Wednesday, January 30
Easton, Pa.
8:30 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Lehigh heads to Easton for Wednesday night showdown vs. Lafayette
1/29/2019 10:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Riding two straight wins and wins in three-of-four, the Lehigh men's basketball team hits the road on Wednesday to face archrival Lafayette in Easton. Opening tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. The Mountain Hawks are coming off an impressive 94-78 win over Boston University Saturday in a game which saw them jump out to a 57-32 halftime advantage. Lehigh improved to 13-6 on the season, 6-2 in Patriot League play, which is now good for a first-place tie in the league standings.
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After Lehigh's victory Saturday, Bucknell fell at American, so the Mountain Hawks, Bison and Army West Point are all 6-2 and in first place. All three are two games ahead of anyone else in the standings. Three days after facing Lafayette for a second time this Wednesday, Lehigh will travel to Army Saturday to face the Black Knights for the first time.
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Lehigh played arguably its strongest half of the season in the first half Saturday, shooting 79.3 percent from the field, while holding the Terriers to just 40.0 percent shooting. That equaled a 25-point halftime edge as Lehigh eclipsed 50 points in a half for the fourth time this season. Boston University turned things around a bit in the second, pulling as close as nine, but junior Jordan Cohen made sure the margin wouldn't get any tighter. After scoring 20 first-half points (on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three), Cohen scored 10 points over the game's final 5:28 to erase any doubt. Cohen finished with 32 points on 12-of-14 shooting, also adding five rebounds, three assists, a block and steal. He became the third Mountain Hawk to eclipse 30 points this season (along with junior Pat Andree at Monmouth and senior Lance Tejada at Holy Cross). Cohen also became the second Mountain Hawk to score 20 points in a half this season (along with senior Kyle Leufroy in the second half vs. Marist).
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Sophomore James Karnik enjoyed a career day as well, posting a career-high 21 points via 9-of-10 shooting, while adding eight rebounds. Seniors Leufroy and Tejada (12 points each), along with Andree (10 points), added double-figure points, giving Lehigh five in double figures for the second straight game and third time in the last four games. Leufroy's 12 points gave him 1,262 for his career, passing Zahir Carrington for 20th place in school history.
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The biggest story of Saturday was Lehigh's shooting. The Mountain Hawks finished 67.3 percent from the field (35-of-52), by far the best percentage by a Lehigh team in Brett Reed's tenure as head coach (12th season). The Mountain Hawks only eclipsed 60 percent one other time, coming vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 1, 2012 (63.3 percent, 38-of-60). Lehigh's 67.3 percentage was the 13th highest mark in the NCAA this season and highest in the Patriot League since Holy Cross shot 67.6 percent last Mar. 1 at Navy.
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The Mountain Hawks were especially impressive from inside the arc, knocking down 27-of-34 (79.4 percent). Over their last two games (also last Wednesday at Navy), Lehigh has missed just 18 two-pointers, connecting on 47-of-65 (72.3 percent). This comes from a Mountain Hawks' team that continues to lead the nation in three-point percentage (currently 45.6 percent). Lehigh is averaging 81.2 points on the season, 87.1 in league play. Over the last six games, the Mountain Hawks have had five different leading scorers.
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Lehigh looks to continue its recent success vs. Lafayette on Wednesday, entering the day with seven straight wins against its rivals. Earlier this year, the Mountain Hawks pulled out a tight 86-83 victory, fighting off a strong Lafayette effort. With a win on Wednesday, Leufroy would join recent graduate Kahron Ross as the only two players in program history to go 4-0 in their careers at Lafayette. Leufroy would also become the first to earn the regular-season sweep of the Leopards all four years of his career.
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Lafayette enters Wednesday with a 5-14 record, 2-6 in Patriot League play. The Leopards have lost two straight, at Colgate and vs. Army West Point after their strong 84-79 win at American. Lafayette's other home win came vs. Loyola, 85-70. Alex Petrie leads the Leopards in scoring (14.2 points per game) while Justin Jaworski is right behind at 14.1. Paulius Zalys is averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while Myles Cherry leads Lafayette in rebounding (6.1). Lafayette leads the Patriot League in free throw percentage (78.0) and is a strong three-point shooting team, coming in at 37.5 percent, averaging 9.1 made treys per contest.
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Lehigh has won seven straight games over Lafayette to pull within 139-89 in the all-time series. Earlier this year, the Mountain Hawks picked up a hard-fought 86-83 win, as Lehigh knocked down an NCAA-best 78.6 percent from three-point range (11-of-14) while missing just 21 shots all game (including free throws). Last season, Lehigh won 79-64 (at Lehigh) and 79-74 (in the Patriot League opener at Lafayette). Lehigh has won nine of the last 11 meetings overall, including four in a row at Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks' last defeat came on Feb. 22, 2015 at Lehigh by a 63-61 final. 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.Â
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After Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks continue on the road this Saturday when they travel to Army to face the Black Knights. Opening tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Lehigh returns home two days later to host Colgate on Monday, Feb. 4 on Office Night Presented by Ricoh. Opening tipoff is 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Tickets are available online and can be purchased here.
