Sunday, December 28
Baltimore, Md.
5:00 pm
Lehigh University
at
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Mountain Hawks return to action at UMBC on Sunday
12/26/2014 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes | Watch Live (Free) | Listen Live | Live Stats
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off one of the biggest wins in program history, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks for its sixth win in its last seven games when the Mountain Hawks travel to Baltimore to face the UMBC Retrievers on Sunday at 5 p.m. Sunday marks the final nonleague game for Lehigh, who opens Patriot League play by hosting Colgate on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks look to continue building momentum after beating a Big East and Pac-12 school, all within a one-month span.
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Lehigh opened as much as a 14-point second-half lead on Saturday, but Arizona State used a pressing defense to force turnovers and pull right back into the game. The Sun Devils tied the score with 2:01 left in regulation then again with 53 seconds on the clock to force overtime. Arizona State jumped out to early leads in the first two overtime sessions, but the Mountain Hawks responded both times. Freshman Kahron Ross hit a big jumper with nine seconds left in the second overtime to force a third overtime. Junior Justin Goldsborough was then clutch in the third OT, posting five points and six rebounds in the third overtime period alone.
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Ross, Goldsborough and sophomore Tim Kempton each recorded double-doubles. Saturday was a homecoming for Kempton, whose high school team was in attendance to support the Mountain Hawks. Ross finished with 15 points and a school-record 14 assists. He was the first Mountain Hawk with 10+ assists since Mackey McKnight dished ten vs. American last Jan. 15. Ross now leads the Patriot League and is up to 28th nationally with 5.6 assists per game. Goldsborough scored ten points and added a career-high 13 rebounds while Kempton had 16 points (all after halftime) and 11 boards. Sophomore Austin Price led the team in scoring with 18 points while adding a career-high five steals, the first Mountain Hawk with five steals since McKnight had five last January at Colgate.
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The win was Lehigh's first-ever victory over a Pac-12 school and marked Lehigh's second win over a BCS conference in a 24-day span; the Mountain Hawks defeated DePaul on Nov. 26. Arizona State won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Lehigh outrebounded the Sun Devils 48-44 on Thursday to become just the second time this season to outrebound ASU. The Mountain Hawks snapped Arizona State's 14-game home winning streak and handed ASU just its sixth loss in 46 home games under head coach Herb Sendek.
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Lehigh's defense was the story for most of the game. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 24 first-half points, a season low for the Sun Devils (ASU followed on Tuesday by scoring a season-high 50 first-half points against Detroit). They also forced 16 first-half turnovers. Lehigh came up with big defensive stops at the end of regulation, the first overtime and the second overtime. If ASU had scored on any occasion, the Sun Devils would have walked away victorious. The three overtimes marked Lehigh's longest game since Feb. 14, 2009, an 82-75 triple overtime defeat at Army. Lehigh has now won five straight overtime games, which began with a win at Army in the 2011-12 regular season finale and included three overtime triumphs last season.
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UMBC has struggled so far this season, entering Sunday with a 2-9 record. The Retrievers have won two in a row, however, topping Longwood (58-53) and Kennesaw State (66-53). UMBC has been hurt by the loss of Rodney Elliott who scored nine points in one game this season before getting hurt. Wayne Sparrow leads the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game while Cody Joyce is the only other player averaging double figures with 10.3 points and a team-leading 4.7 rebounds per game. The Retrievers have struggled from the free throw line (.569 as a team) and are turning the ball over 17.4 times per game.
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Lehigh and UMBC have played four times in their history with each team winning twice. UMBC won the first two meetings in 1996 and 1997 before Lehigh won in 1998 then again 15 years later as the Mountain Hawks topped the Retrievers 70-68 last season.
