Saturday, December 22
Bethlehem, Pa.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Mountain Hawks return to action, hosting Saint Francis (Pa.) Saturday on Ugly Sweater Day
12/21/2018 10:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - After a two-week layoff due to final exams, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) at 12 p.m. It will be Ugly Sweater Day with $4 admission for anyone who wears an Ugly Sweater to the game. The Red Flash mark Lehigh's second straight NEC opponent, after picking up an 85-78 win at Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 8. At 6-3 on the season, the Mountain Hawks are off to their best start since 2012-13 when they began the year 9-2.
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Two Saturdays ago, Lehigh jumped out to a 42-24 halftime, with the margin reaching 26 (55-29 and 57-31) early in the second half. The Mountaineers responded and slowly inched their way back into the game, eventually getting as close as five (73-68) with 2:41 still on the clock. However, from there, Lehigh hit 12-of-13 free throws down the stretch, including a perfect 8-of-8 from senior Kyle Leufroy, to wrap up the road victory. In the end, Leufroy was a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe, tied for the second most made free throws in the nation this season without a miss. Leufroy finished with 21 points on the day, his fourth 20+ point effort of the season.
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Sophomore James Karnik was strong with a season-high tying 15 points (just one from tying a career high), shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He added a team-high nine points. Junior Pat Andree posted 13 points and seven rebounds while senior Lance Tejada had 11 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the field. Making his first start of the season, sophomore Marques Wilson recorded seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.
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The Mountain Hawks shot 46.0 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from three-point range (6-of-15). They are now fifth in the nation from distance this season, connecting on 43.7 percent (87-of-199). Full-court pressure from Mount St. Mary's seemed to get the Mountain Hawks out of rhythm, as they only had 19 second-half field goal attempts (compared to 35 for the Mountaineers). Lehigh turned the ball over 11 times in the second half and took 34 second-half free throws. Mount St. Mary's got to the line 18 times in the second as the game saw 51 combined fouls (37 in the second half).
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The preseason NEC favorite, Saint Francis (Pa.) has struggled a bit in the early going, entering with a 4-6 record. Most recently, the Red Flash snapped a two-game losing streak with a 96-63 win over Franciscan on Tuesday. The other wins have come vs. Morgan State (80-62), Bloomsburg (113-59) and Niagara (79-75). Saint Francis did lose at Patriot League foe American, 95-82. Keith Braxton leads the Red Flash in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (9.8) while three others average double-figure points - Jamaal King (13.1), Isaiah Blackmon (11.2) and Andre Wolford (10.3). The Red Flash are shooting 42.2 percent from the field this season, 30.8 percent from three-point range, while outrebounding their opponents by a 3.8 average.
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Lehigh dropped its second straight road game against Saint Francis (Pa.) last year, but has still won 10 of its last 12 games against the Red Flash (including five straight at home) to take a 10-5 lead in the all-time series. Two years ago, Pat Andree knocked down 10 three-pointers (on 12 attempts) while last season, Saint Francis' Andre Wolford made nine treys (on 16 attempts). Prior to 2016, the previous Lehigh loss in the series came on Dec. 30, 1977 by an 87-71 final.
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After Saturday's game, Lehigh will return to action on Dec. 30 at West Virginia in the final nonleague contest of the season. The Mountain Hawks open Patriot League play by hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
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Two Saturdays ago, Lehigh jumped out to a 42-24 halftime, with the margin reaching 26 (55-29 and 57-31) early in the second half. The Mountaineers responded and slowly inched their way back into the game, eventually getting as close as five (73-68) with 2:41 still on the clock. However, from there, Lehigh hit 12-of-13 free throws down the stretch, including a perfect 8-of-8 from senior Kyle Leufroy, to wrap up the road victory. In the end, Leufroy was a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe, tied for the second most made free throws in the nation this season without a miss. Leufroy finished with 21 points on the day, his fourth 20+ point effort of the season.
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Sophomore James Karnik was strong with a season-high tying 15 points (just one from tying a career high), shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He added a team-high nine points. Junior Pat Andree posted 13 points and seven rebounds while senior Lance Tejada had 11 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the field. Making his first start of the season, sophomore Marques Wilson recorded seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.
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The Mountain Hawks shot 46.0 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from three-point range (6-of-15). They are now fifth in the nation from distance this season, connecting on 43.7 percent (87-of-199). Full-court pressure from Mount St. Mary's seemed to get the Mountain Hawks out of rhythm, as they only had 19 second-half field goal attempts (compared to 35 for the Mountaineers). Lehigh turned the ball over 11 times in the second half and took 34 second-half free throws. Mount St. Mary's got to the line 18 times in the second as the game saw 51 combined fouls (37 in the second half).
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The preseason NEC favorite, Saint Francis (Pa.) has struggled a bit in the early going, entering with a 4-6 record. Most recently, the Red Flash snapped a two-game losing streak with a 96-63 win over Franciscan on Tuesday. The other wins have come vs. Morgan State (80-62), Bloomsburg (113-59) and Niagara (79-75). Saint Francis did lose at Patriot League foe American, 95-82. Keith Braxton leads the Red Flash in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (9.8) while three others average double-figure points - Jamaal King (13.1), Isaiah Blackmon (11.2) and Andre Wolford (10.3). The Red Flash are shooting 42.2 percent from the field this season, 30.8 percent from three-point range, while outrebounding their opponents by a 3.8 average.
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Lehigh dropped its second straight road game against Saint Francis (Pa.) last year, but has still won 10 of its last 12 games against the Red Flash (including five straight at home) to take a 10-5 lead in the all-time series. Two years ago, Pat Andree knocked down 10 three-pointers (on 12 attempts) while last season, Saint Francis' Andre Wolford made nine treys (on 16 attempts). Prior to 2016, the previous Lehigh loss in the series came on Dec. 30, 1977 by an 87-71 final.
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After Saturday's game, Lehigh will return to action on Dec. 30 at West Virginia in the final nonleague contest of the season. The Mountain Hawks open Patriot League play by hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.
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| Date: | December 22, 2018 |
| Opponent: | Saint Francis (Pa.) Red Flash |
| Tip-off: | 12:00 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Stabler Arena/5,600 |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 6-3, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Saint Francis (Pa.) Record: | 4-6, 0-0 NEC |
| Series: | Lehigh leads, 10-5 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 11:30 a.m. |
| Television: | Patriot League Network |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Saint Francis (Pa.) Official Website |
Players Mentioned
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