Friday, November 25
Starkville, Miss.
8 PM
Lehigh University
at
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Mississippi State
Mountain Hawks begin trip south with showdown at Mississippi State Friday
11/23/2016 4:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes | Watch Live (WatchESPN) | Listen Live | Live Stats
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to ride the momentum from a strong win over Princeton on Sunday when it begins a two-game swing down south with a Friday evening showdown at Mississippi State. Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. locally) on SEC Network + (WatchESPN). The Mountain Hawks will be facing their first Southeastern Conference opponent since Dec. 30, 2003 and will be searching for their first-ever win against the SEC.
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Lehigh earned an impressive victory over preseason Ivy League favorite Princeton on Sunday, despite playing without first team All-Patriot League point guard Kahron Ross who missed the game due to injury. Freshman Jordan Cohen stepped up in a big way, scoring 20 points on just eight field goal attempts (finishing 7-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line). Cohen also dished six assists compared to just four turnovers in 39 minutes of action. Meanwhile, senior Tim Kempton enjoyed another strong game, scoring 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and 35th of his career. He also added a career-high tying four assists, three blocks and a steal. On Monday, Kempton earned his second straight Patriot League Player of the Week award.
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Senior Austin Price also scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 57 percent from the field (26-of-46), including 63 percent from three-point range (10-of-16). Including a 14-of-16 effort from the free throw line, Lehigh missed just 22 shots all afternoon. The 20 missed field goals marked Lehigh's fewest since Jan. 26, 2012 when the Mountain Hawks were 21-of-41 in a 71-60 win over Navy. The six missed three-pointers were Lehigh's fewest in any game with at least 10 makes since Dec. 5, 2007 when Lehigh was 11-of-15 from long range in a 76-61 win over Stony Brook.
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The Mountain Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak in home openers and won their first home game for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. It also marked their sixth straight home win in the regular season, dating back to last year. Sunday's win came over a Princeton team that finished last season 22-7 and returns practically its entire roster in 2016-17. Lehigh will face its second power conference team of the season on Friday, following a slim three-point loss at No. 7/8 Xavier in the season opener. A competitive game saw the Mountain Hawks take a second-half lead, but the Musketeers held on for the victory as two Lehigh three-pointers with time winding down were off the mark. Lehigh will be searching for its first win over a power conference opponent since December of 2014 when the Mountain Hawks won a triple overtime thriller at Arizona State, 84-81.
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Friday is the first game of a two-game road swing as Lehigh will head to Arkansas State on Sunday, which is a homecoming game for Ross. Arkansas State is located in Jonesboro, Ross' hometown. A tough November schedule also includes a contest next Wednesday (Nov. 30) at La Salle.
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Mississippi State is 3-1 on the season, coming off two straight wins over Boise State (80-68) and UTEP (61-54). The Bulldogs' loss came to UCF by an 86-61 final while the team opened the season with a 78-74 win over Norfolk State, the last time Mississippi State played at home. Quinndary Weatherspoon leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game, but as announced on Monday, he will miss the rest of the season due to injury. Three others average double-figure points as Tyson Carter averages 12.3 points and 2.8 rebounds, I.J. Ready is at 12.0 points and 5.0 assists per contest and Aric Holman comes in at 11.8 points and a team-leading 6.8 boards. A young starting lineup featured two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior before Weatherspoon's injury and could get even younger now. After finishing 14-17 last season, including 7-11 in the SEC, Mississippi State featured one of the nation's top recruiting classes this season. Through four games, the Bulldogs are shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from three-point range while turning the ball over just 10.3 times per game.
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Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Mississippi State and just the fourth-ever game Lehigh will play against a current member of the SEC. Lehigh is 0-2 all-time against Vanderbilt and 0-1 vs. Texas A&M. The Mountain Hawks' last meeting against the SEC was vs. No. 22 Vanderbilt on Dec. 30, 2003, an 85-59 loss.
