Wednesday, December 31
Stabler Arena
2:00 pm

Lehigh University

vs

Colgate

Lehigh returns home to host Colgate in Patriot League opener Wednesday

12/30/2014 2:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes | Watch Live (Free) | Listen Live | Live Stats
 
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - After a nonleague slate that featured an 0-4 start and a 6-1 finish, the Lehigh men's basketball team begins Patriot League play on Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks host Colgate at 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve. The Mountain Hawks return home for the first time since Dec. 3 after playing four straight games on the road. Lehigh is coming off a tight 58-55 win at UMBC on Sunday which featured a pair of double-doubles and key defensive stops when the game was on the line.
 
Junior Justin Goldsborough and sophomore Tim Kempton each posted their second straight double-doubles on Sunday with Goldsborough tallying a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds while Kempton had 12 points and 11 boards. Kempton is up to six double-doubles this season and 12 in his career while Goldsborough has three (all in the last four games since entering the starting lineup). Sophomore Austin Price also scored ten points while freshman Kahron Ross had eight points and six assists.
 
UMBC drained 10-of-20 three-pointers, which kept the Retrievers in the game. On the contrary, they shot just 17 percent from inside the arc (6-of-36). A Wayne Sparrow three-pointer, his third of the game and second in a 33-second span, gave UMBC its largest lead of the game at 52-46 with 8:45 on the clock, but Kempton converted a layup on the ensuing possession and Price drained a transition three-pointer just over a minute later as Lehigh quickly pulled within one. In the end, the Mountain Hawks held the Retrievers scoreless for 8:10 until a Sparrow trey with 35 seconds remaining. UMBC had several chances down the stretch, but Lehigh forced three turnovers in the final eight seconds and Ross knocked down two clutch free throws as the Mountain Hawks escaped with a 58-55 win.
 
Lehigh looks to improve to 16-9 in Patriot League openers on Wednesday, one season after winning a double overtime thriller at Colgate. This marks the first season in league history that the Patriot League opener will be played before the new year. The Mountain Hawks are 7-2 in league openers at home. Lehigh has opened league play at home just once over the last four seasons (on Jan. 12, 2013 vs. Holy Cross, a 79-47 victory).
 
Colgate finished its nonleague slate with a 3-10 record, but the Raiders were extremely close against several quality teams. Colgate defeated Campbell (54-48), Morrisville State (88-52) and Binghamton (65-44) while dropping close games against strong programs like La Salle (57-52), Arizona State (78-71) and Columbia (69-64). Last time out, 6-foor-11 center Ethan Jacobs scored a career-high 26 points at Columbia on 9-of-18 shooting and 5-of-10 from three-point range. Damon Sherman-Newsome leads the team in scoring with a 14.0 average. Austin Tillotson is next with 12.5 points and a team-leading 58 assists while Jacobs is averaging 11.0 points. The Raiders have featured the same starting lineup for all 13 games this season (also Luke Roh and Matt McMullen). Colgate stands in the top 100 nationally in three-pointers attempted (271) and made (93).
 
Colgate leads the all-time series, 49-36 including a 74-57 win in the regular season finale last season. The Mountain Hawks won last season's Patriot League opener, 88-81 in double overtime. Lehigh has won six of the last eight meetings overall, including four straight wins from 2012 to 2013. The first-ever meeting between the two sides was in 1909-10, a 25-24 Colgate win. The next game didn't come until 1959-60. Lehigh's first victory was in 1961-62 by a 72-71 final.
 
After Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks will travel to Boston to face the Boston University Terriers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
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Date:December 31, 2014
Opponent:Colgate Raiders
Tip-off:2:00 PM
Arena/Capacity:Stabler Arena/5,600
Location:Bethlehem, Pa.
Lehigh's Record:6-5, 0-0 Patriot League  
Colgate's Record:3-10, 0-0 Patriot League
Series:Colgate leads, 49-36
Radio:Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:30 PM
Television:Service Electric 2 Sports
Internet Video:Patriot League Network
Behind Enemy Lines:Colgate Official Website

Players Mentioned

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