Saturday, February 8
Easton, Pa.
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh set for crosstown trip to Lafayette Saturday afternoon
2/7/2020 10:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Looking to get back on track, the Lehigh men's basketball team makes the short trek to Easton on Saturday to face the archrival Leopards at 2 p.m. Saturday will mark the third of four consecutive games in the Lehigh Valley to begin February. Unfortunately, home cooking hasn't led to success as of late, with the Mountain Hawks dropping a one-point heartbreaker vs. Army on Saturday followed by Colgate pulling away in the second half Wednesday.
A hard-fought first half saw the Mountain Hawks leading early, and within striking distance for the entire stanza. Lehigh was within four with less than five minutes left in the first half, but Colgate opened a 10-point halftime advantage on the way to the 81-51 victory. It marked the Raiders' third straight win in the all-time series. Junior Marques Wilson led Lehigh's offense with 12 points while adding three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson scored 10 points (all in the first half) while senior Ed Porter tied a career-high eight points, all coming in the second half. Sophomore Nic Lynch scored eight points as well. Turnovers hurt the Mountain Hawks in the second half; they had just four in the first half, but 16 in the second as they were outscored 41-21 over the final 20 minutes. Lehigh was without junior James Karnik for a ninth straight game and freshman Evan Taylor for a fourth consecutive contest due to injury.
The Mountain Hawks defended reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas well, holding him to eight points and seven boards. All-League player Will Rayman was also held to 11 on 2-of-10 shooting. Colgate got double-figure efforts by a pair of players off its bench in Keegan Records (11) and Jack Ferguson (10).
On Saturday, Lehigh will be searching for its first road victory since its first road game of the year at Albany, a 74-70 final. Last time against Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks' eight-game win streak vs. the Leopards was snapped. However, Lehigh still has a five-game win streak at Lafayette on the line (which is already a program record), last falling in Easton in February of 2014. The last time Lehigh played at Lafayette, current senior Jordan Cohen went off for 33 points, including 14 of the Mountain Hawks' 18 points in overtime in the 93-86 victory.
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh returns home to host Holy Cross on Wednesday before another short two-hour trip to Army West Point next Saturday, Feb. 15.
The Leopards are 15-7 on the year, riding four straight victories and wins in seven of their last nine. After the win at Lehigh, Lafayette picked up victories at Colgate, vs. American and at Bucknell. Justin Jaworski is leading the offense, averaging 17.6 points per game. E.J. Stephens (11.9) and Myles Cherry (10.6) are also averaging double-figure points, while Cherry is leading the team in rebounding (6.9). Lafayette stands third in the Patriot League in scoring offense (73.1), fourth in scoring defense (69.0) and third in scoring margin (+4.1).
Two weeks ago, Lehigh fell at home to Lafayette (74-56) to snap an eight-game winning streak against the Leopards. Lafayette currently leads the all-time series, 140-90. Last season, the Mountain Hawks pulled out a pair of tight victories, 86-83 at home then 93-86 in overtime at Lafayette. In the home contest, Lehigh knocked down an NCAA best 78.6 percent from three-point range (11-of-14) while missing just 21 shots all game (including free throws). Despite the loss to Lafayette two Sundays ago, Lehigh has still won nine of the last 11 meetings overall, including five in a row at Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks' last loss at Lafayette came on Feb. 23, 2014 by a 77-71 final. The long-time rivals first met in 1901-92, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh returns home on Wednesday to host Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
A hard-fought first half saw the Mountain Hawks leading early, and within striking distance for the entire stanza. Lehigh was within four with less than five minutes left in the first half, but Colgate opened a 10-point halftime advantage on the way to the 81-51 victory. It marked the Raiders' third straight win in the all-time series. Junior Marques Wilson led Lehigh's offense with 12 points while adding three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Jeameril Wilson scored 10 points (all in the first half) while senior Ed Porter tied a career-high eight points, all coming in the second half. Sophomore Nic Lynch scored eight points as well. Turnovers hurt the Mountain Hawks in the second half; they had just four in the first half, but 16 in the second as they were outscored 41-21 over the final 20 minutes. Lehigh was without junior James Karnik for a ninth straight game and freshman Evan Taylor for a fourth consecutive contest due to injury.
The Mountain Hawks defended reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas well, holding him to eight points and seven boards. All-League player Will Rayman was also held to 11 on 2-of-10 shooting. Colgate got double-figure efforts by a pair of players off its bench in Keegan Records (11) and Jack Ferguson (10).
On Saturday, Lehigh will be searching for its first road victory since its first road game of the year at Albany, a 74-70 final. Last time against Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks' eight-game win streak vs. the Leopards was snapped. However, Lehigh still has a five-game win streak at Lafayette on the line (which is already a program record), last falling in Easton in February of 2014. The last time Lehigh played at Lafayette, current senior Jordan Cohen went off for 33 points, including 14 of the Mountain Hawks' 18 points in overtime in the 93-86 victory.
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh returns home to host Holy Cross on Wednesday before another short two-hour trip to Army West Point next Saturday, Feb. 15.
The Leopards are 15-7 on the year, riding four straight victories and wins in seven of their last nine. After the win at Lehigh, Lafayette picked up victories at Colgate, vs. American and at Bucknell. Justin Jaworski is leading the offense, averaging 17.6 points per game. E.J. Stephens (11.9) and Myles Cherry (10.6) are also averaging double-figure points, while Cherry is leading the team in rebounding (6.9). Lafayette stands third in the Patriot League in scoring offense (73.1), fourth in scoring defense (69.0) and third in scoring margin (+4.1).
Two weeks ago, Lehigh fell at home to Lafayette (74-56) to snap an eight-game winning streak against the Leopards. Lafayette currently leads the all-time series, 140-90. Last season, the Mountain Hawks pulled out a pair of tight victories, 86-83 at home then 93-86 in overtime at Lafayette. In the home contest, Lehigh knocked down an NCAA best 78.6 percent from three-point range (11-of-14) while missing just 21 shots all game (including free throws). Despite the loss to Lafayette two Sundays ago, Lehigh has still won nine of the last 11 meetings overall, including five in a row at Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks' last loss at Lafayette came on Feb. 23, 2014 by a 77-71 final. The long-time rivals first met in 1901-92, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh returns home on Wednesday to host Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | February 8, 2020 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 2 p.m. |
| Arena/Capacity: | Kirby Sports Center/3,500 |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 5-18, 2-9 Patriot League |
| Lafayette's Record: | 15-7, 7-4 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lafayette leads, 140-90 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM with Tom Fallon. Pregame coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. |
| Television: | RCN |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
Players Mentioned
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