Wednesday, November 21
Albany, N.Y. (Times Union Center)
6 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Siena
Lehigh heads to Siena for Thanksgiving Eve showdown
11/20/2018 11:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Following a convincing home win over Princeton Friday, the Lehigh men's basketball team hits the road for two straight and four of its next five, beginning on Wednesday at Siena. Opening tipoff at the Times Union Center in Albany is set for 6 p.m. Siena marks Lehigh's third MAAC opponent in its first five games of 2018-19, previously defeating Monmouth and Marist. On Friday, the Mountain Hawks went on a big 31-7 run bridging the first and second halves to turn a 26-22 deficit into a 53-33 lead, on the way to beating Princeton for a third straight season.
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Lehigh has begun the season 3-1 for a second straight season after previously not doing so since 2008-09. The last time the program was 3-1 in consecutive years was 1924-25 and 1925-26. The Mountain Hawks are 3-0 over the last three seasons vs. Princeton after winning just four of the first 34 all-time meetings.
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Five Lehigh players scored double-figure points on Friday, led by the second-career double-double by freshman Nic Lynch. Lynch finished with 16 points and 10 boards, shooting 7-of-13 from the field. Senior Lance Tejada had 15 points and five assists, shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range while juniors Pat Andree and Jordan Cohen each had 12 points. Senior Kyle Leufroy recorded 10 points and nine rebounds as he and Andree (12 points, eight rebounds) almost joined Lynch with double-doubles. Leufroy has recorded nine rebounds in three of the first four games this season. Friday marked the first time five Mountain Hawks have scored double figures since last Feb. 21 at Loyola. Lehigh is now 11-1 over its last 12 regular season games dating back to last season.
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Lehigh scored 44 points in the second half, eclipsing 40 second-half points for the third time through four games. The Mountain Hawks are averaging 44.8 points in the second half this season, outscoring opponents by 8.3 in the second after being outscored by 2.3 in the first (31.8 to 29.5). For all the offensive prowess, Friday was primarily about Lehigh's D, which held Princeton to 28.3 percent shooting from the field (17-of-60) and 12.5 percent from three-point range (4-of-32). That 28.3 percentage was the Mountain Hawks' best field goal percentage defense since Jan. 8, 2013 vs. Muhlenberg (20.7 percent) and best against a Division I opponent since Dec. 31, 2008 against NJIT (22.0 percent).
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The Mountain Hawks are eying their first 4-1 start in 10 years, since they started 5-1. Lehigh will be searching for its fourth straight win over a MAAC opponent and second straight over Siena after beating the Saints for the first time in school history last year. After Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks travel to Kansas State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 locally). Last season, the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight.
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Siena has started the season 2-2, dropping a competitive 77-67 final at Providence to begin the season before winning at A-10 member George Washington, defeating Norfolk State then falling to Holy Cross. Three Saints are averaging double-figure points, led by Jalen Pickett and Evan Fisher (11.5 apiece), along with Sloan Seymour (10.8). Pickett leads the team with 20 assists so far while Fisher has grabbed a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per contest. As a team, Siena is turning the ball over just 9.8 times per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and allowing opponents to shoot 45.4.
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Lehigh defeated Siena in overtime last season for its first-ever win against the Saints and pull within 2-1 in the all-time series. Prior to last season, Siena won in 1984 (71-67) and 1985 (71-57).
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After Wednesday's game, Lehigh remains on the road on Saturday at No. 12 Kansas State. Opening tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. locally (4:30 ET) on Fox Sports Kansas City and ESPN3.
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Lehigh has begun the season 3-1 for a second straight season after previously not doing so since 2008-09. The last time the program was 3-1 in consecutive years was 1924-25 and 1925-26. The Mountain Hawks are 3-0 over the last three seasons vs. Princeton after winning just four of the first 34 all-time meetings.
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Five Lehigh players scored double-figure points on Friday, led by the second-career double-double by freshman Nic Lynch. Lynch finished with 16 points and 10 boards, shooting 7-of-13 from the field. Senior Lance Tejada had 15 points and five assists, shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range while juniors Pat Andree and Jordan Cohen each had 12 points. Senior Kyle Leufroy recorded 10 points and nine rebounds as he and Andree (12 points, eight rebounds) almost joined Lynch with double-doubles. Leufroy has recorded nine rebounds in three of the first four games this season. Friday marked the first time five Mountain Hawks have scored double figures since last Feb. 21 at Loyola. Lehigh is now 11-1 over its last 12 regular season games dating back to last season.
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Lehigh scored 44 points in the second half, eclipsing 40 second-half points for the third time through four games. The Mountain Hawks are averaging 44.8 points in the second half this season, outscoring opponents by 8.3 in the second after being outscored by 2.3 in the first (31.8 to 29.5). For all the offensive prowess, Friday was primarily about Lehigh's D, which held Princeton to 28.3 percent shooting from the field (17-of-60) and 12.5 percent from three-point range (4-of-32). That 28.3 percentage was the Mountain Hawks' best field goal percentage defense since Jan. 8, 2013 vs. Muhlenberg (20.7 percent) and best against a Division I opponent since Dec. 31, 2008 against NJIT (22.0 percent).
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The Mountain Hawks are eying their first 4-1 start in 10 years, since they started 5-1. Lehigh will be searching for its fourth straight win over a MAAC opponent and second straight over Siena after beating the Saints for the first time in school history last year. After Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks travel to Kansas State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 locally). Last season, the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight.
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Siena has started the season 2-2, dropping a competitive 77-67 final at Providence to begin the season before winning at A-10 member George Washington, defeating Norfolk State then falling to Holy Cross. Three Saints are averaging double-figure points, led by Jalen Pickett and Evan Fisher (11.5 apiece), along with Sloan Seymour (10.8). Pickett leads the team with 20 assists so far while Fisher has grabbed a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per contest. As a team, Siena is turning the ball over just 9.8 times per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and allowing opponents to shoot 45.4.
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Lehigh defeated Siena in overtime last season for its first-ever win against the Saints and pull within 2-1 in the all-time series. Prior to last season, Siena won in 1984 (71-67) and 1985 (71-57).
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After Wednesday's game, Lehigh remains on the road on Saturday at No. 12 Kansas State. Opening tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. locally (4:30 ET) on Fox Sports Kansas City and ESPN3.
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| Date: | November 21, 2018 |
| Opponent: | Siena Saints |
| Tip-off: | 6 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Times Union Center/15,229 |
| Location: | Albany, N.Y. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 3-1, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Siena's Record: | 2-2, 0-0 MAAC |
| Series: | Siena leads, 2-1 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 5:30 p.m. |
| Television: | None |
| Internet Video: | Siena Website ($7.95) |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Siena Official Website |
Players Mentioned
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