Saturday, December 21
Auburn, Ala.
6 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Auburn
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks hit the road for tough test at No. 9 Auburn Saturday
12/20/2019 9:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team returns from a two-week break of games for final exams when the Mountain Hawks travel to reigning Final Four team and No. 9/12 nationally-ranked Auburn on Saturday. Opening tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. locally) on the SEC Network. The Tigers are one of four undefeated teams remaining in the nation (and only undefeated team from a power conference), standing 10-0 after a Thursday night victory over NC State. Most recently, Lehigh dropped a hard-fought 78-65 final at home vs. Yale on Saturday, Dec. 7.
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The Mountain Hawks hung tough against a strong Yale opponent, pulling within three (66-63) with 3:18 remaining. However, the Bulldogs answered with an 11-0 run to pull away. The run coincided with junior center James Karnik fouling out after 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds. Lehigh trailed by as many as 16 late in the first half, but fought back to within nine at the half then as close as one in the second when an Evan Taylor basket pulled the Mountain Hawks within 62-61. Lehigh even had a chance to take a lead on the ensuing possession, but a Taylor 3-pointer was off the mark. That's as close as the Mountain Hawks would come.
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Sophomore Jeameril Wilson enjoyed a strong game, posting 16 points and six rebounds and shooting 7-of-12 from the field. Senior Jordan Cohen also impressed with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, moving to within 14 points of 1,000 in his career. Taylor added eight points as well.
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The Mountain Hawks got back into the game in the second half due in large part to forcing 13 Yale turnovers (19 for the game). The loss to the Bulldogs was Lehigh's fifth straight (over the last four years), but all have been competitive contests that came down to the final minutes.
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Lehigh is winding down nonleague play with Saturday's game at Auburn. The Tigers are one of four undefeated teams in the nation, along with San Diego State, Liberty and Duquesne. They're the only power conference team still unbeaten. Auburn is ranked No. 9 in the national coaches poll and No. 12 in the AP poll. The Tigers are also No. 7 in the first NCAA Net Rankings released this week.
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The last time Lehigh faced an SEC team was an 87-73 win at Mississippi State on Nov. 25, 2016. It was Cohen's freshman year and he tallied six rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes off the bench. Lehigh is 1-3 all-time vs. current members of the Southeast Conference, falling to Texas A&M and dropping a pair of contests against Vanderbilt.
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The last time the Mountain Hawks played a nationally-ranked team was Nov. 24, 2018 at No. 12 Kansas State. Lehigh led for much of the first half, including 31-26 with less than five minutes remaining in the first. The Wildcats created separation, but the Mountain Hawks pulled as close as nine with 7:56 remaining. Meanwhile, Lehigh's last top 10 opponent was Nov. 22, 2017 at No. 10 Southern Cal; the Mountain Hawks were down just 10 at the half (44-34), but the Trojans pulled away in the second. Lehigh's last win over a ranked (and top 10) opponent came in the 2012 NCAA Tournament over Duke, seeded second and ranked No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches polls.
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Lehigh head coach Brett Reed will face Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who's annually considered one of the nation's top coaches. Reed has enjoyed success in his career against some all-time great coaches. He is 1-2 against coaches in the top 10 all-time for Division I victories. Reed defeated all-time leader Mike Krzyzewski and Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and fell to Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), who's No. 2, on Nov. 13, 2015 and Bob Huggins (West Virginia) last Dec. 30. Both of those defeats were by just 10 points.
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Auburn finished last season 30-10 and advanced to its first Final Four after earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and beating New Mexico State, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky. The Tigers actually lost their top two scorers from last season in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper, but have kept the success rolling into 2019-20. Harper was a junior last season, but declared early for the NBA Draft. Brown (a senior) and Harper were both undrafted, but have signed onto NBA organizations (and are on G League rosters). Overall, Auburn has won 22 of its last 23 games dating back to last season, with the only loss being a slim 63-62 defeat in the Final Four against Virginia. Several players have stepped up this season, with Samir Doughty leading the offense (18.0 points per game). Isaac Okoro comes in at 13.2 while Austin Wiley is averaging 10.6 with a team-high 8.8 rebounds per contest. Auburn is nearing the top 10 nationally in both rebounds (42.5) and blocks (6.1) per game.
