Friday, November 26
Charlottesville, Va.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Virginia
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks, Cavaliers Set for Post-Thanksgiving Clash Friday
11/24/2021 8:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh is ready to hit the road again for a day-after-Thanksgiving clash at Virginia. The Mountain Hawks will square off with the 2019 National Champions at 7 p.m. Friday on ACC Network. Lehigh enters riding momentum following a 79-72 victory over Columbia on Tuesday, its first win of the young season. The Mountain Hawks opened a 10-point halftime lead and held off multiple Lions' charges in the second half.
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Tuesday snapped a four-game losing skid vs. the Lions and gave Lehigh its first win against Columbia since Jan. 2, 2009. The Mountain Hawks' 79 points marked their most against Columbia since Dec. 1, 1994 - an 85-75 Lehigh victory (19 meetings prior). Lehigh shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the first half, and 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while only turning the ball over five times. That led to a 41-31 halftime advantage. Junior Evan Taylor led Lehigh's offense with a career-high 18 points, 13 coming in the first half. Dating back to the second half against Monmouth, he has now scored 46 points over his last five halves of basketball. Sophomore Dominic Parolin filled up the box score with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Senior Jeameril Wilson also had 12 points while junior Jakob Alamudun added 10. Senior Nic Lynch scored six points to eclipse 500 in his career, while also adding five rebounds.
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In the end, all 10 Mountain Hawks who saw action scored in a total team effort. Freshman Ben Knostman tallied five points, four assists and two steals in a season-high 33 minutes. Fifth-year senior Marques Wilson knocked down a big tie-breaking 3-pointer to give Lehigh a 64-61 lead, sparking a 10-0 Mountain Hawks' run. He also caused a big turnover defensively with just over four minutes remaining and Lehigh up by five.
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Lehigh and UVA are no strangers, with Friday marking the third meeting in the last seven seasons. Ironically, Lehigh will be facing a team with Virginia in its name for the fourth straight season (of playing nonleague opponents… not including last season since the Patriot League only played league games). The others were Virginia Tech (2019), West Virginia (2018) and Virginia (2017). It's also the fourth straight season (of playing nonleague opponents) that the Mountain Hawks will face an ACC opponent - Virginia Tech (2019), Miami (2018) and Virginia/Pittsburgh (2017).
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The 2019 National Champions, Virginia stands 4-2 on the young season. Entering the season ranked No. 25 nationally, the Cavaliers dropped their season opener vs. Navy, but have won four of their next five, including three straight. Most recently, UVA beat Georgia and Providence in consecutive days earlier this week to win the Romans Legends Classic. Jayden Gardner leads Virginia in scoring (14.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 per contest) while Armaan Franklin isn't far behind, averaging 13.8 points per contest. Reece Beekman leads UVA in assists with 26 through six contests. Last season, UVA finished 18-7, including 13-4 in the ACC.
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Lehigh and Virginia will meet for the fourth time on Saturday, with the Cavaliers holding a 3-0 all-time lead. This will mark the third time in the last seven seasons that the teams will play (also 2015 and 2017) after not meeting since 1973. The Cavaliers won in 2017 by a 75-54 final, also winning in 2015, 80-54. In that 2015 game, Lehigh had a 21-19 first-half lead before the Cavaliers responded. The first-ever meeting came on Dec. 11, 1973, an 87-60 UVA win. All games in the series have come in Charlottesville.
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Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home on Sunday to host Saint Francis (Pa.) at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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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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Tuesday snapped a four-game losing skid vs. the Lions and gave Lehigh its first win against Columbia since Jan. 2, 2009. The Mountain Hawks' 79 points marked their most against Columbia since Dec. 1, 1994 - an 85-75 Lehigh victory (19 meetings prior). Lehigh shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the first half, and 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while only turning the ball over five times. That led to a 41-31 halftime advantage. Junior Evan Taylor led Lehigh's offense with a career-high 18 points, 13 coming in the first half. Dating back to the second half against Monmouth, he has now scored 46 points over his last five halves of basketball. Sophomore Dominic Parolin filled up the box score with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Senior Jeameril Wilson also had 12 points while junior Jakob Alamudun added 10. Senior Nic Lynch scored six points to eclipse 500 in his career, while also adding five rebounds.
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In the end, all 10 Mountain Hawks who saw action scored in a total team effort. Freshman Ben Knostman tallied five points, four assists and two steals in a season-high 33 minutes. Fifth-year senior Marques Wilson knocked down a big tie-breaking 3-pointer to give Lehigh a 64-61 lead, sparking a 10-0 Mountain Hawks' run. He also caused a big turnover defensively with just over four minutes remaining and Lehigh up by five.
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Lehigh and UVA are no strangers, with Friday marking the third meeting in the last seven seasons. Ironically, Lehigh will be facing a team with Virginia in its name for the fourth straight season (of playing nonleague opponents… not including last season since the Patriot League only played league games). The others were Virginia Tech (2019), West Virginia (2018) and Virginia (2017). It's also the fourth straight season (of playing nonleague opponents) that the Mountain Hawks will face an ACC opponent - Virginia Tech (2019), Miami (2018) and Virginia/Pittsburgh (2017).
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The 2019 National Champions, Virginia stands 4-2 on the young season. Entering the season ranked No. 25 nationally, the Cavaliers dropped their season opener vs. Navy, but have won four of their next five, including three straight. Most recently, UVA beat Georgia and Providence in consecutive days earlier this week to win the Romans Legends Classic. Jayden Gardner leads Virginia in scoring (14.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 per contest) while Armaan Franklin isn't far behind, averaging 13.8 points per contest. Reece Beekman leads UVA in assists with 26 through six contests. Last season, UVA finished 18-7, including 13-4 in the ACC.
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Lehigh and Virginia will meet for the fourth time on Saturday, with the Cavaliers holding a 3-0 all-time lead. This will mark the third time in the last seven seasons that the teams will play (also 2015 and 2017) after not meeting since 1973. The Cavaliers won in 2017 by a 75-54 final, also winning in 2015, 80-54. In that 2015 game, Lehigh had a 21-19 first-half lead before the Cavaliers responded. The first-ever meeting came on Dec. 11, 1973, an 87-60 UVA win. All games in the series have come in Charlottesville.
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Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home on Sunday to host Saint Francis (Pa.) at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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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: | November 26, 2021 |
| Opponent: | Virginia Cavaliers |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena (Capacity): | John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) |
| Location: | Charlottesville, Va. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-4, 0-0 PL |
| Virginia's Record: | 4-2, 0-0 ACC |
| Series: | Virginia leads, 3-0 |
| TV: | ACC Network |
| Radio: | Fox Sports 1230/1320 AM/94.7 FM |
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