Monday, February 14
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks, Bison Square off Monday Night on CBS Sports Network
2/13/2022 4:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball team will look to get back on track when the Mountain Hawks host in-state rival Bucknell on Monday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network. Monday's contest is presented by JFR Salvage. Lehigh is coming off a back-and-forth 73-69 defeat to Lafayette on Saturday, a game which saw some wild swings of momentum in a short amount of time.
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Despite Saturday's loss, Lehigh remains in a tie for fourth place in the league standings and very much alive for a possible home game in the Patriot League Quarterfinals with four regular-season games remaining. The Mountain Hawks are in a four-way tie (with Army West Point, Loyola and Holy Cross), so final seeding could still swing anywhere from a top-four seed down to having to play in the opening round (reminder: top six seeds get a bye into the quarterfinals).
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On Saturday, a close first half saw Lafayette open a seven-point halftime edge, and begin the second half on fire to take as much as a 16-point lead with 16:26 remaining. But the Mountain Hawks answered in a big way - due in large part to their bench. Lehigh staged a 22-6 run, all but two of the points scored by the bench, to pull even at 55. The Mountain Hawks took multiple second-half leads, but a long Kyle Jenkins 3-pointer (from between the line and half court) with 1:52 on the clock gave Lafayette a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
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Fifth year Marques Wilson and junior Jake Betlow led the charge, each scoring 15 points - all 15 of Betlow's points coming in the second half. In Lehigh's 22-6 run, 20 of the points were scored by Wilson, Betlow and junior Jakob Alamudun (who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in as many attempts). First year Ben Knostman also came in off the bench and dished five second-half assists. Senior Nic Lynch finished with 12 points - his fourth straight game with double-figure points.
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In the middle of the second half, the Mountain Hawks had one stretch of making five straight 3-pointers. Lehigh finished 8-of-13 in the second (61.5 percent) to go 11-of-19 for the game (57.9 percent). It marked the fifth time in the last 10 games the Mountain Hawks have hit at least 50 percent from behind the arc. Over the last 10 games (beginning with the Jan. 13 road game at Bucknell), Lehigh has hit 47.4 percent of its threes in the second half as opposed to 44.4 percent in the first half. Overall, the Mountain Hawks are 46.0 percent from three in that time period. Over the first 16 games of the season, Lehigh was just 32.0 percent from deep.
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Bucknell stands 6-20 overall, 3-11 in Patriot League play. The Bison are coming off a 78-72 defeat at home vs. Holy Cross on Saturday, three days after they picked up a 68-66 home victory over American. Bucknell's other league wins have come at Holy Cross (68-65) and vs. Loyola (82-80 in overtime). Andrew Funk leads the Bison and is second in the Patriot League in scoring average (17.8). Xander Rice (12.3) and Andre Screen (11.1) are also averaging double figures. Screen leads the team in rebounding (6.6) while Rice's 101 assists lead the Bison and are second in the league. Bucknell is tied for third in the Patriot League in scoring offense (69.6) and 10th in scoring defense (78.4).
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Lehigh snapped a four-game losing streak vs. Bucknell in a big way earlier this season, topping the Bison 97-64 for the largest-ever margin of victory by an opponent at Sojka Pavilion. In the process, Lehigh hit a program-record 18 3-pointers, also the most made treys by an opponent at Sojka. That pulled Lehigh to within 111-70 in the all-time series. The Bison won all four meetings vs. Lehigh last season. Overall, Bucknell has won eight of the last 10 vs. the Mountain Hawks, with Lehigh's other win coming on Senior Day on Feb. 23, 2020 – a 69-60 wire-to-wire victory. Lehigh won four-of-five in the series between 2015 and 2017. Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette. The teams first met in 1902.
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After Monday's game, the Mountain Hawks return to action on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Loyola. Gametime is set for 5 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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Despite Saturday's loss, Lehigh remains in a tie for fourth place in the league standings and very much alive for a possible home game in the Patriot League Quarterfinals with four regular-season games remaining. The Mountain Hawks are in a four-way tie (with Army West Point, Loyola and Holy Cross), so final seeding could still swing anywhere from a top-four seed down to having to play in the opening round (reminder: top six seeds get a bye into the quarterfinals).
Â
On Saturday, a close first half saw Lafayette open a seven-point halftime edge, and begin the second half on fire to take as much as a 16-point lead with 16:26 remaining. But the Mountain Hawks answered in a big way - due in large part to their bench. Lehigh staged a 22-6 run, all but two of the points scored by the bench, to pull even at 55. The Mountain Hawks took multiple second-half leads, but a long Kyle Jenkins 3-pointer (from between the line and half court) with 1:52 on the clock gave Lafayette a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
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Fifth year Marques Wilson and junior Jake Betlow led the charge, each scoring 15 points - all 15 of Betlow's points coming in the second half. In Lehigh's 22-6 run, 20 of the points were scored by Wilson, Betlow and junior Jakob Alamudun (who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in as many attempts). First year Ben Knostman also came in off the bench and dished five second-half assists. Senior Nic Lynch finished with 12 points - his fourth straight game with double-figure points.
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In the middle of the second half, the Mountain Hawks had one stretch of making five straight 3-pointers. Lehigh finished 8-of-13 in the second (61.5 percent) to go 11-of-19 for the game (57.9 percent). It marked the fifth time in the last 10 games the Mountain Hawks have hit at least 50 percent from behind the arc. Over the last 10 games (beginning with the Jan. 13 road game at Bucknell), Lehigh has hit 47.4 percent of its threes in the second half as opposed to 44.4 percent in the first half. Overall, the Mountain Hawks are 46.0 percent from three in that time period. Over the first 16 games of the season, Lehigh was just 32.0 percent from deep.
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Bucknell stands 6-20 overall, 3-11 in Patriot League play. The Bison are coming off a 78-72 defeat at home vs. Holy Cross on Saturday, three days after they picked up a 68-66 home victory over American. Bucknell's other league wins have come at Holy Cross (68-65) and vs. Loyola (82-80 in overtime). Andrew Funk leads the Bison and is second in the Patriot League in scoring average (17.8). Xander Rice (12.3) and Andre Screen (11.1) are also averaging double figures. Screen leads the team in rebounding (6.6) while Rice's 101 assists lead the Bison and are second in the league. Bucknell is tied for third in the Patriot League in scoring offense (69.6) and 10th in scoring defense (78.4).
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Lehigh snapped a four-game losing streak vs. Bucknell in a big way earlier this season, topping the Bison 97-64 for the largest-ever margin of victory by an opponent at Sojka Pavilion. In the process, Lehigh hit a program-record 18 3-pointers, also the most made treys by an opponent at Sojka. That pulled Lehigh to within 111-70 in the all-time series. The Bison won all four meetings vs. Lehigh last season. Overall, Bucknell has won eight of the last 10 vs. the Mountain Hawks, with Lehigh's other win coming on Senior Day on Feb. 23, 2020 – a 69-60 wire-to-wire victory. Lehigh won four-of-five in the series between 2015 and 2017. Bucknell is Lehigh's second-most played rival of all-time, only behind Lafayette. The teams first met in 1902.
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After Monday's game, the Mountain Hawks return to action on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Loyola. Gametime is set for 5 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 14, 2022 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena (Capacity): | Stabler Arena (5,600) |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 9-17, 7-7 Patriot League |
| Bucknell's Record: | 6-20, 3-11 Patriot League |
| Series: | Bucknell leads, 111-70 |
| TV: | CBS Sports Network |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM & 1230 AM |
Players Mentioned
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