Sunday, December 30
Morgantown, W.Va.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
West Virginia
Mountain Hawks wrap up nonleague action at West Virginia Sunday
12/28/2018 2:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following the Christmas holiday, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns to action on Sunday for its nonleague finale when it travels to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers. Opening tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Standing 7-3 on the season, the Mountain Hawks are eying their most nonleague victories since 2012-13, when they finished 10-3. Lehigh also won seven nonleague contests in 2013-14.
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The Mountain Hawks have traditionally enjoyed success against power conference opponents, especially for a mid-major program. In head coach Brett Reed's tenure as head coach (12 years, which includes this season), his teams have defeated two teams from the Big East (Rutgers in 2008 and DePaul in 2013) and teams from the ACC (Duke in 2012), Pac-12 (Arizona State in 2014) and SEC (Mississippi State in 2016). Lehigh has been competitive in a number of other contests as well, which includes leading No. 12 Villanova in the second half (2014), losing by 10 in a competitive game at eventual Final Four team Syracuse (2015) and losing by just three at No. 7/8 Xavier (2016) in a game which saw the Mountain Hawks take two three-pointers in the final seconds looking to tie. Lehigh has never defeated a Big 12 team.
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Most recently, the Mountain Hawks used an impressive second half against Saint Francis (Pa.) to turn a six-point deficit into a 12-point, 88-76 win. In a battle of preseason conference favorites (NEC and Patriot League), Lehigh saw its starting backcourt combine for 61 points on 21-of-34 shooting. Senior Lance Tejada scored a season-high 22 on 8-of-14 shooting, senior Kyle Leufroy added 20 on 8-of-11 and junior Jordan Cohen scored 19 on 5-of-9 from the floor. Leufroy has now scored 20+ points five times through 10 games this season after six his first three years combined; on Saturday, he moved into the top 25 in school history in career scoring (currently 1,143). The last time two Lehigh players scored 20 points in the same game was Feb. 5, 2018 vs. Bucknell, a 92-89 overtime victory. The last time it happened in a regulation contest was last Jan. 20 at Army West Point when Tejada scored 25 and Marques Wilson had 20.
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Tejada, Leufroy and Cohen's 61 combined points marked the most by a trio of Lehigh teammates since that Bucknell game last February when Pat Andree (24), Cohen (21) and Tejada (17) combined for 62. Andree added 15 points this past Saturday on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three. In the end, Lehigh's 88-76 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) marked its fifth by double figures this season. It was also Coach Reed's 205th career win, tying American's Jeff Jones for third place in Patriot League history.
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Lehigh shot a sizzling 61.5 percent from the field in the second half (16-of-26), including 63.6 percent from three-point range (7-of-11) to finish at 51.8 percent and 56.5 percent, respectively. Finishing 13-of-23 from long range, the Mountain Hawks have now shot 50 or more percent from three in nine of their last 20 games dating back to last season. Lehigh stands at 45.0 percent on the season, which is tied for first in the nation.
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Following Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home to open Patriot League play, hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 2 and Loyola on Sunday, Jan. 6.
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West Virginia has advanced to four straight NCAA Tournaments and 11 of the last 14. Included was a Final Four appearance in 2010 and seven Sweet 16 appearances in that span - including each of the last two years. The preseason No. 2 team in the Big 12, the Mountaineers stand 7-4 on the season, most recently defeating Jacksonville State (74-72). The last time West Virginia was home, it defeated Pitt by a 69-59 final. The team's losses this season have come vs. Buffalo, Western Kentucky, Florida and Rhode Island. The Mountaineers have been without star forward Sagaba Konate each of the last two games due to injury, who received votes in the preseason AP All-America voting. Four players are averaging double-figure points - Esa Ahmad (13.6), Konate (13.6), Lamont West (11.5) and James Bolden (10.3).
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West Virginia leads the all-time series vs. Lehigh, 4-0. The Mountaineers' wins have come in 1946, 1973, 1975 and 1989, most recently, on Dec. 29, 1989 via a 92-81 final.
