Saturday, November 11
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Marist
Mountain Hawks set to open season at Marist Saturday night
11/9/2017 10:41:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off two straight appearances in the Patriot League Championship Game, the new-look Lehigh men's basketball team is set to open the 2017-18 season when it travels to Marist to face the Red Foxes. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3. The Mountain Hawks will be searching for their first season-opening win since 2008. Lehigh is led by senior Kahron Ross, who needs 34 assists to become Lehigh's all-time career assists leader and 67 assists to become the Patriot League all-time leader. Junior Kyle Leufroy also returns after averaging 11.0 points over his first two seasons.
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Lehigh will look to replace several key contributors from the back-to-back championship game appearances, highlighted by the loss of 2,000-point scorer Tim Kempton and 1,000-point scorer Austin Price to graduation. Ross and Leufroy along with sophomores Pat Andree and Jordan Cohen return with plenty of experience, and success, at the college level as they look to increase their roles in 2017-18. Last season, Leufroy finished third on the Mountain Hawks, averaging 11.4 points per game, while Ross was fourth (9.7), Andree sixth (6.7) and Cohen seventh (6.5). In addition, junior Lance Tejada is set for his first game in a Lehigh uniform after transferring from East Carolina and being forced to sit out all last season.
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Saturday will mark Lehigh's first game against a MAAC opponent since Nov. 16, 2015 (a 98-89 loss at Canisius). However, it will be the first of three straight MAAC opponents to begin 2017-18. After Saturday's opener, the Mountain Hawks will host Monmouth on Tuesday (Nov. 14) and Siena on Friday (Nov. 17). Lehigh will play three games against MAAC teams in seven days, this after three games vs. MAAC opponents over the previous 1,419 days. Lehigh is looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the MAAC, last defeating a MAAC opponent on Dec. 9, 2013, 76-69 at home over Quinnipiac. The last team Lehigh played three straight nonleague opponents from the same conference came in 2012 when it played at Sacred Heart (91-77 win), Quinnipiac (77-66 victory) and hosted Fairleigh Dickinson (102-62 win) of the NEC.
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Along with quickly approaching the Lehigh and Patriot League career assist records, Ross is also only 27 points from 1,000 in his career as he looks to become the 35th Mountain Hawk to reach that milestone (and first since Price in the 2015-16 regular-season finale at Army West Point). Leufroy enters his junior season with 690 career points and could reach the same milestone by the end of 2017-18.
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Saturday marks Lehigh's first season opener against a non-power conference school since Nov. 13, 2009 at Richmond out of the Atlantic 10. Since, the Mountain Hawks have played Penn State, St. John's, Baylor, Minnesota, Villanova, Syracuse and Xavier. Despite failing to win, Lehigh has been very competitive, leading St. John's for much of the game, taking second-half leads against Villanova and Xavier while pulling within six midway through the second half at Syracuse against an Orange team that went on to make the Final Four.
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Marist finished 8-24 overall last season, 5-15 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes were solid at home, tallying a 5-8 home mark and 3-16 away from home (road and neutral site contests). Marist lost its leading scorer Khalid Hart to graduation, but returns four of its top five scorers overall in Brian Parker (12.9 points per game), Ryan Funk (12.4), Isaiah Lamb (6.5) and Kendall Brooks (5.1). A preseason third team All-MAAC honoree, Parker led the team in rebounds last season and shot 45.3 percent from the field (129-of-285). The Red Foxes were picked 10th in the MAAC preseason poll.
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Lehigh is 4-0 all-time against Marist, most recently beating the Red Foxes 91-78 on Dec. 10, 2010, Lehigh's second win in as many seasons over Marist (also 66-55 the previous season). The sides first met in 1982, a 70-68 home victory. The teams then didn't meet until Dec. 8, 1990, a 76-73 win at Marist.
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The Mountain Hawks will open their home schedule next Tuesday (Nov. 14) when they host Monmouth at 7 p.m. It marks the first of three straight home games as they also host Siena on Friday (Nov. 17) and Eastern University on Sunday (Nov. 19). Season and individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased online by clicking here.
