Wednesday, January 9
Worcester, Mass.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Holy Cross
Lehigh hits the road for Wednesday night showdown at Holy Cross
1/8/2019 10:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to continue its momentum from a 2-0 start to league play when it travels to Holy Cross on Wednesday for a showdown against the Crusaders. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. Wednesday's matchup features the two teams with the best nonleague marks, with Lehigh going 7-4 and the Crusaders posting a 9-4 record. Holy Cross and Lehigh are also the only two Patriot League teams currently undefeated at home; the Crusaders are 4-0 and Mountain Hawks 6-0.
Lehigh protected home court to open league play, picking up wins over Lafayette (86-83) and Loyola (89-72). The Mountain Hawks posted big runs each half on Sunday, staging a 20-3 run in the first to take a 35-21 advantage. Lehigh began the second half by outscoring the Greyhounds 18-8 over the first 7:30 to take a 65-48 lead. Loyola responded with an 11-0 run, but the Mountain Hawks had a 14-1 run down the stretch to pull away for the victory as Lehigh improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Mountain Hawks also improved to 6-0 at home for the first time since 2002-03.
Senior Lance Tejada led the offense with 19 points (14 coming in the first half), shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range for the second straight game. He is now 13-of-18 from three over his last three home games and has upped his season percentage to 44.6 from distance. Tejada added four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore James Karnik recorded career highs in points (18) and rebounds (13) for his fifth-career double-double and first this season. Karnik broke his previous career high in both categories late in the second half with an offensive rebound and put back.
Junior Pat Andree added 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high tying three assists while senior Kyle Leufroy had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Leufroy has now recorded multiple assists in 11-of-13 games this season. Sophomore Caleb Bennett was stellar with seven points, two rebounds, two steals and a career-high five assists. Bennett also knocked down a three-pointer, as Lehigh was 8-of-17 for 47.1 percent, right near its nation's leading average of 46.7 entering the day.
Wednesday's win was the Mountain Hawks' 10th straight Patriot League (regular season) win dating back to last season. In the process, Lehigh eclipsed 80 points for the sixth time in the last seven games. Lehigh and Navy are now the only 2-0 Patriot League teams following the opening week of league action. Navy most recently defeated Holy Cross on Sunday, 50-48 on a Hasan Abdullah jumper with less than a second remaining. Through 10 games across the league, home teams are 8-2.
With a win on Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks would be 10-4 after 14 games for the first time since 2012-13. Lehigh was also 10-4 the year prior (2011-12), the last season the Mountain Hawks won a Patriot League Championship.
Holy Cross ended last season strong, reaching the Patriot League Semifinals, and it has carried over into this year. The Crusaders stand 10-5 on the season, 1-1 in league play. Sunday's 50-48 loss at Navy snapped a four-game winning streak with home wins over Canisius and Siena, and road victories at Iona and Loyola. Jacob Grandison leads Holy Cross in scoring, averaging 15.3 points to go with 5.3 rebounds. He is followed by Austin Butler (12.3 points) and Caleb Green (11.3). Preseason All-League honoree Jehyve Floyd averages 9.3 points and a team-leading 6.1 boards. He is second in the league in field goal percentage (66.0) while his 39 blocks lead the Patriot League, 18 more than anyone else. Holy Cross is ninth in the league in scoring offense (67.1), but leads the way in scoring defense (65.3). The Crusaders have featured the same starting lineup for all 15 games this season.
Last season, Lehigh swept Holy Cross, winning 83-77 at home and 71-67 on the road. It marked the Mountain Hawks' second regular-season sweep of the Crusaders in three seasons. In the last meeting, Lehigh began the second half on a 16-2 run, opening as much as a 19-point lead before holding off a late Holy Cross charge to pull within 41-23 in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh is just 4-21 over its last 25 games at Holy Cross, but 4-10 over its last 10. Three years ago, the Mountain Hawks earned an 87-66 win, marking their largest-ever margin of victory at Holy Cross in program history. Lehigh and Holy Cross first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening for Patriot League play in the early 1990s.
