Saturday, January 14
Bethlehem, Pa.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
American
Photo by: L.J. Smith
Mountain Hawks Host American Saturday, Searching for Fourth-Straight Victory
1/13/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's basketball squad is back home for another Patriot League game, looking for its fourth straight win as the Mountain Hawks welcome American to Stabler Arena on Saturday afternoon.
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Lehigh (8-8, 3-2 PL) enters the game coming off a 76-58 win over Holy Cross on Wednesday night in Stabler Arena that featured sophomore Tyler Whitney-Sidney leading the Mountain Hawks with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. That marks his third game scoring at least 20 points and his 10th game reaching double-digits. Senior Evan Taylor finished the night with 12 points, all coming in the second half off the game, to go with a team-leading seven boards and added two assists. Eleven total Mountain Hawks recorded points on the night, which is the most amount of contributors Lehigh has had all season. The Brown and White shot 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the three-point line in the win, and outrebounded the Crusaders 34-28 and outscored Holy Cross 38-22 in the paint.
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Senior Evan Taylor and sophomores Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney are averaging 13-plus points for the Mountain Hawks. Taylor, who is just five points away from reaching 1,000 career points, has contributed 14.6 points with 5.6 rebounds per contest. Higgins Jr. averages 13.6 points per game and 2.1 assists per contest while Whitney-Sidney is scoring 13.3 points per outing, and a team-leading 29 steals and 2.4 assists per game, along with 5.1 rebounds.
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American (12-4, 4-1 PL) is coming into Saturday's game off a 12-point loss to Army West Point, 72-60 for its first blemish in league play. The Eagles won their first four Patriot League contests, taking down Lafayette (60-47), Loyola (Md.) (71-55), Holy Cross (73-68 OT) and Boston U. (76-74). In non-league action, American has faced two common opponents, falling to Marist (73-69) and defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) (66-55), which Lehigh was 2-0 in those contests. The Eagles went on an eight-game win streak earlier in the year, with wins over Georgetown (74-70), NJIT (58-53) and George Washington (69-64) before Siena snapped their win streak with a 64-61 loss. American is led in scoring by Matt Rogers, averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting 64 percent from the field while Johnny O'Neil is scoring 11.7 points per game and leads the Eagles with 27 blocked shots and 6.6 rebounds per outing.
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Lehigh leads the overall series with a record of 31-27 and has gone 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. The Mountain Hawks have won the last six games played inside Stabler, with the Eagles' last win in Bethlehem coming in the Patriot League Quarterfinal in March 2015.
The Mountain Hawks are back in action on Monday, Jan. 16 when Lehigh takes on Loyola (Md.) on the road in Reitz Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. Single-game tickets are on sale HERE.
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Lehigh (8-8, 3-2 PL) enters the game coming off a 76-58 win over Holy Cross on Wednesday night in Stabler Arena that featured sophomore Tyler Whitney-Sidney leading the Mountain Hawks with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. That marks his third game scoring at least 20 points and his 10th game reaching double-digits. Senior Evan Taylor finished the night with 12 points, all coming in the second half off the game, to go with a team-leading seven boards and added two assists. Eleven total Mountain Hawks recorded points on the night, which is the most amount of contributors Lehigh has had all season. The Brown and White shot 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the three-point line in the win, and outrebounded the Crusaders 34-28 and outscored Holy Cross 38-22 in the paint.
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Senior Evan Taylor and sophomores Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney are averaging 13-plus points for the Mountain Hawks. Taylor, who is just five points away from reaching 1,000 career points, has contributed 14.6 points with 5.6 rebounds per contest. Higgins Jr. averages 13.6 points per game and 2.1 assists per contest while Whitney-Sidney is scoring 13.3 points per outing, and a team-leading 29 steals and 2.4 assists per game, along with 5.1 rebounds.
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American (12-4, 4-1 PL) is coming into Saturday's game off a 12-point loss to Army West Point, 72-60 for its first blemish in league play. The Eagles won their first four Patriot League contests, taking down Lafayette (60-47), Loyola (Md.) (71-55), Holy Cross (73-68 OT) and Boston U. (76-74). In non-league action, American has faced two common opponents, falling to Marist (73-69) and defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) (66-55), which Lehigh was 2-0 in those contests. The Eagles went on an eight-game win streak earlier in the year, with wins over Georgetown (74-70), NJIT (58-53) and George Washington (69-64) before Siena snapped their win streak with a 64-61 loss. American is led in scoring by Matt Rogers, averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting 64 percent from the field while Johnny O'Neil is scoring 11.7 points per game and leads the Eagles with 27 blocked shots and 6.6 rebounds per outing.
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Lehigh leads the overall series with a record of 31-27 and has gone 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. The Mountain Hawks have won the last six games played inside Stabler, with the Eagles' last win in Bethlehem coming in the Patriot League Quarterfinal in March 2015.
The Mountain Hawks are back in action on Monday, Jan. 16 when Lehigh takes on Loyola (Md.) on the road in Reitz Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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| Date: | January 14, 2023 |
| Opponent: | American Eagles |
| Tip-off: | 2 p.m. |
| Arena (Capacity): | Stabler Arena (5,600) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 8-8, 3-2 Patriot League |
| American's Record: | 12-4, 4-1 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh leads, 31-27 |
| Tickets: | LehighTickets.com |
| TV/Video: | ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio – 94.7 FM and 1230 AM |
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more. Single-game tickets are on sale HERE.
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