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After Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return home on Wednesday to host Colgate for their Patriot League opener. Opening tipoff on New Year's Eve 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. - Coming off one of the biggest wins in program history, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks for its sixth win in its last seven games when the Mountain Hawks travel to Baltimore to face the UMBC Retrievers on Sunday at 5 p.m. Sunday marks the final nonleague game for Lehigh, who opens Patriot League play by hosting Colgate on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks look to continue building momentum after beating a Big East and Pac-12 school, all within a one-month span.
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Lehigh opened as much as a 14-point second-half lead on Saturday, but Arizona State used a pressing defense to force turnovers and pull right back into the game. The Sun Devils tied the score with 2:01 left in regulation then again with 53 seconds on the clock to force overtime. Arizona State jumped out to early leads in the first two overtime sessions, but the Mountain Hawks responded both times. Freshman Kahron Ross hit a big jumper with nine seconds left in the second overtime to force a third overtime. Junior Justin Goldsborough was then clutch in the third OT, posting five points and six rebounds in the third overtime period alone.
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Ross, Goldsborough and sophomore Tim Kempton each recorded double-doubles. Saturday was a homecoming for Kempton, whose high school team was in attendance to support the Mountain Hawks. Ross finished with 15 points and a school-record 14 assists. He was the first Mountain Hawk with 10+ assists since Mackey McKnight dished ten vs. American last Jan. 15. Ross now leads the Patriot League and is up to 28th nationally with 5.6 assists per game. Goldsborough scored ten points and added a career-high 13 rebounds while Kempton had 16 points (all after halftime) and 11 boards. Sophomore Austin Price led the team in scoring with 18 points while adding a career-high five steals, the first Mountain Hawk with five steals since McKnight had five last January at Colgate.
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The win was Lehigh's first-ever victory over a Pac-12 school and marked Lehigh's second win over a BCS conference in a 24-day span; the Mountain Hawks defeated DePaul on Nov. 26. Arizona State won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Lehigh outrebounded the Sun Devils 48-44 on Thursday to become just the second time this season to outrebound ASU. The Mountain Hawks snapped Arizona State's 14-game home winning streak and handed ASU just its sixth loss in 46 home games under head coach Herb Sendek.
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Lehigh's defense was the story for most of the game. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 24 first-half points, a season low for the Sun Devils (ASU followed on Tuesday by scoring a season-high 50 first-half points against Detroit). They also forced 16 first-half turnovers. Lehigh came up with big defensive stops at the end of regulation, the first overtime and the second overtime. If ASU had scored on any occasion, the Sun Devils would have walked away victorious. The three overtimes marked Lehigh's longest game since Feb. 14, 2009, an 82-75 triple overtime defeat at Army. Lehigh has now won five straight overtime games, which began with a win at Army in the 2011-12 regular season finale and included three overtime triumphs last season.
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UMBC has struggled so far this season, entering Sunday with a 2-9 record. The Retrievers have won two in a row, however, topping Longwood (58-53) and Kennesaw State (66-53). UMBC has been hurt by the loss of Rodney Elliott who scored nine points in one game this season before getting hurt. Wayne Sparrow leads the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game while Cody Joyce is the only other player averaging double figures with 10.3 points and a team-leading 4.7 rebounds per game. The Retrievers have struggled from the free throw line (.569 as a team) and are turning the ball over 17.4 times per game.
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Lehigh and UMBC have played four times in their history with each team winning twice. UMBC won the first two meetings in 1996 and 1997 before Lehigh won in 1998 then again 15 years later as the Mountain Hawks topped the Retrievers 70-68 last season.
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After Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return home on Wednesday to host Colgate for their Patriot League opener. Opening tipoff on New Year's Eve 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: | December 28, 2014 |
| Opponent: | UMBC Retrievers |
| Tip-off: | 5:00 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Retriever Activities Center/4,024 |
| Location: | Baltimore, Md. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 5-5, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| UMBC's Record: | 2-9, 0-0 America East |
| Series: | Tied, 2-2 |
| Radio: | Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 4:30 PM |
| Television: | None |
| Internet Video: | Through UMBC |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | UMBC Official Website |
Players Mentioned
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