Wednesday, January 22
Worcester, Mass.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Holy Cross
Lehigh remains on the road for Wednesday night matchup at Holy Cross
1/21/2020 3:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team looks to snap its first losing streak of Patriot League play when the Mountain Hawks travel to Holy Cross on Wednesday to face the Crusaders. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. After a win at Albany in its first road game of the season, Lehigh has lost 10 straight away from home, with many coming down to the wire. Saturday at Bucknell was the latest example.
Despite the 16-point final margin, the Mountain Hawks gave themselves a chance down the stretch. Lehigh trailed by 16 late in the first half and 15 following 20 minutes of play, but began the second half with a 9-2 run to pull within eight. The Mountain Hawks got as close as five following an Evan Taylor 3-pointer with 5:51 still remaining. Lehigh was within six with less than four minutes remaining, but the Bison scored five straight points in the span of 38 seconds to retake a double-figure lead, on the way to the 72-56 final.
Sophomore Jeameril Wilson led Lehigh's offense with a game-high 16 points, which also tied a season high. Senior Jordan Cohen added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals while Taylor and junior Marques Wilson added 10 points apiece. Marques has now reached double-figure points in all six league games so far and stands second on the Mountain Hawks in scoring during Patriot League contests (14.3).
In the end, Lehigh shot just 33.3 percent from the field (18-of-54), including 28.6 percent from 3-point range (4-of-14), which proved too much to overcome. The Mountain Hawks had fewer turnovers than Bucknell (11 compared to 14) and have turned the ball over just 10.6 times per game over their last five to lower their season average to 14.4.
Lehigh stands 2-4 in league play, tied for seventh in the standings. The Mountain Hawks are tied with Army West Point, one game ahead of Holy Cross and Loyola. Lehigh is a game behind Lafayette (this coming Saturday's opponent) for sixth and two games behind Navy in second, with 12 Patriot League contests still remaining.
Following Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks return to the friendly confines on Saturday when they host archrival Lafayette at 12 p.m. on Diversity and Inclusion Day Presented by Lehigh University's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. This entire week is the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, as coaches around the nation will wear sneakers with their suits to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities and advocacy programs.
Under first-year head coach Brett Nelson, Holy Cross has struggled so far this season, standing 2-17 with home wins over Mercer (81-67) and Navy (63-61). After the Navy victory, the Crusaders have lost four in a row, most recently dropping an 81-69 final at American. Three of those four defeats came on the road. Joe Pridgen leads the Crusaders in scoring (16.2 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 rebounds per contest). In December and January, Pridgen won five straight Patriot League Rookie of the Week awards. The Crusaders are ninth in the league in scoring offense (66.6) and 10th in scoring defense (79.8).
Lehigh has won three of the last four and four of the last six games against the Crusaders, most recently dropping a 73-71 home final. The last time the teams played at Holy Cross, the Mountain Hawks erased an 18-point deficit for a 99-94 overtime win. At the time, the comeback marked the largest in Brett Reed's 12 seasons as Lehigh head coach, before the Mountain Hawks came back from 19 down at Army West Point a few weeks later. Historically, Lehigh has struggled at Holy Cross (which includes losing 14 straight from 1999 through 20009), but have won two straight in Worcester for the first time in program history - 71-67 on Jan. 29, 2018 and 99-94 on Jan. 9, 2019. Lehigh and Holy Cross first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening for Patriot League play in the early 1990s.
Following Wednesday's game, Lehigh returns home on Saturday to host archrival Lafayette at 12 p.m. on Diversity and Inclusion Day Presented by Lehigh University's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Despite the 16-point final margin, the Mountain Hawks gave themselves a chance down the stretch. Lehigh trailed by 16 late in the first half and 15 following 20 minutes of play, but began the second half with a 9-2 run to pull within eight. The Mountain Hawks got as close as five following an Evan Taylor 3-pointer with 5:51 still remaining. Lehigh was within six with less than four minutes remaining, but the Bison scored five straight points in the span of 38 seconds to retake a double-figure lead, on the way to the 72-56 final.
Sophomore Jeameril Wilson led Lehigh's offense with a game-high 16 points, which also tied a season high. Senior Jordan Cohen added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals while Taylor and junior Marques Wilson added 10 points apiece. Marques has now reached double-figure points in all six league games so far and stands second on the Mountain Hawks in scoring during Patriot League contests (14.3).
In the end, Lehigh shot just 33.3 percent from the field (18-of-54), including 28.6 percent from 3-point range (4-of-14), which proved too much to overcome. The Mountain Hawks had fewer turnovers than Bucknell (11 compared to 14) and have turned the ball over just 10.6 times per game over their last five to lower their season average to 14.4.
Lehigh stands 2-4 in league play, tied for seventh in the standings. The Mountain Hawks are tied with Army West Point, one game ahead of Holy Cross and Loyola. Lehigh is a game behind Lafayette (this coming Saturday's opponent) for sixth and two games behind Navy in second, with 12 Patriot League contests still remaining.
Following Wednesday's game, the Mountain Hawks return to the friendly confines on Saturday when they host archrival Lafayette at 12 p.m. on Diversity and Inclusion Day Presented by Lehigh University's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. This entire week is the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, as coaches around the nation will wear sneakers with their suits to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities and advocacy programs.
Under first-year head coach Brett Nelson, Holy Cross has struggled so far this season, standing 2-17 with home wins over Mercer (81-67) and Navy (63-61). After the Navy victory, the Crusaders have lost four in a row, most recently dropping an 81-69 final at American. Three of those four defeats came on the road. Joe Pridgen leads the Crusaders in scoring (16.2 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 rebounds per contest). In December and January, Pridgen won five straight Patriot League Rookie of the Week awards. The Crusaders are ninth in the league in scoring offense (66.6) and 10th in scoring defense (79.8).
Lehigh has won three of the last four and four of the last six games against the Crusaders, most recently dropping a 73-71 home final. The last time the teams played at Holy Cross, the Mountain Hawks erased an 18-point deficit for a 99-94 overtime win. At the time, the comeback marked the largest in Brett Reed's 12 seasons as Lehigh head coach, before the Mountain Hawks came back from 19 down at Army West Point a few weeks later. Historically, Lehigh has struggled at Holy Cross (which includes losing 14 straight from 1999 through 20009), but have won two straight in Worcester for the first time in program history - 71-67 on Jan. 29, 2018 and 99-94 on Jan. 9, 2019. Lehigh and Holy Cross first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening for Patriot League play in the early 1990s.
Following Wednesday's game, Lehigh returns home on Saturday to host archrival Lafayette at 12 p.m. on Diversity and Inclusion Day Presented by Lehigh University's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | January 22, 2020 |
| Opponent: | Holy Cross Crusaders |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Hart Center/3,536 |
| Location: | Worcester, Mass. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 5-13, 2-4 Patriot League |
| Holy Cross' Record: | 2-17, 1-5 Patriot League |
| Series: | Holy Cross leads, 42-24 |
| 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 |
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