Posted: 01/27/2012 | Last updated: January 27, 2012 at 05:22 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men’s basketball team wraps up the first round of Patriot League play on Sunday when it welcomes Army to Stabler Arena for a special Coaches vs. Cancer Game. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks will be participating in Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer. Lehigh enters Sunday 16-6, 4-2 in the Patriot League and one game ahead of the Black Knights, who stand 10-11 and 3-3 in league play.
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 71-60 win over Navy in front of a nationally-televised audience on CBS Sports Network. Lehigh struggled offensively in the first half, but responded by scoring 42 in the second to earn the 11-point win, the squad’s 14th double-digit victory of the season. The Mountain Hawks have responded with two or more straight wins following each of their last five losses, winning 16-of-20 ever since dropping the first two games of the season.
Junior C.J. McCollum enjoyed a strong all-around game Thursday, posting 24 points, a season-high 14 rebounds and three assists. He moved to 1,775 career points, passing former Lehigh standout Jose Olivero to move into fifth in school history and seventh in Patriot League history for career scoring. McCollum enters Sunday two points from passing former Colgate and NBA star Adonal Foyle for sixth in league history.
The win gave Lehigh its 16th win of the season, tying the team’s win total from all of last season. Ironically, the Mountain Hawks’ 16th win also came against Navy last year - in the Patriot League Semifinals.
The Mountain Hawks shot over 50 percent from the field for a second straight game. After shooting 58 percent at Lafayette, they shot 51 percent against Navy, their fourth and fifth games over 50 percent this season (Lehigh is a perfect 5-0 in those contests). Lehigh was outrebounded, 35-31, but has still outrebounded its opponent in six of its last eight and nine of its last 13.
Sunday marks game two of a three-game homestand as the squad hosts Holy Cross next Saturday. The Mountain Hawks are 6-1 at home this season, with four games still to go.
After starting the season 3-7, Army has reeled off wins in seven of its last 11 to pull within one game of .500 at 10-11. Most importantly, the Black Knights are 3-3 in Patriot League play, just one game behind Lehigh, American and Lafayette who are tied for second at 4-2. After starting league play 0-2, the squad has earned big victories at Navy, Colgate and Holy Cross to pull even. Ella Ellis leads the way offensively with 18.0 points (third in the league behind McCollum and American’s Charles Hinkle) and team-leading 4.9 rebounds per game while Julian Simmons also averages double figures at 12.3. Freshman Milton Washington has had a strong season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, respectively; he has eclipsed double-figure points in five of his nine starts. Army has scored at an impressive pace (69.5), good for second in the league behind Lehigh’s 77.7. The Black Knights own a strong 43.9 field goal percentage and 38.9 from three-point range. They have turned the ball over 15.8 times per game, though.
Army leads the all-time series, 60-33, but the Mountain Hawks have been strong as of late. The Black Knights impressed early on, going 41-4 over the first 45 meetings from 1906 through ‘78. Since, Lehigh is 29-19, which includes a 15-7 record since the 2002-03 season. The Mountain Hawks have won four of the last five, including a strong 78-64 road win in West Point last Feb. 12. McCollum surpassed 1,000 career points last Jan. 15 in a 75-72 loss to the Black Knights.
Lehigh wraps up its three-game homestand next Saturday when it welcomes Holy Cross to Stabler Arena for a 2 p.m. tip. Tickets for all home games may be purchased on Lehighsports.com or by calling the ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME.
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Date:
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January 29, 2012
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Opponent:
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Army Black Knights
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Tip-off:
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2:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Stabler Arena/5,600
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh’s Record:
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16-6 overall, 4-2 Patriot League
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Army’s Record:
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10-11 overall, 3-3 Patriot League
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Series:
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Army leads, 60-33
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach ‘72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 1:30 PM.
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Television:
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Service Electric 2 Sports
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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