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After Sunday's game, Lehigh will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 2 when it hosts archrival Lafayette in the Patriot League opener. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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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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The Mountain Hawks have traditionally enjoyed success against power conference opponents, especially for a mid-major program. In head coach Brett Reed's tenure as head coach (12 years, which includes this season), his teams have defeated two teams from the Big East (Rutgers in 2008 and DePaul in 2013) and teams from the ACC (Duke in 2012), Pac-12 (Arizona State in 2014) and SEC (Mississippi State in 2016). Lehigh has been competitive in a number of other contests as well, which includes leading No. 12 Villanova in the second half (2014), losing by 10 in a competitive game at eventual Final Four team Syracuse (2015) and losing by just three at No. 7/8 Xavier (2016) in a game which saw the Mountain Hawks take two three-pointers in the final seconds looking to tie. Lehigh has never defeated a Big 12 team.
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Most recently, the Mountain Hawks used an impressive second half against Saint Francis (Pa.) to turn a six-point deficit into a 12-point, 88-76 win. In a battle of preseason conference favorites (NEC and Patriot League), Lehigh saw its starting backcourt combine for 61 points on 21-of-34 shooting. Senior Lance Tejada scored a season-high 22 on 8-of-14 shooting, senior Kyle Leufroy added 20 on 8-of-11 and junior Jordan Cohen scored 19 on 5-of-9 from the floor. Leufroy has now scored 20+ points five times through 10 games this season after six his first three years combined; on Saturday, he moved into the top 25 in school history in career scoring (currently 1,143). The last time two Lehigh players scored 20 points in the same game was Feb. 5, 2018 vs. Bucknell, a 92-89 overtime victory. The last time it happened in a regulation contest was last Jan. 20 at Army West Point when Tejada scored 25 and Marques Wilson had 20.
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Tejada, Leufroy and Cohen's 61 combined points marked the most by a trio of Lehigh teammates since that Bucknell game last February when Pat Andree (24), Cohen (21) and Tejada (17) combined for 62. Andree added 15 points this past Saturday on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three. In the end, Lehigh's 88-76 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) marked its fifth by double figures this season. It was also Coach Reed's 205th career win, tying American's Jeff Jones for third place in Patriot League history.
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Lehigh shot a sizzling 61.5 percent from the field in the second half (16-of-26), including 63.6 percent from three-point range (7-of-11) to finish at 51.8 percent and 56.5 percent, respectively. Finishing 13-of-23 from long range, the Mountain Hawks have now shot 50 or more percent from three in nine of their last 20 games dating back to last season. Lehigh stands at 45.0 percent on the season, which is tied for first in the nation.
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Following Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home to open Patriot League play, hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 2 and Loyola on Sunday, Jan. 6.
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West Virginia has advanced to four straight NCAA Tournaments and 11 of the last 14. Included was a Final Four appearance in 2010 and seven Sweet 16 appearances in that span - including each of the last two years. The preseason No. 2 team in the Big 12, the Mountaineers stand 7-4 on the season, most recently defeating Jacksonville State (74-72). The last time West Virginia was home, it defeated Pitt by a 69-59 final. The team's losses this season have come vs. Buffalo, Western Kentucky, Florida and Rhode Island. The Mountaineers have been without star forward Sagaba Konate each of the last two games due to injury, who received votes in the preseason AP All-America voting. Four players are averaging double-figure points - Esa Ahmad (13.6), Konate (13.6), Lamont West (11.5) and James Bolden (10.3).
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West Virginia leads the all-time series vs. Lehigh, 4-0. The Mountaineers' wins have come in 1946, 1973, 1975 and 1989, most recently, on Dec. 29, 1989 via a 92-81 final.
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After Sunday's game, Lehigh will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 2 when it hosts archrival Lafayette in the Patriot League opener. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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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: | December 30, 2018 |
| Opponent: | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| Tip-off: | 2:00 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | WVU Coliseum/14,000 |
| Location: | Morgantown, W.V. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 7-3, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| West Virginia's Record: | 7-4, 0-0 Big 12 |
| Series: | West Virginia leads, 4-0 |
| Radio: | WLVR 91.3 FM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:30 p.m. |
| Television: | AT&T SportsNet |
| Internet Video: | West Virginia Website |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | West Virginia Official Website |
Players Mentioned
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