Wednesday, December 4
Loretto, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Mountain Hawks wrap up four-game road swing at Saint Francis (Pa.) Wednesday
12/3/2019 12:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing skid and open the month of December on a high note when the Mountain Hawks travel to Northeast Conference contender Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday evening. Opening tipoff against the Red Flash is set for 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row. Lehigh has dropped the first three games of its four-game road skid, all against quality competition. Most recently, the Mountain Hawks fell at Columbia, 68-64 on Saturday.
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Lehigh is now 3-5 on the season, the first and fifth losses both coming by only four points vs. solid mid-major competition. The Mountain Hawks dropped a game at Virginia Tech (a team that recently went on to beat No. 3 Michigan State) in a game in which Lehigh trailed by just five at the half. Lehigh also took preseason top 25 team Saint Mary's to the wire.
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The Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early nine-point lead at Columbia Saturday before the Lions began to catch fire. Tied at the half, Lehigh took multiple second-half leads, but the Lions used a 7-0 run to take a 65-58 advantage, on the way to the 68-64 final. Senior Jordan Cohen tallied his second straight game with 20+ points, finishing with exactly 20 on 9-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Junior James Karnik continued his consistent play with eight points and 12 boards to tie a season high. It marked the fourth time in eight games Karnik recorded double-figure rebounds after doing so seven times in his first two seasons combined.
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Freshman Evan Taylor was strong with eight points (seven coming before the first media timeout) and a team and game-high plus/minus of +8. The Mountain Hawks did feature a fairly balanced attack with six players scoring between six and eight points. Neither team led by more than nine points all game; Columbia's largest lead was seven with 8:53 left in the second half, but Lehigh bounced back to give itself a chance until the very end. The Lions were led by All-Ivy League guard Mike Smith, who had a monster game – 30 points and six assists. He also drew 10 of the Mountain Hawks' 19 fouls for the game.
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On Wednesday, Lehigh will be eying its first road win since its first road game - at Albany on Nov. 9. The Mountain Hawks are 23-5 in their last 28 games against the Northeast Conference.
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Saint Francis has enjoyed recent success, winning the NEC Regular Season crown last year and returning the core of its team in 2019-20. So far this season, the Red Flash are 3-4, last time winning at Saint Joseph's out of the Atlantic 10. Keith Braxton leads the team in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (6.7) while Isaiah Blackman is right behind with 16.2 and 6.5, respectively. Saint Francis can score the basketball, averaging 73.4 points per game, but is allowing 76.4 points per contest. The team's other wins this season are at Morgan State and home vs. Patriot League foe American. Saint Francis has made two consecutive national postseason tournaments, reaching the NIT last season one year after playing in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
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Lehigh has won six straight over Saint Francis at home, but lost the last two on the road. Overall, the Mountain Hawks have won nine of their last 11 vs. the Red Flash, but the losses have come in each of the last two road meetings - 84-73 in 2015 and 84-70 in 2017. Lehigh's 88-76 win last season gave the Mountain Hawks an 11-5 lead in the all-time series.
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Following Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host Yale on Saturday at 7 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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Lehigh is now 3-5 on the season, the first and fifth losses both coming by only four points vs. solid mid-major competition. The Mountain Hawks dropped a game at Virginia Tech (a team that recently went on to beat No. 3 Michigan State) in a game in which Lehigh trailed by just five at the half. Lehigh also took preseason top 25 team Saint Mary's to the wire.
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The Mountain Hawks jumped out to an early nine-point lead at Columbia Saturday before the Lions began to catch fire. Tied at the half, Lehigh took multiple second-half leads, but the Lions used a 7-0 run to take a 65-58 advantage, on the way to the 68-64 final. Senior Jordan Cohen tallied his second straight game with 20+ points, finishing with exactly 20 on 9-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Junior James Karnik continued his consistent play with eight points and 12 boards to tie a season high. It marked the fourth time in eight games Karnik recorded double-figure rebounds after doing so seven times in his first two seasons combined.
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Freshman Evan Taylor was strong with eight points (seven coming before the first media timeout) and a team and game-high plus/minus of +8. The Mountain Hawks did feature a fairly balanced attack with six players scoring between six and eight points. Neither team led by more than nine points all game; Columbia's largest lead was seven with 8:53 left in the second half, but Lehigh bounced back to give itself a chance until the very end. The Lions were led by All-Ivy League guard Mike Smith, who had a monster game – 30 points and six assists. He also drew 10 of the Mountain Hawks' 19 fouls for the game.
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On Wednesday, Lehigh will be eying its first road win since its first road game - at Albany on Nov. 9. The Mountain Hawks are 23-5 in their last 28 games against the Northeast Conference.
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Saint Francis has enjoyed recent success, winning the NEC Regular Season crown last year and returning the core of its team in 2019-20. So far this season, the Red Flash are 3-4, last time winning at Saint Joseph's out of the Atlantic 10. Keith Braxton leads the team in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (6.7) while Isaiah Blackman is right behind with 16.2 and 6.5, respectively. Saint Francis can score the basketball, averaging 73.4 points per game, but is allowing 76.4 points per contest. The team's other wins this season are at Morgan State and home vs. Patriot League foe American. Saint Francis has made two consecutive national postseason tournaments, reaching the NIT last season one year after playing in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
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Lehigh has won six straight over Saint Francis at home, but lost the last two on the road. Overall, the Mountain Hawks have won nine of their last 11 vs. the Red Flash, but the losses have come in each of the last two road meetings - 84-73 in 2015 and 84-70 in 2017. Lehigh's 88-76 win last season gave the Mountain Hawks an 11-5 lead in the all-time series.
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Following Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in nearly three weeks when they host Yale on Saturday at 7 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 4, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Saint Francis (Pa.) Red Flash |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | DeGol Arena/3,500 |
| Location: | Loretto, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 3-5, 0-0 Patriot League  |
| Saint Francis' Record: | 3-4, 0-0 NEC |
| Series: | Lehigh leads, 11-5 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET |
| Television: | NEC Front Row (Online) |
| Internet Video: | NEC Front Row |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Saint Francis (Pa.) Official Website |
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