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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. - Coming off two straight appearances in the Patriot League Championship Game, the new-look Lehigh men's basketball team is set to open the 2017-18 season when it travels to Marist to face the Red Foxes. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3. The Mountain Hawks will be searching for their first season-opening win since 2008. Lehigh is led by senior Kahron Ross, who needs 34 assists to become Lehigh's all-time career assists leader and 67 assists to become the Patriot League all-time leader. Junior Kyle Leufroy also returns after averaging 11.0 points over his first two seasons.
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Lehigh will look to replace several key contributors from the back-to-back championship game appearances, highlighted by the loss of 2,000-point scorer Tim Kempton and 1,000-point scorer Austin Price to graduation. Ross and Leufroy along with sophomores Pat Andree and Jordan Cohen return with plenty of experience, and success, at the college level as they look to increase their roles in 2017-18. Last season, Leufroy finished third on the Mountain Hawks, averaging 11.4 points per game, while Ross was fourth (9.7), Andree sixth (6.7) and Cohen seventh (6.5). In addition, junior Lance Tejada is set for his first game in a Lehigh uniform after transferring from East Carolina and being forced to sit out all last season.
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Saturday will mark Lehigh's first game against a MAAC opponent since Nov. 16, 2015 (a 98-89 loss at Canisius). However, it will be the first of three straight MAAC opponents to begin 2017-18. After Saturday's opener, the Mountain Hawks will host Monmouth on Tuesday (Nov. 14) and Siena on Friday (Nov. 17). Lehigh will play three games against MAAC teams in seven days, this after three games vs. MAAC opponents over the previous 1,419 days. Lehigh is looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the MAAC, last defeating a MAAC opponent on Dec. 9, 2013, 76-69 at home over Quinnipiac. The last team Lehigh played three straight nonleague opponents from the same conference came in 2012 when it played at Sacred Heart (91-77 win), Quinnipiac (77-66 victory) and hosted Fairleigh Dickinson (102-62 win) of the NEC.
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Along with quickly approaching the Lehigh and Patriot League career assist records, Ross is also only 27 points from 1,000 in his career as he looks to become the 35th Mountain Hawk to reach that milestone (and first since Price in the 2015-16 regular-season finale at Army West Point). Leufroy enters his junior season with 690 career points and could reach the same milestone by the end of 2017-18.
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Saturday marks Lehigh's first season opener against a non-power conference school since Nov. 13, 2009 at Richmond out of the Atlantic 10. Since, the Mountain Hawks have played Penn State, St. John's, Baylor, Minnesota, Villanova, Syracuse and Xavier. Despite failing to win, Lehigh has been very competitive, leading St. John's for much of the game, taking second-half leads against Villanova and Xavier while pulling within six midway through the second half at Syracuse against an Orange team that went on to make the Final Four.
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Marist finished 8-24 overall last season, 5-15 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes were solid at home, tallying a 5-8 home mark and 3-16 away from home (road and neutral site contests). Marist lost its leading scorer Khalid Hart to graduation, but returns four of its top five scorers overall in Brian Parker (12.9 points per game), Ryan Funk (12.4), Isaiah Lamb (6.5) and Kendall Brooks (5.1). A preseason third team All-MAAC honoree, Parker led the team in rebounds last season and shot 45.3 percent from the field (129-of-285). The Red Foxes were picked 10th in the MAAC preseason poll.
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Lehigh is 4-0 all-time against Marist, most recently beating the Red Foxes 91-78 on Dec. 10, 2010, Lehigh's second win in as many seasons over Marist (also 66-55 the previous season). The sides first met in 1982, a 70-68 home victory. The teams then didn't meet until Dec. 8, 1990, a 76-73 win at Marist.
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The Mountain Hawks will open their home schedule next Tuesday (Nov. 14) when they host Monmouth at 7 p.m. It marks the first of three straight home games as they also host Siena on Friday (Nov. 17) and Eastern University on Sunday (Nov. 19). Season and individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased online by clicking here.
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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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