After Wednesday night, he Mountain Hawks continue on the road on Saturday when they play at Colgate. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Lehigh protected home court to open league play, picking up wins over Lafayette (86-83) and Loyola (89-72). The Mountain Hawks posted big runs each half on Sunday, staging a 20-3 run in the first to take a 35-21 advantage. Lehigh began the second half by outscoring the Greyhounds 18-8 over the first 7:30 to take a 65-48 lead. Loyola responded with an 11-0 run, but the Mountain Hawks had a 14-1 run down the stretch to pull away for the victory as Lehigh improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Mountain Hawks also improved to 6-0 at home for the first time since 2002-03.
Senior Lance Tejada led the offense with 19 points (14 coming in the first half), shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range for the second straight game. He is now 13-of-18 from three over his last three home games and has upped his season percentage to 44.6 from distance. Tejada added four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore James Karnik recorded career highs in points (18) and rebounds (13) for his fifth-career double-double and first this season. Karnik broke his previous career high in both categories late in the second half with an offensive rebound and put back.
Junior Pat Andree added 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high tying three assists while senior Kyle Leufroy had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Leufroy has now recorded multiple assists in 11-of-13 games this season. Sophomore Caleb Bennett was stellar with seven points, two rebounds, two steals and a career-high five assists. Bennett also knocked down a three-pointer, as Lehigh was 8-of-17 for 47.1 percent, right near its nation's leading average of 46.7 entering the day.
Wednesday's win was the Mountain Hawks' 10th straight Patriot League (regular season) win dating back to last season. In the process, Lehigh eclipsed 80 points for the sixth time in the last seven games. Lehigh and Navy are now the only 2-0 Patriot League teams following the opening week of league action. Navy most recently defeated Holy Cross on Sunday, 50-48 on a Hasan Abdullah jumper with less than a second remaining. Through 10 games across the league, home teams are 8-2.
With a win on Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks would be 10-4 after 14 games for the first time since 2012-13. Lehigh was also 10-4 the year prior (2011-12), the last season the Mountain Hawks won a Patriot League Championship.
Holy Cross ended last season strong, reaching the Patriot League Semifinals, and it has carried over into this year. The Crusaders stand 10-5 on the season, 1-1 in league play. Sunday's 50-48 loss at Navy snapped a four-game winning streak with home wins over Canisius and Siena, and road victories at Iona and Loyola. Jacob Grandison leads Holy Cross in scoring, averaging 15.3 points to go with 5.3 rebounds. He is followed by Austin Butler (12.3 points) and Caleb Green (11.3). Preseason All-League honoree Jehyve Floyd averages 9.3 points and a team-leading 6.1 boards. He is second in the league in field goal percentage (66.0) while his 39 blocks lead the Patriot League, 18 more than anyone else. Holy Cross is ninth in the league in scoring offense (67.1), but leads the way in scoring defense (65.3). The Crusaders have featured the same starting lineup for all 15 games this season.
Last season, Lehigh swept Holy Cross, winning 83-77 at home and 71-67 on the road. It marked the Mountain Hawks' second regular-season sweep of the Crusaders in three seasons. In the last meeting, Lehigh began the second half on a 16-2 run, opening as much as a 19-point lead before holding off a late Holy Cross charge to pull within 41-23 in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh is just 4-21 over its last 25 games at Holy Cross, but 4-10 over its last 10. Three years ago, the Mountain Hawks earned an 87-66 win, marking their largest-ever margin of victory at Holy Cross in program history. Lehigh and Holy Cross first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening for Patriot League play in the early 1990s.
After Wednesday night, he Mountain Hawks continue on the road on Saturday when they play at Colgate. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | January 9, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Holy Cross Crusaders |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Hart Center/3,536 |
| Location: | Worcester, Mass. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 9-4, 2-0 Patriot League |
| Holy Cross' Record: | 10-5, 1-1 Patriot League |
| Series: | Holy Cross leads, 41-23 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports 1230/1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:30 p.m. |
| Television: | Patriot League Network |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Holy Cross Official Website |
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballLehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, November 12
2025-20226 Lehigh Men's Basketball Season Preview
Thursday, October 30
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
