Sunday, February 23
Bethlehem, Pa.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
Mountain Hawks and Bison clash Sunday on Senior Day
2/21/2020 3:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team, fresh off one of its most spirited efforts of the season, will return home for the first time in 11 days when the Mountain Hawks host rival Bucknell on Sunday. Opening tipoff on Senior Day is set for 12 p.m. Lehigh is coming off a strong effort at first-place Colgate, a game that saw the Raiders open a 10-point first-half edge before the Mountain Hawks opened a 10-point second-half advantage. Ultimately, Colgate rallied late to win, 70-67.
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Lehigh found itself in an early 9-0 hole, but did well to battle back. With Colgate leading 28-20 later in the first half, the Mountain Hawks staged a 13-0 run, holding the high-powered Raiders' offense scoreless for 6:29 and to just two points over the final 6:44 of the half to take a 44-40 halftime advantage. Lehigh knocked down consecutive 3-pointers in the second half, from freshman Reed Fenton and senior Jordan Cohen, to open a 54-44 lead, but a 16-6 Raiders' run evened the score at 60. Ultimately, a desperation 3-pointer from Jordan Burns with the shot clock running out, gave Colgate a 70-65 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining, on the way to the 70-67 final.
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The Mountain Hawks showed strong signs at both ends of the floor. Cohen led the offense with 18 points, knocking down 4-of-8 from 3-point range. In the process, he moved from 25th to 23rd in program history for career points (currently 1,241). Junior James Karnik played his strongest game since returning from injury, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He added six rebounds to eclipse 500 career boards (currently 504). Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 11 points and six rebounds, nine points and four boards coming in the first half. Meanwhile, sophomore Nic Lynch finished with 10 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field.
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Lehigh played both of its big men together for long stretches, and they delivered. Karnik and Lynch combined for 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Karnik, who tied a career-high three assists, found Lynch for a first-half basket to help spark the comeback.
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Defensively, the Mountain Hawks contained the Patriot League's leading offensive team, holding Colgate to its third lowest point total at home this season (in 12 games). The Raiders improved to 11-1 at home. Lehigh turned a 30-point home loss vs. Colgate into a game that went down to the final seconds. Cohen had a tough 3-point attempt as the clock hit zero looking to tie, but it was off the mark.
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This Sunday marks Lehigh's second-to-last home game of the year, as the Mountain Hawks will honor four seniors before tipoff (Cohen, Ed Porter, Jack Lieb and David Roelke). Lehigh then remains home on Wednesday to host Boston University at 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks (4-11 in league play) are currently in ninth place in the standings, but are still alive to catch Loyola (6-9) and/or Bucknell (7-8). Lehigh must beat the Bison Sunday to keep the possibility of catching them alive.
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Bucknell stands 11-17 on the season, 7-8 in Patriot League play. The Bison are currently tied for sixth in the standings and with three games remaining, could still finish anywhere between third and ninth place. Bucknell recently lost five straight games, but has won two straight since - home vs. American and at Holy Cross. Four Bison are averaging double-figure points, led by 12.1 and 5.4 boards from John Meeks. Avi Toomer comes in at 11.1, while Jimmy Sotos and Andrew Funk are averaging 10.9 points per game. Bruce Moore has missed the last several games due to injury. The Bison stand seventh in the Patriot League in both scoring offense (68.1) and defense (72.0).
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Lehigh has lost four straight and six of the last seven against the Bison, but the last 12 meetings have seen Bucknell hold a 7-5 advantage. Overall, Bucknell leads the all-time series 107-68. Each of the last three meetings have come at Bucknell (due to a Patriot League Tournament game at Bucknell last March). The last time the teams played at Lehigh was last January (more than 13 months ago). Lehigh has won two of the last three vs. Bucknell at home and four of the last six. The Mountain Hawks won four-of-five between 2015 and 2017. Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette.
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The Mountain Hawks return to Stabler Arena for their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday night against Boston University. Gametime is set for 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 found itself in an early 9-0 hole, but did well to battle back. With Colgate leading 28-20 later in the first half, the Mountain Hawks staged a 13-0 run, holding the high-powered Raiders' offense scoreless for 6:29 and to just two points over the final 6:44 of the half to take a 44-40 halftime advantage. Lehigh knocked down consecutive 3-pointers in the second half, from freshman Reed Fenton and senior Jordan Cohen, to open a 54-44 lead, but a 16-6 Raiders' run evened the score at 60. Ultimately, a desperation 3-pointer from Jordan Burns with the shot clock running out, gave Colgate a 70-65 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining, on the way to the 70-67 final.
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The Mountain Hawks showed strong signs at both ends of the floor. Cohen led the offense with 18 points, knocking down 4-of-8 from 3-point range. In the process, he moved from 25th to 23rd in program history for career points (currently 1,241). Junior James Karnik played his strongest game since returning from injury, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He added six rebounds to eclipse 500 career boards (currently 504). Sophomore Jeameril Wilson added 11 points and six rebounds, nine points and four boards coming in the first half. Meanwhile, sophomore Nic Lynch finished with 10 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field.
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Lehigh played both of its big men together for long stretches, and they delivered. Karnik and Lynch combined for 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Karnik, who tied a career-high three assists, found Lynch for a first-half basket to help spark the comeback.
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Defensively, the Mountain Hawks contained the Patriot League's leading offensive team, holding Colgate to its third lowest point total at home this season (in 12 games). The Raiders improved to 11-1 at home. Lehigh turned a 30-point home loss vs. Colgate into a game that went down to the final seconds. Cohen had a tough 3-point attempt as the clock hit zero looking to tie, but it was off the mark.
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This Sunday marks Lehigh's second-to-last home game of the year, as the Mountain Hawks will honor four seniors before tipoff (Cohen, Ed Porter, Jack Lieb and David Roelke). Lehigh then remains home on Wednesday to host Boston University at 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks (4-11 in league play) are currently in ninth place in the standings, but are still alive to catch Loyola (6-9) and/or Bucknell (7-8). Lehigh must beat the Bison Sunday to keep the possibility of catching them alive.
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Bucknell stands 11-17 on the season, 7-8 in Patriot League play. The Bison are currently tied for sixth in the standings and with three games remaining, could still finish anywhere between third and ninth place. Bucknell recently lost five straight games, but has won two straight since - home vs. American and at Holy Cross. Four Bison are averaging double-figure points, led by 12.1 and 5.4 boards from John Meeks. Avi Toomer comes in at 11.1, while Jimmy Sotos and Andrew Funk are averaging 10.9 points per game. Bruce Moore has missed the last several games due to injury. The Bison stand seventh in the Patriot League in both scoring offense (68.1) and defense (72.0).
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Lehigh has lost four straight and six of the last seven against the Bison, but the last 12 meetings have seen Bucknell hold a 7-5 advantage. Overall, Bucknell leads the all-time series 107-68. Each of the last three meetings have come at Bucknell (due to a Patriot League Tournament game at Bucknell last March). The last time the teams played at Lehigh was last January (more than 13 months ago). Lehigh has won two of the last three vs. Bucknell at home and four of the last six. The Mountain Hawks won four-of-five between 2015 and 2017. Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette.
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The Mountain Hawks return to Stabler Arena for their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday night against Boston University. Gametime is set for 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: | February 22, 2020 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| Tip-off: | 12 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Stabler Arena/5,600 |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 7-19, 4-11 Patriot League  |
| Bucknell's Record: | 11-17, 7-8 Patriot League |
| Series: | Bucknell leads, 107-68 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. |
| Television: | Patriot League Network |
| Internet Video:Â | Patriot League Network |
Players Mentioned
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