Saturday, January 18
Lewisburg, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Bucknell
Mountain Hawks and Bison renew rivalry at Bucknell Saturday night
1/17/2020 5:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – After consecutive home games, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns to the road on Saturday for a matchup at Bucknell. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. The Mountain Hawks are in the middle of tight league standings, coming in at 2-3 while the Bison are 3-2. Lehigh most recently dropped an 88-83 final at home vs. Navy, but the game saw a number of reasons for optimism moving forward.
Offensively, the Mountain Hawks eclipsed 80 points for a second straight game after going 10 straight without reaching 80. The 83 points were a season high against a Division I opponent. Senior Jordan Cohen led the offense with a season-high 28 points and is now averaging 21.5 points over his last four games. Cohen shot 5-of-5 from 3-point range, four of which came in the first 6:27 of the second half (scoring 14 points in that span). He became the first Mountain Hawk to knock down five 3-pointers since Pat Andree hit five last Feb. 9 against Navy. Cohen, who was named a candidate for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award on Friday, added a career-high eight assists for a second straight game.
Junior Marques Wilson posted a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds, eclipsing 20 points for the first time since his freshman campaign. Wilson has reached double-figure points in all five Patriot League games so far, averaging 15.2 points in league play (second on the team). Wilson is shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range in Patriot League play (12-of-24). Freshman Reed Fenton is also at 50.0 percent (6-of-12) while Cohen comes in at 41.7 percent (10-of-24). As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 60.0 percent from three (9-of-15), the first time shooting 50 percent or better since last Feb. 20 against Army West Point.
Meanwhile, sophomore center Nic Lynch tied a career high with 16 points while grabbing six boards and finishing with a team best plus/minus of +9. The Mountain Hawks finished with a season-low seven turnovers, but struggled to contain a pair of Navy freshmen who combined for 44 points - Daniel Deaver (25 points) and Sean Yoder (19 points).
Navy jumped out to an 8-1 advantage, the Mountain Hawks responded to take a lead, but the Mids went up 24-14 and would never relinquish the advantage. Lehigh pulled as close as three in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump.
The Mountain Hawks will look to snap a nine-game road losing streak. Lehigh won its first road game of the year at Albany, but has struggled to get in the win column since. Over those nine road contest, the Mountain Hawks have played some of the top teams in the nation, and been close in several others. Lehigh's last win at Bucknell came on Jan. 11, 2017, but the Mountain Hawks have handed the Bison seven of their 27 all-time defeats in Sojka Pavilion against Patriot League opponents.
Bucknell stands 7-11 on the season, 3-2 in Patriot League play coming off a road defeat at American on Wednesday. The Bison league victories have come over Army West Point, at Lafayette and vs. Holy Cross while their other loss came at home against Navy. Four Bison players are averaging double-figure points, with Jimmy Sotos leading the way (12.4 points per game). He's followed by John Meeks (12.1) and Avi Toomer (11.8). Andrew Funk (10.8) did not play last time out at American. Paul Newman is leading the team in rebounding (6.1). Bucknell is seventh in the Patriot League in scoring offense (68.3), ninth in scoring defense (74.1) and ninth in scoring margin (-5.8).
Lehigh has lost three straight and five of the last six against the Bison, but the last 11 meetings have seen Bucknell holding a 6-5 advantage. Overall, Bucknell leads the all-time series 106-68. The Mountain Hawks won four-of-five between 2015 and 2017, which included consecutive wins at Bucknell - 80-65 on Feb. 10, 2016 and 82-71 on Jan. 11, 2017. Since, the Bison have won four straight in Sojka Pavilion. Lehigh won the first-ever men's basketball game in Sojka, beating Bucknell in 2003. The Mountain Hawks are 7-14 all-time in Sojka (winning 33.3 percent) (including the postseason) while the rest of the Patriot League is 20-122 (14.1 percent). Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette.
