Saturday, February 27
Easton, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks Close Regular Season vs. Leopards this Weekend
2/26/2021 11:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team will wrap up its regular season this weekend the way it started, by facing archrival Lafayette in a pair of big contests. The Mountain Hawks will travel to Easton on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tipoff before hosting the Leopards on Sunday at 6 p.m. on Senior Night as the program honors its lone senior Marques Wilson. Lehigh is coming off an up-and-down weekend that ended on a high note – a 76-72 win at a surging Loyola team.
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The Mountain Hawks bounced back in impressive fashion from a 28-point home defeat Saturday, which marked their first game of February following a two-week pause. Lehigh must have shaken off any rust because on Sunday, it led for nearly 29 minutes of the contest. Once the Mountain Hawks staged a 9-0 run in the middle of the first half, they wouldn't trail the rest of the game, despite the hard-pushing Greyhounds. A balanced effort saw sophomore Reed Fenton tie a career-high 19 points (originally set against Loyola last year). Freshman Dominic Parolin was a big story, posting career highs in points (15) and rebounds (10) for his first-career double-double. Sophomore Evan Taylor just missed his fourth double-double in six games, tallying 15 points and nine rebounds. Also grabbing 11 rebounds Saturday, he now has 59 boards his last six games (after 26 his first six contests). Taylor now leads the team in rebounding (7.1), which is good for fifth in the Patriot League.
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Meanwhile, freshman Ben Li finished off a strong weekend with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, one game after a career-high 13-point performance Saturday. Marques Wilson dished a season-high six assists Sunday, his first time with five or more since last March at Loyola. As a team, the Mountain Hawks had a season-high 15 steals, which was also their most in Brett Reed's 14 seasons as Lehigh head coach.
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Lehigh enters the weekend in a tie for seventh place in the overall Patriot League standings. On Thursday, the league announced a revised league tournament format, with all 10 teams advancing. The three division winners will make up the top three seeds, followed by seeding based on overall Patriot League record (which is also different from the original format). The Mountain Hawks are currently tied with Loyola, but within shouting distance of sixth-place Boston University. Lehigh could still finish anywhere from sixth place (avoiding the first round of the Patriot League Tournament, now set for Wednesday, Mar. 3) all the way to 10th (which means on the road for the first round). If the Mountain Hawks finish seventh or eighth, they would host a game in the first round for a second straight season.
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Lafayette was last in action on Feb. 14 at Loyola, an 88-69 defeat. The only opponent the Leopards have played this month has been the Greyhounds, going 2-2. The teams also played twice in January, both Lafayette victories. In the end, the Leopards' regular season will only feature four different opponents - Loyola (6), Lehigh (4), Bucknell (2) and Boston University (2). Justin Jaworski stands seventh in the nation in scoring (21.8) while fellow senior E.J. Stephens is second (16.5) and sophomore Neal Quinn is also averaging double-figure points (10.5). Quinn, a forward/center, is third in the Patriot League in assists per game (4.3). Lafayette stands second in the league in scoring (77.9 points per game).
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Lehigh and Lafayette split the two earlier meetings this season on Jan. 2 and 3. Senior Marques Wilson hit a long buzzer-beating 3-pointer as time expired in the season opener, a shot that led SportsCenter that night. The Mountain Hawks then opened a 16-2 lead the following day, but Lafayette clawed back to win, 82-70 and take a 145-91 lead in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh has still won 10 of the last 12 meetings overall, including four of the last five at home and six of the last seven on the road. The long-time rivals first met during the 1901-92 season, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games, with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
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Following this weekend, the Mountain Hawks will look ahead to the Patriot League Tournament, either the first round on Wednesday (if they are a 7-10 seed) or quarterfinals (if they are the 6 seed).
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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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The Mountain Hawks bounced back in impressive fashion from a 28-point home defeat Saturday, which marked their first game of February following a two-week pause. Lehigh must have shaken off any rust because on Sunday, it led for nearly 29 minutes of the contest. Once the Mountain Hawks staged a 9-0 run in the middle of the first half, they wouldn't trail the rest of the game, despite the hard-pushing Greyhounds. A balanced effort saw sophomore Reed Fenton tie a career-high 19 points (originally set against Loyola last year). Freshman Dominic Parolin was a big story, posting career highs in points (15) and rebounds (10) for his first-career double-double. Sophomore Evan Taylor just missed his fourth double-double in six games, tallying 15 points and nine rebounds. Also grabbing 11 rebounds Saturday, he now has 59 boards his last six games (after 26 his first six contests). Taylor now leads the team in rebounding (7.1), which is good for fifth in the Patriot League.
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Meanwhile, freshman Ben Li finished off a strong weekend with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, one game after a career-high 13-point performance Saturday. Marques Wilson dished a season-high six assists Sunday, his first time with five or more since last March at Loyola. As a team, the Mountain Hawks had a season-high 15 steals, which was also their most in Brett Reed's 14 seasons as Lehigh head coach.
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Lehigh enters the weekend in a tie for seventh place in the overall Patriot League standings. On Thursday, the league announced a revised league tournament format, with all 10 teams advancing. The three division winners will make up the top three seeds, followed by seeding based on overall Patriot League record (which is also different from the original format). The Mountain Hawks are currently tied with Loyola, but within shouting distance of sixth-place Boston University. Lehigh could still finish anywhere from sixth place (avoiding the first round of the Patriot League Tournament, now set for Wednesday, Mar. 3) all the way to 10th (which means on the road for the first round). If the Mountain Hawks finish seventh or eighth, they would host a game in the first round for a second straight season.
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Lafayette was last in action on Feb. 14 at Loyola, an 88-69 defeat. The only opponent the Leopards have played this month has been the Greyhounds, going 2-2. The teams also played twice in January, both Lafayette victories. In the end, the Leopards' regular season will only feature four different opponents - Loyola (6), Lehigh (4), Bucknell (2) and Boston University (2). Justin Jaworski stands seventh in the nation in scoring (21.8) while fellow senior E.J. Stephens is second (16.5) and sophomore Neal Quinn is also averaging double-figure points (10.5). Quinn, a forward/center, is third in the Patriot League in assists per game (4.3). Lafayette stands second in the league in scoring (77.9 points per game).
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Lehigh and Lafayette split the two earlier meetings this season on Jan. 2 and 3. Senior Marques Wilson hit a long buzzer-beating 3-pointer as time expired in the season opener, a shot that led SportsCenter that night. The Mountain Hawks then opened a 16-2 lead the following day, but Lafayette clawed back to win, 82-70 and take a 145-91 lead in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh has still won 10 of the last 12 meetings overall, including four of the last five at home and six of the last seven on the road. The long-time rivals first met during the 1901-92 season, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games, with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
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Following this weekend, the Mountain Hawks will look ahead to the Patriot League Tournament, either the first round on Wednesday (if they are a 7-10 seed) or quarterfinals (if they are the 6 seed).
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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 27 & 28, 2021 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 4 p.m. (2/27) 6 p.m. (2/28) |
| Arena: | Kirby Sports Center (2/27) Stabler Arena (2/28) |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. (2/27) Bethlehem, Pa. (2/28) |
| Lehigh's Record: | 4-8 PL, 1-5 Central |
| Lafayette's Record: | 7-5 PL, 3-1 Central |
| Series: | Lafayette leads, 145-91 |
| TV: | ESPN+ (Both Days), Service Electric Network (Channel 2) (Sunday) |
| Radio: | Fox Sports 1230/1320 AM/94.7 FM (Both Days) |
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Players Mentioned
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