Saturday, November 30
New York, N.Y.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Columbia
Mountain Hawks head to the Big Apple Saturday at Columbia
11/29/2019 9:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team returns to action after a week without a game when the Mountain Hawks head to New York City to face Columbia on Saturday. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. Lehigh is coming off a pair of defeats to begin its road trip, last time out dropping a competitive contest at preseason top 25 team Saint Mary's.
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The Mountain Hawks previously fell at Drake on Thursday. Just 48 hours later, Lehigh trailed Saint Mary's by just three at the half and even though the Gaels opened a 13-point advantage midway through the second, the Mountain Hawks fought back to give themselves a chance down the stretch.
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Lehigh trailed by eight early (12-4), but the Mountain Hawks scored 14 of the next 18 points. A Jeameril Wilson post move gave Lehigh its first lead midway through the first half. After Saint Mary's surged ahead, the Mountain Hawks scored the final four points of the first half - capped off by an impressive give-and-go between senior Jordan Cohen and junior James Karnik following a timeout - to pull within 35-32 after 20 minutes of play. Late in the second, Lehigh pulled within single digits on multiple occasions, including within seven in the final minutes, but couldn't get over the hump. The effort came against a Saint Mary's program coming off a West Coast Conference Championship Game victory over Gonzaga. The Gaels are one of the nation's winningest program over the last decade.
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Leading Lehigh's offense was Cohen, who scored 26 points and dished five assists. He became the first Mountain Hawk with 25+ points since Cohen did so last Jan. 30 at Lafayette (scoring 33 in that game). That marked Cohen's second of two consecutive 30+ point games. Cohen became the first Mountain Hawks with at least 25 points and five assists since Kyle Leufroy also had 26 and five against Bucknell last Jan. 19. Cohen became the first Mountain Hawks with at least 25 and five in a road game since Kahron Ross had 30 points and five assists at American on Feb. 2, 2018.
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Cohen also had a steal vs. Saint Mary's to reach exactly 100 in his career. Karnik added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in the last three games (third of the season and ninth of his career). Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Wilson has tallied double-figure points in five of the seven games thus far, after five games with 10+ points his entire freshman season.
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Last Saturday's game saw a number of student-athletes playing in front of friends and family. Being out west, several family members of Cohen and freshman Jakob Alamudun (both Southern California natives) were in attendance. Karnik's family (Surrey, British Columbia) was also in attendance.
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This Saturday's game will be the start of another busy three games in eight days stretch for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh will travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday night and host Yale next Saturday evening. The Mountain Hawks will face three Ivy League teams over the next month - Columbia, Yale and Princeton.
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Columbia stands 2-5 on the season, most recently picking up a convincing 82-52 victory over Central Connecticut State. The Lions' other win is over Binghamton, 75-63. Three of Columbia's losses are against power-conference opponents Wake Forest, Virginia and St. John's, along with Lafayette and Rider. Mike Smith leads the team in scoring (20.1 points per game) as the only Lions' player averaging double figures. Smith also leads the team in assists with 33. Next up in scoring is Jake Killingsworth (8.7), Ike Nweke (7.9) and Randy Brumant (7.3). Brumant also leads the team in rebounding (5.3).
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Columbia leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 23-14. The teams last met in 2015, an 88-61 Lions' victory. Columbia also won the previous year, 54-44 at Lehigh. Lehigh's last victory came on Jan. 2, 2009 by a 73-59 final. The Mountain Hawks' last win at Columbia was Jan. 2, 2006 – a 65-57 victory. Lehigh did win four in a row in the all-time series between 2002 and 2006. The sides first met in 1962-63, a 65-51 Columbia win. Lehigh's first victory was in 1963-64, 56-53.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks continue on the road next Wednesday when they travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) for a 7 p.m. opening tipoff.
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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 previously fell at Drake on Thursday. Just 48 hours later, Lehigh trailed Saint Mary's by just three at the half and even though the Gaels opened a 13-point advantage midway through the second, the Mountain Hawks fought back to give themselves a chance down the stretch.
Â
Lehigh trailed by eight early (12-4), but the Mountain Hawks scored 14 of the next 18 points. A Jeameril Wilson post move gave Lehigh its first lead midway through the first half. After Saint Mary's surged ahead, the Mountain Hawks scored the final four points of the first half - capped off by an impressive give-and-go between senior Jordan Cohen and junior James Karnik following a timeout - to pull within 35-32 after 20 minutes of play. Late in the second, Lehigh pulled within single digits on multiple occasions, including within seven in the final minutes, but couldn't get over the hump. The effort came against a Saint Mary's program coming off a West Coast Conference Championship Game victory over Gonzaga. The Gaels are one of the nation's winningest program over the last decade.
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Leading Lehigh's offense was Cohen, who scored 26 points and dished five assists. He became the first Mountain Hawk with 25+ points since Cohen did so last Jan. 30 at Lafayette (scoring 33 in that game). That marked Cohen's second of two consecutive 30+ point games. Cohen became the first Mountain Hawks with at least 25 points and five assists since Kyle Leufroy also had 26 and five against Bucknell last Jan. 19. Cohen became the first Mountain Hawks with at least 25 and five in a road game since Kahron Ross had 30 points and five assists at American on Feb. 2, 2018.
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Cohen also had a steal vs. Saint Mary's to reach exactly 100 in his career. Karnik added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in the last three games (third of the season and ninth of his career). Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Wilson has tallied double-figure points in five of the seven games thus far, after five games with 10+ points his entire freshman season.
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Last Saturday's game saw a number of student-athletes playing in front of friends and family. Being out west, several family members of Cohen and freshman Jakob Alamudun (both Southern California natives) were in attendance. Karnik's family (Surrey, British Columbia) was also in attendance.
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This Saturday's game will be the start of another busy three games in eight days stretch for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh will travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday night and host Yale next Saturday evening. The Mountain Hawks will face three Ivy League teams over the next month - Columbia, Yale and Princeton.
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Columbia stands 2-5 on the season, most recently picking up a convincing 82-52 victory over Central Connecticut State. The Lions' other win is over Binghamton, 75-63. Three of Columbia's losses are against power-conference opponents Wake Forest, Virginia and St. John's, along with Lafayette and Rider. Mike Smith leads the team in scoring (20.1 points per game) as the only Lions' player averaging double figures. Smith also leads the team in assists with 33. Next up in scoring is Jake Killingsworth (8.7), Ike Nweke (7.9) and Randy Brumant (7.3). Brumant also leads the team in rebounding (5.3).
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Columbia leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 23-14. The teams last met in 2015, an 88-61 Lions' victory. Columbia also won the previous year, 54-44 at Lehigh. Lehigh's last victory came on Jan. 2, 2009 by a 73-59 final. The Mountain Hawks' last win at Columbia was Jan. 2, 2006 – a 65-57 victory. Lehigh did win four in a row in the all-time series between 2002 and 2006. The sides first met in 1962-63, a 65-51 Columbia win. Lehigh's first victory was in 1963-64, 56-53.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks continue on the road next Wednesday when they travel to Saint Francis (Pa.) for a 7 p.m. opening tipoff.
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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: | November 30, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Columbia Lions |
| Tip-off: | 4 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Levien Gymansium/2,500 |
| Location: | New York, N.Y. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 3-4, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Columbia's Record: | 2-5, 0-0 Ivy League |
| Series: | Columbia leads, 23-14 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Television: | ESPN+ (Online) |
| Internet Video: | ESPN+ |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Columbia Official Website |
Players Mentioned
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