Monday, January 10
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Holy Cross
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Welcomes Holy Cross Monday Night
1/9/2022 12:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team will look to bounce back from its first Patriot League defeat of the season when it hosts Holy Cross on Monday night. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Last time out, the Mountain Hawks fell behind early at Army West Point, and despite a much better second half in which Lehigh outscored the Black Knights by four, it wasn't nearly enough.
On Friday, Army opened an early 21-4 lead and wouldn't look back. The Mountain Hawks especially struggled offensively over the first 20 minutes (trailing 39-13 at the half). But it took Lehigh less than five minutes in the second half to equal its first-half point total. First year Keith Higgins Jr. continued to impress, scoring double-figure second-half points for a fourth straight game (which includes all three Patriot League contests). He scored 10 of his 13 points over the final 20 minutes. Over his last four games, Higgins has scored 67 points (53 of which have come in the second half). Junior Evan Taylor also finished with 13 points, including Lehigh's first six points of the contest. Higgins and Taylor combined to shoot 10-of-17 (while the rest of the team was 10-of-33). Included was a 3-for-4 showing from 3-point range by Higgins. Sophomore Dominic Parolin was also strong off the bench, posting all 10 of his points in the second half on 3-of-4 shooting. He also had two steals to tie a career high.
Friday featured the return of fifth year Marques Wilson for the first time since Dec. 1 at Yale. He played 21 minutes off the bench and scored five points while adding two assists, two rebounds, a steal and career-high tying two blocks. With the win, Army improved to 3-0 (as one of just two undefeated teams in the league, along with Navy). Lehigh fell to 2-1, as the Mountain Hawks are currently tied for third in the standings very early in the Patriot League slate.
Lehigh and Holy Cross will play in Stabler for the first time in two seasons; the teams did play two games at Holy Cross on back-to-back days last year, both Mountain Hawk victories.
Holy Cross is coming off a 79-74 win at home against Lafayette to snap an eight-game losing streak and pick up its first Patriot League win of the season. The Crusaders trailed by four at the half, but outscored the Leopards 45-36 over the final 20 minutes. Preseason All-Patriot League honoree Gerrale Gates finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds to improve his season averages to 13.3 and 7.6, respectively. First year Kyrell Luc is second on the Crusaders in scoring (11.8 points per game) while Judson Martindale isn't far behind (11.2). Holy Cross began league play with losses against Navy (70-56) and at Loyola (79-70). The Crusaders' wins have come over Regis and Mount St. Vincent.
Lehigh swept a pair of games at Holy Cross last season, as the teams played on consecutive days in Worcester. After picking up a 75-72 victory on Jan. 23, the Mountain Hawks won a day later, 82-74. That marked Lehigh's third straight win against the Crusaders to pull within 43-27 in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh has won six of the last seven in the series and is 10-5 over the last 15. Each of the last eight meetings have been decided by seven points or less (Lehigh is 6-2 in that span). 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 Monday's game, the Mountain Hawks head to Bucknell on Thursday to face the Bison. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
On Friday, Army opened an early 21-4 lead and wouldn't look back. The Mountain Hawks especially struggled offensively over the first 20 minutes (trailing 39-13 at the half). But it took Lehigh less than five minutes in the second half to equal its first-half point total. First year Keith Higgins Jr. continued to impress, scoring double-figure second-half points for a fourth straight game (which includes all three Patriot League contests). He scored 10 of his 13 points over the final 20 minutes. Over his last four games, Higgins has scored 67 points (53 of which have come in the second half). Junior Evan Taylor also finished with 13 points, including Lehigh's first six points of the contest. Higgins and Taylor combined to shoot 10-of-17 (while the rest of the team was 10-of-33). Included was a 3-for-4 showing from 3-point range by Higgins. Sophomore Dominic Parolin was also strong off the bench, posting all 10 of his points in the second half on 3-of-4 shooting. He also had two steals to tie a career high.
Friday featured the return of fifth year Marques Wilson for the first time since Dec. 1 at Yale. He played 21 minutes off the bench and scored five points while adding two assists, two rebounds, a steal and career-high tying two blocks. With the win, Army improved to 3-0 (as one of just two undefeated teams in the league, along with Navy). Lehigh fell to 2-1, as the Mountain Hawks are currently tied for third in the standings very early in the Patriot League slate.
Lehigh and Holy Cross will play in Stabler for the first time in two seasons; the teams did play two games at Holy Cross on back-to-back days last year, both Mountain Hawk victories.
Holy Cross is coming off a 79-74 win at home against Lafayette to snap an eight-game losing streak and pick up its first Patriot League win of the season. The Crusaders trailed by four at the half, but outscored the Leopards 45-36 over the final 20 minutes. Preseason All-Patriot League honoree Gerrale Gates finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds to improve his season averages to 13.3 and 7.6, respectively. First year Kyrell Luc is second on the Crusaders in scoring (11.8 points per game) while Judson Martindale isn't far behind (11.2). Holy Cross began league play with losses against Navy (70-56) and at Loyola (79-70). The Crusaders' wins have come over Regis and Mount St. Vincent.
Lehigh swept a pair of games at Holy Cross last season, as the teams played on consecutive days in Worcester. After picking up a 75-72 victory on Jan. 23, the Mountain Hawks won a day later, 82-74. That marked Lehigh's third straight win against the Crusaders to pull within 43-27 in the all-time series. Overall, Lehigh has won six of the last seven in the series and is 10-5 over the last 15. Each of the last eight meetings have been decided by seven points or less (Lehigh is 6-2 in that span). 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 Monday's game, the Mountain Hawks head to Bucknell on Thursday to face the Bison. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | January 10, 2022 |
| Opponent: | Holy Cross Crusaders |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena (Capacity): | Stabler Arena (5,600) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 4-11, 2-1 Patriot League |
| Holy Cross' Record: | 3-12, 1-2 Patriot League |
| Series: | Holy Cross leads, 43-27 |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM & 1230 AM |
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