
Mountain Hawks head to Iowa for Thursday night matchup at Drake
11/20/2019 8:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball continues a busy stretch when it heads West beginning with a Thursday night matchup at Drake out of the Missouri Valley Conference. Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. locally in Iowa) on ESPN3. The Mountain Hawks stand 3-2 on the young season, most recently pulling away from Misericordia on Monday for an 87-68 victory. Following Thursday's game at Drake, Lehigh travels to Northern California for a Saturday showdown with Saint Mary's.
Last time out, the Mountain Hawks erased early deficits and outscored the Cougars 55-36 in the second half for the runaway victory. Freshman Reed Fenton impressed, posting 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. He made things happen on both ends of the floor and ended the day with a game-best plus/minus of plus 31.
Meanwhile, junior James Karnik posted his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson scored a season-high 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Defensively, Lehigh tallied 11 steals (led by three each from Karnik and senior Jordan Cohen). It was the Mountain Hawks' first time with double-digit steals since last January 24 at Navy. Cohen's eight points for the game gave him exactly 900 for his career.
Monday was the Mountain Hawks' final home game until Saturday, Dec. 7 against Yale. Lehigh embarks on four straight on the road - at Drake, Saint Mary's, Columbia and Saint Francis (Pa.). Lehigh doesn't often play Missouri Valley teams. Drake is actually the only current member of the conference that Lehigh has ever played (with Drake winning both previous meetings). Thursday will be extra special for junior Marques Wilson, who has a large contingent of family that lives in the area.
Both of the Mountain Hawks' opponents on this trip west won 20+ games and advanced to a national postseason tournament last season. Drake advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) while Saint Mary's beat Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Championship Game to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Coming off a 24-10 season, the Bulldogs came in at No. 5 out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. So far this year, Drake is 3-1 with its only loss coming at Cincinnati, 81-59. The Bulldogs have rebounded with wins over Kansas City (76-58) and Simpson (98-53). A balanced offensive attack sees eight players averaging between seven and 13 points. Seven footer Liam Robbins (13.0) and Anthony Murphy (11.5) are both in double figures. Roman Penn is next with 9.8 points per game, along with a team-best 7.0 assists per contest. The Bulldogs have been starting a four-guard lineup in each of their first four contests.
Drake leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 2-0, winning in the 1934-35 and 1984-85 seasons by finals of 58-32 and 81-59.
Following Thursday's game, Lehigh returns to action in 48 hours when it faces defending West Coast Conference Tournament champion Saint Mary's on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. locally in California).
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Last time out, the Mountain Hawks erased early deficits and outscored the Cougars 55-36 in the second half for the runaway victory. Freshman Reed Fenton impressed, posting 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. He made things happen on both ends of the floor and ended the day with a game-best plus/minus of plus 31.
Meanwhile, junior James Karnik posted his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson scored a season-high 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Defensively, Lehigh tallied 11 steals (led by three each from Karnik and senior Jordan Cohen). It was the Mountain Hawks' first time with double-digit steals since last January 24 at Navy. Cohen's eight points for the game gave him exactly 900 for his career.
Monday was the Mountain Hawks' final home game until Saturday, Dec. 7 against Yale. Lehigh embarks on four straight on the road - at Drake, Saint Mary's, Columbia and Saint Francis (Pa.). Lehigh doesn't often play Missouri Valley teams. Drake is actually the only current member of the conference that Lehigh has ever played (with Drake winning both previous meetings). Thursday will be extra special for junior Marques Wilson, who has a large contingent of family that lives in the area.
Both of the Mountain Hawks' opponents on this trip west won 20+ games and advanced to a national postseason tournament last season. Drake advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) while Saint Mary's beat Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Championship Game to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Coming off a 24-10 season, the Bulldogs came in at No. 5 out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. So far this year, Drake is 3-1 with its only loss coming at Cincinnati, 81-59. The Bulldogs have rebounded with wins over Kansas City (76-58) and Simpson (98-53). A balanced offensive attack sees eight players averaging between seven and 13 points. Seven footer Liam Robbins (13.0) and Anthony Murphy (11.5) are both in double figures. Roman Penn is next with 9.8 points per game, along with a team-best 7.0 assists per contest. The Bulldogs have been starting a four-guard lineup in each of their first four contests.
Drake leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 2-0, winning in the 1934-35 and 1984-85 seasons by finals of 58-32 and 81-59.
Following Thursday's game, Lehigh returns to action in 48 hours when it faces defending West Coast Conference Tournament champion Saint Mary's on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. locally in California).
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Date: | November 21, 2019 |
Opponent: | Drake Bulldogs |
Tip-off: | 8 PM ET (7 PM locally) |
Arena/Capacity: | Knapp Center/7,152 |
Location: | Des Moines, Iowa |
Lehigh's Record: | 3-2, 0-0 Patriot League |
Drake's Record: | 3-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference |
Series: | Drake leads 2-0 |
Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET |
Television: | Mediacom MC22 (local broadcast in Iowa) |
Internet Video: | ESPN+ |
Behind Enemy Lines: | Drake Official Website |
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