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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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After Lehigh's victory Saturday, Bucknell fell at American, so the Mountain Hawks, Bison and Army West Point are all 6-2 and in first place. All three are two games ahead of anyone else in the standings. Three days after facing Lafayette for a second time this Wednesday, Lehigh will travel to Army Saturday to face the Black Knights for the first time.
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Lehigh played arguably its strongest half of the season in the first half Saturday, shooting 79.3 percent from the field, while holding the Terriers to just 40.0 percent shooting. That equaled a 25-point halftime edge as Lehigh eclipsed 50 points in a half for the fourth time this season. Boston University turned things around a bit in the second, pulling as close as nine, but junior Jordan Cohen made sure the margin wouldn't get any tighter. After scoring 20 first-half points (on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three), Cohen scored 10 points over the game's final 5:28 to erase any doubt. Cohen finished with 32 points on 12-of-14 shooting, also adding five rebounds, three assists, a block and steal. He became the third Mountain Hawk to eclipse 30 points this season (along with junior Pat Andree at Monmouth and senior Lance Tejada at Holy Cross). Cohen also became the second Mountain Hawk to score 20 points in a half this season (along with senior Kyle Leufroy in the second half vs. Marist).
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Sophomore James Karnik enjoyed a career day as well, posting a career-high 21 points via 9-of-10 shooting, while adding eight rebounds. Seniors Leufroy and Tejada (12 points each), along with Andree (10 points), added double-figure points, giving Lehigh five in double figures for the second straight game and third time in the last four games. Leufroy's 12 points gave him 1,262 for his career, passing Zahir Carrington for 20th place in school history.
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The biggest story of Saturday was Lehigh's shooting. The Mountain Hawks finished 67.3 percent from the field (35-of-52), by far the best percentage by a Lehigh team in Brett Reed's tenure as head coach (12th season). The Mountain Hawks only eclipsed 60 percent one other time, coming vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 1, 2012 (63.3 percent, 38-of-60). Lehigh's 67.3 percentage was the 13th highest mark in the NCAA this season and highest in the Patriot League since Holy Cross shot 67.6 percent last Mar. 1 at Navy.
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The Mountain Hawks were especially impressive from inside the arc, knocking down 27-of-34 (79.4 percent). Over their last two games (also last Wednesday at Navy), Lehigh has missed just 18 two-pointers, connecting on 47-of-65 (72.3 percent). This comes from a Mountain Hawks' team that continues to lead the nation in three-point percentage (currently 45.6 percent). Lehigh is averaging 81.2 points on the season, 87.1 in league play. Over the last six games, the Mountain Hawks have had five different leading scorers.
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Lehigh looks to continue its recent success vs. Lafayette on Wednesday, entering the day with seven straight wins against its rivals. Earlier this year, the Mountain Hawks pulled out a tight 86-83 victory, fighting off a strong Lafayette effort. With a win on Wednesday, Leufroy would join recent graduate Kahron Ross as the only two players in program history to go 4-0 in their careers at Lafayette. Leufroy would also become the first to earn the regular-season sweep of the Leopards all four years of his career.
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Lafayette enters Wednesday with a 5-14 record, 2-6 in Patriot League play. The Leopards have lost two straight, at Colgate and vs. Army West Point after their strong 84-79 win at American. Lafayette's other home win came vs. Loyola, 85-70. Alex Petrie leads the Leopards in scoring (14.2 points per game) while Justin Jaworski is right behind at 14.1. Paulius Zalys is averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while Myles Cherry leads Lafayette in rebounding (6.1). Lafayette leads the Patriot League in free throw percentage (78.0) and is a strong three-point shooting team, coming in at 37.5 percent, averaging 9.1 made treys per contest.
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Lehigh has won seven straight games over Lafayette to pull within 139-89 in the all-time series. Earlier this year, the Mountain Hawks picked up a hard-fought 86-83 win, as Lehigh knocked down an NCAA-best 78.6 percent from three-point range (11-of-14) while missing just 21 shots all game (including free throws). Last season, Lehigh won 79-64 (at Lehigh) and 79-74 (in the Patriot League opener at Lafayette). Lehigh has won nine of the last 11 meetings overall, including four in a row at Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks' last defeat came on Feb. 22, 2015 at Lehigh by a 63-61 final. 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.Â
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After Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks continue on the road this Saturday when they travel to Army to face the Black Knights. Opening tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Lehigh returns home two days later to host Colgate on Monday, Feb. 4 on Office Night Presented by Ricoh. Opening tipoff is 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Tickets are available online and can be purchased here.
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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: | January 30, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 8:30 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Kirby Sports Center/3,500 |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 13-6, 6-2 Patriot League  |
| Lafayette's Record: | 5-14, 2-6 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lafayette leads, 139-89 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Lehigh Valley 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 8 p.m. |
| Television: | RCN TV |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Lafayette Official Website |
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