Pat Andree

Lehigh opens Patriot League play, renews rivalry with Lafayette Friday night

12/28/2017 12:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off an 84-70 defeat at Saint Francis (Pa.) last Thursday, the Lehigh men's basketball team is set to open Patriot League play at archrival Lafayette on Friday. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday will mark the first time since the 2000-01 season that Lehigh and Lafayette will square off in the Patriot League opener. The Mountain Haws are eying a second straight league-opening win after beginning last season's Patriot League slate with a hard-fought 66-59 victory at Army West Point.
 
Most recently, the Mountain Hawks dropped an 84-70 final at preseason NEC favorite Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 21. The Red Flash jumped out to a 25-11 lead, but Lehigh responded by scoring 33 of the next 50 points as four straight points from freshman James Karnik gave the Mountain Hawks a 44-42 lead with 14:12 remaining in the second half. However, Saint Francis answered with 11 straight points and 16 of the next 18 to take a 12-point lead. Lehigh couldn't get any closer than eight the rest of the way as the Mountain Hawks fell to an NEC opponent for just the fifth time in their last 26 tries.
 
One year after sophomore Pat Andree tied a Lehigh school record with 10 made three-pointers against the Red Flash, Saint Francis' Andre Wolford returned the favor. Wolford finished Thursday's game with a school record tying nine three-pointers (on 16 attempts). Wolford, Keith Braxton and Jamaal King combined for 63 of the Red Flash's 84 points, which proved too much for the Mountain Hawks to overcome. Braxton also had 16 rebounds and eight assists. Saint Francis marked Lehigh's third straight reigning conference finalist on the schedule and fifth overall (out of 10 Division I opponents in nonleague play). In the end, the Mountain Hawks finished nonleague action 3-2 vs. teams who made their conference finals last season, defeating Siena, Princeton and Mount St. Mary's while falling to Yale and Saint Francis.
 
Andree filled up the stat sheet on Thursday, tallying a team-high 18 points (also a season high) on 7-of-12 shooting while adding eight rebounds, an assist, block and steal. Andree became the sixth different Mountain Hawk to lead Lehigh in scoring in a game this season. Junior Kyle Leufroy had 16 points while Karnik posted his second-career double-double, recording 12 points and 11 boards. Karnik played aggressively, with six of his rebounds on the offensive end. Karnik helped Lehigh finish with a 40-38 edge in rebounds, but the Mountain Hawks dropped their first game this season when outrebounding their opponents (falling to 4-1). Senior Kahron Ross had six points, four assists and three rebounds. He has reached 586 career assists, 13 from tying and 14 from breaking the Patriot League career record.
 
Thursday's game was Lehigh's first in 12 days following the Dec. 9 win over Mount St. Mary's. The Mountain Hawks will then have eight days until the league opener against the Leopards. Following Friday's game, Lehigh will head to Navy on Tuesday (Jan. 2) before finally returning home for the first time in almost a month when it hosts Holy Cross on Friday, Jan. 5 for a 7 p.m. opening tipoff.
 
Lafayette has struggled so far this season, owning a 2-9 record entering Patriot League play. Most recently, the Leopards dropped an 80-71 final at Cornell, one game after earning their second win, 82-70 against Susquehanna. Lafayette's other win came against Quinnipiac via a 79-58 final. Matt Klinewski leads the Leopards in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Freshman Justin Jaworski is second in scoring (11.9) while Alex Petrie is third (10.5). As a team, the Leopards are shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from three-point range. Lafayette has been outrebounded by an average of 5.2.
 
In the last meeting between Lehigh and Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks picked up a 26-point, 81-55 win to mark their largest win over the Leopards since Jan. 21, 1995. It marked Lehigh's fourth straight win in the series, also winning 75-68 (on Jan. 21, 2017), 73-61 (on Feb. 21, 2016) and 87-72 (on Feb. 8, 2016). The Mountain Hawks have won six of the last eight meetings overall, including three straight at Lafayette. The long-time rivals first met in 1901-92, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15. Lafayette currently leads the all-time series, 139-86 in the most-played opponent for both schools.
 
Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks will remain on the road when they travel to Navy on Tuesday (Jan. 2) to face the Midshipmen. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
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