Lehigh University
Notre Dame
Mountain Hawks End Non-League Schedule With Notre Dame
12/29/2018 3:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh will play its final non-league game of the year on the road as they battle with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on December 30. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 72-38 victory over the LIU Brooklyn Blackhawks on December 20; that saw Lehigh allow a season-low in points allowed with 38 and the least allowed since February 20, 2013, when Lehigh bested Bucknell 49-37.
This is the first-ever meeting between the Mountain Hawks and the Irish, and features a familiar face to those that have been following the programs since the '80s. Former head coach of Lehigh and now head coach of Notre Dame, Muffet McGraw will have a chance of securing her 900th career win as a head coach this Saturday. McGraw compiled 88 of her current 899 wins leading Lehigh from 1982-1987.
Along with the first ever meeting between Lehigh and Notre Dame, the Mountain Hawks have had plenty of "firsts" this season. Those include the first program win over Central Connecticut State as well the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and the Charlotte 49ers in the Christmas City Classic earlier this season.
Junior Camryn Buhr continues to lead the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 13.5 points per game as well as lead Lehigh in rebounds with 6.8 per game. Junior Hannah Hedstrom leads the way in assists with 3.1 per game as well as steals with 1.9 per game.Â
The Mountain Hawks will look to their defense to help stop the Irish, as Lehigh has held its opponents to a shooting percentage of 40 or less eight times this season, winning seven of those eight games. The Mountain Hawks have also help opponents below 30 percent twice this year. Only twice have opponents shot above 40 percent, with the most recent being a win over Cornell (44.0).
Only playing two road games during the non-league portion of their schedule, the Mountain Hawks will play the first two league games on the road as they battle Lafayette on January 3 and Navy on January 6. On the year, Lehigh is 2-0 on the road, defeating Central Connecticut State 88-62 and Binghamton 65-55.
The Irish come in at 11-1 and are ranked the No. 2 team in both the AP and USA Today coaches polls, with their only loss coming to No. 1 UConn.
Arike Ogunbowale leads Notre Dame with 23.1 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds per game. In total, the Irish have five players currently averaging double figures in scoring. Jessica Shepard is the team's leader in rebounds with 98 per game. Brianna Turner currently has 21 blocks for the Irish and is the only player in double figures in blocks on the season.
Notre Dame has had no problem scoring against its opponents this season in non-league play, outscoring opponents by an average of 23.3 points. Along with their scoring, the Irish have held opponents below 60 points five times this season.
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Date: |
    December 30, 2018 |
| Opponent: | Notre Dame |
| Tip-off:Â Â Â Â Â | 1:00 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Purcell Pavilion 9,149 |
| Location: | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 8-2, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Notre Dame Record:    | 11-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Series: | Lehigh 0-0 |
| Audio: | Lehighsports.com/watch |
| Television: | ACCN EXTRA |
| Internet Video: | ESPN.COM |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Notre Dame Official Website |
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