Following Saturday night's game, Lehigh continues on the road next Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Holy Cross to face the Crusaders. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Offensively, the Mountain Hawks eclipsed 80 points for a second straight game after going 10 straight without reaching 80. The 83 points were a season high against a Division I opponent. Senior Jordan Cohen led the offense with a season-high 28 points and is now averaging 21.5 points over his last four games. Cohen shot 5-of-5 from 3-point range, four of which came in the first 6:27 of the second half (scoring 14 points in that span). He became the first Mountain Hawk to knock down five 3-pointers since Pat Andree hit five last Feb. 9 against Navy. Cohen, who was named a candidate for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award on Friday, added a career-high eight assists for a second straight game.
Junior Marques Wilson posted a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds, eclipsing 20 points for the first time since his freshman campaign. Wilson has reached double-figure points in all five Patriot League games so far, averaging 15.2 points in league play (second on the team). Wilson is shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range in Patriot League play (12-of-24). Freshman Reed Fenton is also at 50.0 percent (6-of-12) while Cohen comes in at 41.7 percent (10-of-24). As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 60.0 percent from three (9-of-15), the first time shooting 50 percent or better since last Feb. 20 against Army West Point.
Meanwhile, sophomore center Nic Lynch tied a career high with 16 points while grabbing six boards and finishing with a team best plus/minus of +9. The Mountain Hawks finished with a season-low seven turnovers, but struggled to contain a pair of Navy freshmen who combined for 44 points - Daniel Deaver (25 points) and Sean Yoder (19 points).
Navy jumped out to an 8-1 advantage, the Mountain Hawks responded to take a lead, but the Mids went up 24-14 and would never relinquish the advantage. Lehigh pulled as close as three in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump.
The Mountain Hawks will look to snap a nine-game road losing streak. Lehigh won its first road game of the year at Albany, but has struggled to get in the win column since. Over those nine road contest, the Mountain Hawks have played some of the top teams in the nation, and been close in several others. Lehigh's last win at Bucknell came on Jan. 11, 2017, but the Mountain Hawks have handed the Bison seven of their 27 all-time defeats in Sojka Pavilion against Patriot League opponents.
Bucknell stands 7-11 on the season, 3-2 in Patriot League play coming off a road defeat at American on Wednesday. The Bison league victories have come over Army West Point, at Lafayette and vs. Holy Cross while their other loss came at home against Navy. Four Bison players are averaging double-figure points, with Jimmy Sotos leading the way (12.4 points per game). He's followed by John Meeks (12.1) and Avi Toomer (11.8). Andrew Funk (10.8) did not play last time out at American. Paul Newman is leading the team in rebounding (6.1). Bucknell is seventh in the Patriot League in scoring offense (68.3), ninth in scoring defense (74.1) and ninth in scoring margin (-5.8).
Lehigh has lost three straight and five of the last six against the Bison, but the last 11 meetings have seen Bucknell holding a 6-5 advantage. Overall, Bucknell leads the all-time series 106-68. The Mountain Hawks won four-of-five between 2015 and 2017, which included consecutive wins at Bucknell - 80-65 on Feb. 10, 2016 and 82-71 on Jan. 11, 2017. Since, the Bison have won four straight in Sojka Pavilion. Lehigh won the first-ever men's basketball game in Sojka, beating Bucknell in 2003. The Mountain Hawks are 7-14 all-time in Sojka (winning 33.3 percent) (including the postseason) while the rest of the Patriot League is 20-122 (14.1 percent). Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette.
Following Saturday night's game, Lehigh continues on the road next Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Holy Cross to face the Crusaders. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | January 18, 2020 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Sojka Pavilion/4,000 |
| Location: | Lewsiburg, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 5-12, 2-3 Patriot League |
| Bucknell's Record: | 7-11, 3-2 Patriot League |
| Series: | Bucknell leads, 106-68 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. |
| Television: | Patriot League Network |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
Players Mentioned
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