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Saturday marks the first all-time meeting between Lehigh and Auburn.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return to action next Sunday, Dec. 29 when they wrap up nonleague play at Princeton. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
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The Mountain Hawks hung tough against a strong Yale opponent, pulling within three (66-63) with 3:18 remaining. However, the Bulldogs answered with an 11-0 run to pull away. The run coincided with junior center James Karnik fouling out after 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds. Lehigh trailed by as many as 16 late in the first half, but fought back to within nine at the half then as close as one in the second when an Evan Taylor basket pulled the Mountain Hawks within 62-61. Lehigh even had a chance to take a lead on the ensuing possession, but a Taylor 3-pointer was off the mark. That's as close as the Mountain Hawks would come.
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Sophomore Jeameril Wilson enjoyed a strong game, posting 16 points and six rebounds and shooting 7-of-12 from the field. Senior Jordan Cohen also impressed with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, moving to within 14 points of 1,000 in his career. Taylor added eight points as well.
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The Mountain Hawks got back into the game in the second half due in large part to forcing 13 Yale turnovers (19 for the game). The loss to the Bulldogs was Lehigh's fifth straight (over the last four years), but all have been competitive contests that came down to the final minutes.
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Lehigh is winding down nonleague play with Saturday's game at Auburn. The Tigers are one of four undefeated teams in the nation, along with San Diego State, Liberty and Duquesne. They're the only power conference team still unbeaten. Auburn is ranked No. 9 in the national coaches poll and No. 12 in the AP poll. The Tigers are also No. 7 in the first NCAA Net Rankings released this week.
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The last time Lehigh faced an SEC team was an 87-73 win at Mississippi State on Nov. 25, 2016. It was Cohen's freshman year and he tallied six rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes off the bench. Lehigh is 1-3 all-time vs. current members of the Southeast Conference, falling to Texas A&M and dropping a pair of contests against Vanderbilt.
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The last time the Mountain Hawks played a nationally-ranked team was Nov. 24, 2018 at No. 12 Kansas State. Lehigh led for much of the first half, including 31-26 with less than five minutes remaining in the first. The Wildcats created separation, but the Mountain Hawks pulled as close as nine with 7:56 remaining. Meanwhile, Lehigh's last top 10 opponent was Nov. 22, 2017 at No. 10 Southern Cal; the Mountain Hawks were down just 10 at the half (44-34), but the Trojans pulled away in the second. Lehigh's last win over a ranked (and top 10) opponent came in the 2012 NCAA Tournament over Duke, seeded second and ranked No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches polls.
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Lehigh head coach Brett Reed will face Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who's annually considered one of the nation's top coaches. Reed has enjoyed success in his career against some all-time great coaches. He is 1-2 against coaches in the top 10 all-time for Division I victories. Reed defeated all-time leader Mike Krzyzewski and Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and fell to Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), who's No. 2, on Nov. 13, 2015 and Bob Huggins (West Virginia) last Dec. 30. Both of those defeats were by just 10 points.
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Auburn finished last season 30-10 and advanced to its first Final Four after earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and beating New Mexico State, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky. The Tigers actually lost their top two scorers from last season in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper, but have kept the success rolling into 2019-20. Harper was a junior last season, but declared early for the NBA Draft. Brown (a senior) and Harper were both undrafted, but have signed onto NBA organizations (and are on G League rosters). Overall, Auburn has won 22 of its last 23 games dating back to last season, with the only loss being a slim 63-62 defeat in the Final Four against Virginia. Several players have stepped up this season, with Samir Doughty leading the offense (18.0 points per game). Isaac Okoro comes in at 13.2 while Austin Wiley is averaging 10.6 with a team-high 8.8 rebounds per contest. Auburn is nearing the top 10 nationally in both rebounds (42.5) and blocks (6.1) per game.
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Saturday marks the first all-time meeting between Lehigh and Auburn.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return to action next Sunday, Dec. 29 when they wrap up nonleague play at Princeton. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
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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: | December 21, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Auburn Tigers |
| Tip-off: | 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. locally) |
| Arena/Capacity: | Auburn Arena/9,121 |
| Location: | Auburn, Ala. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 3-7, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Auburn's Record: | 10-0, 0-0 SEC |
| Series: | First Meeting |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. ET |
| Television: | SEC Network |
| Internet Video: | SEC Network/ESPN |
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