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Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return to action in less than 48 hours when they play at Arkansas State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
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Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to ride the momentum from a strong win over Princeton on Sunday when it begins a two-game swing down south with a Friday evening showdown at Mississippi State. Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. locally) on SEC Network + (WatchESPN). The Mountain Hawks will be facing their first Southeastern Conference opponent since Dec. 30, 2003 and will be searching for their first-ever win against the SEC.
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Lehigh earned an impressive victory over preseason Ivy League favorite Princeton on Sunday, despite playing without first team All-Patriot League point guard Kahron Ross who missed the game due to injury. Freshman Jordan Cohen stepped up in a big way, scoring 20 points on just eight field goal attempts (finishing 7-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line). Cohen also dished six assists compared to just four turnovers in 39 minutes of action. Meanwhile, senior Tim Kempton enjoyed another strong game, scoring 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and 35th of his career. He also added a career-high tying four assists, three blocks and a steal. On Monday, Kempton earned his second straight Patriot League Player of the Week award.
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Senior Austin Price also scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 57 percent from the field (26-of-46), including 63 percent from three-point range (10-of-16). Including a 14-of-16 effort from the free throw line, Lehigh missed just 22 shots all afternoon. The 20 missed field goals marked Lehigh's fewest since Jan. 26, 2012 when the Mountain Hawks were 21-of-41 in a 71-60 win over Navy. The six missed three-pointers were Lehigh's fewest in any game with at least 10 makes since Dec. 5, 2007 when Lehigh was 11-of-15 from long range in a 76-61 win over Stony Brook.
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The Mountain Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak in home openers and won their first home game for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. It also marked their sixth straight home win in the regular season, dating back to last year. Sunday's win came over a Princeton team that finished last season 22-7 and returns practically its entire roster in 2016-17. Lehigh will face its second power conference team of the season on Friday, following a slim three-point loss at No. 7/8 Xavier in the season opener. A competitive game saw the Mountain Hawks take a second-half lead, but the Musketeers held on for the victory as two Lehigh three-pointers with time winding down were off the mark. Lehigh will be searching for its first win over a power conference opponent since December of 2014 when the Mountain Hawks won a triple overtime thriller at Arizona State, 84-81.
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Friday is the first game of a two-game road swing as Lehigh will head to Arkansas State on Sunday, which is a homecoming game for Ross. Arkansas State is located in Jonesboro, Ross' hometown. A tough November schedule also includes a contest next Wednesday (Nov. 30) at La Salle.
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Mississippi State is 3-1 on the season, coming off two straight wins over Boise State (80-68) and UTEP (61-54). The Bulldogs' loss came to UCF by an 86-61 final while the team opened the season with a 78-74 win over Norfolk State, the last time Mississippi State played at home. Quinndary Weatherspoon leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game, but as announced on Monday, he will miss the rest of the season due to injury. Three others average double-figure points as Tyson Carter averages 12.3 points and 2.8 rebounds, I.J. Ready is at 12.0 points and 5.0 assists per contest and Aric Holman comes in at 11.8 points and a team-leading 6.8 boards. A young starting lineup featured two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior before Weatherspoon's injury and could get even younger now. After finishing 14-17 last season, including 7-11 in the SEC, Mississippi State featured one of the nation's top recruiting classes this season. Through four games, the Bulldogs are shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from three-point range while turning the ball over just 10.3 times per game.
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Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Mississippi State and just the fourth-ever game Lehigh will play against a current member of the SEC. Lehigh is 0-2 all-time against Vanderbilt and 0-1 vs. Texas A&M. The Mountain Hawks' last meeting against the SEC was vs. No. 22 Vanderbilt on Dec. 30, 2003, an 85-59 loss.
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Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return to action in less than 48 hours when they play at Arkansas State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
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Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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| Date: | November 25, 2016 |
| Opponent: | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 PM ET |
| Arena/Capacity: | Humphrey Coliseum/10,575 |
| Location: | Starkville, Miss. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-2, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Mississippi State's Record: | 3-1, 0-0 SEC |
| Series: | First Meeting |
| Radio: | Live on 1160/1230/1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 7:30 PM ET |
| Television: | SEC Network + |
| Internet Video: | WatchESPN |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Mississippi State Official Website |
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Players Mentioned
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