigh winning streak in the all-time series.
Saturday could see a number of significant individual and team milestones as well. A win would give Lehigh its 1,000th victory in program history. Meanwhile, senior Holden Greiner is 11 points shy of 1,000 for his career; he'd become the third member of his class to reach that plateau. Classmate Gabe Knutson needs seven points for 1,500 in his storied career.
Both offenses come into Saturday's game hot as Lehigh has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four straight games. Lafayette shot 52 percent from the field in its 23-point quarterfinal win over Holy Cross, including 54 percent from three-point range. The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League in scoring average (73.5) while the Leopards are third (69.1). The top four scoring teams are the four remaining teams in the Patriot League Tournament.
Knutson helped carry Lehigh in the second half Wednesday night, scoring 15 of his 21 points as the Mountain Hawks erased a nine-point second-half deficit to win 71-64. Junior Mackey McKnight tied a career high with nine assists and currently stands fourth in single-season school history with 147. Lehigh has advanced to the Patriot League Semifinals (or better) each of the last four seasons. The squad is 8-1 in Patriot League Tournament games in that span. The Mountain Hawks are 3-1 all-time against Lafayette in the league tournament, most recently beating their arch rivals in the 2010 championship game.
The Leopards are riding a season-high six-game winning streak into Saturday's showdown. After falling to Army, Lafayette has beaten Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Colgate, American then Holy Cross again in Wednesday's Patriot League Quarterfinals. The Leopards are 13-3 at home this season, only falling to St. Francis (N.Y.), Princeton and Army. Seth Hinrichs leads the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (4.9) while First Team All-Patriot Leaguer Tony Johnson comes in at 13.0 and 4.8 assists. Johnson has turned it on down the stretch, averaging 20.7 points on 67.7 percent shooting (44-of-65) during Lafayette's six-game winning streak. Dan Trist averages 12.6 points and 3.7 boards while Joey Ptasinski comes in at 9.4 and 2.3, respectively. Lafayette has impressed from three, especially during its recent stretch, coming in at 39 percent for the season (265-of-681).
Lehigh won five straight games between 2010 and 2012, but Lafayette has responded by winning the last two. The Leopards own a 136-80 all-time advantage. Lehigh is 6-4 over the last 10 games against its rival, including season sweeps in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Lafayette swept the regular season from Lehigh for the first time (in competitive results) since 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.
With a win, Lehigh would face the winner of #1 Bucknell and #4 Army in the Patriot League Championship Game next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
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Date:
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March 9, 2013
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Opponent:
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Lafayette Leopards
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Tip-off:
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2:00 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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21-8 overall, 10-4 Patriot League
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Lafayette's Record:
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18-14 overall, 10-4 Patriot League
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Series:
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Lafayette leads, 136-80
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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 1:30 PM
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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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