Posted: 01/07/2013
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men’s basketball team rounds out its nonleague schedule on Tuesday when it hosts Lehigh Valley foe Muhlenberg at 7 p.m. in Stabler Arena. One of the program’s most played rivalries, the two sides have played 110 times beginning with the first meeting back in 1901-02. The Mountain Hawks will look to snap a two-game losing streak heading into their Patriot League opener on Saturday vs. Holy Cross (on CBS Sports Network).
Lehigh is coming off a hard-fought 59-55 loss at VCU Saturday. Along with the defeat, the Mountain Hawks also lost star senior C.J. McCollum to a broken foot; he will be out an estimated 8-10 weeks as there’s a possibility he could return for the final game of the regular season or Patriot League Tournament, but that possibility will depend entirely on his healing process. The Canton, Ohio native was injured with 5:37 to go in the first half, but his teammates put forth a spirited effort, rallying from a 10-point deficit to take a halftime lead. Lehigh stayed within two possessions for the entire second half, but couldn’t get over the hump as VCU improved to 12-3 on the season.
The strong effort came against a Rams team that won its previous four games by an average of 29.8 points. VCU improved to 12-3 on the season, winning every game (except Lehigh) by double figures while falling to only Wichita State, Duke and Missouri. Following their effort, the Rams were ranked 24th nationally in Monday’s USA Today Coaches Poll while standing first in “Others Receiving Votes” in the AP Top 25.
Senior Holden Greiner led the way on Saturday with 17 points (to tie a season high) and nine rebounds. Classmate Gabe Knutson added 10 points and seven boards while sophomore Corey Schaefer was a spark off the bench with nine points on 2-of-3 from three-point range. Lehigh erased a 10-point deficit with a 13-2 run to end the first half. The Mountain Hawks lost for the first time this season when leading at the half (30-29) and holding the rebounding edge (40-33).
Ironically, Lehigh’s first-ever game in Stabler Arena came on Dec. 1, 1979, a 67-50 win. The Mountain Hawks will look to bounce back from a tough 80-79 defeat to Bryant in their last home game. The Bulldogs went on to win their opening two NEC games last weekend, at Robert Morris (84-77) and Saint Francis (Pa.) (78-58), to improve to 9-4 overall.
Lehigh is looking to win its final nonleague game for a fourth straight season. The Mountain Hawks’ last loss to close out nonleague play came on Jan. 7, 2009 (73-64) at Princeton.
Muhlenberg enters with an 8-4 record and 4-2 in the Centennial Conference, winners of seven of its last nine games overall. The Mules are led by guard Malique Killing who averages 20.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Alec Satavetski and Kevin Hargrove are averaging double figures as well with 13.0 and 10.0 points, respectively. Hargrove is coming off a triple-double when he posted 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks against McDaniel, marking only the eighth triple-double in conference history.
Lehigh vs. Muhlenberg is the third most-played rivalry in school history (110 games), only behind Lafayette (214) and Bucknell (159). Lehigh owns a 58-52 all-time advantage, which includes 13 straight wins; Muhlenberg’s last victory came in 1974-75. The sides first met during the 1901-02 season, a 24-4 Lehigh win. The most recent game came in 2005-06, an 80-70 Mountain Hawk victory. That was the first meeting in 10 years (1995-96)
Lehigh will open Patriot League play on Saturday when it hosts Holy Cross at 2 p.m. live on CBS Sports Network.
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Individual and season tickets are on sale and may be purchased on Lehighsports.com, over the phone (610-758-4263) or in-person at Stabler Arena, Monday-through-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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Date:
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January 8, 2013
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Opponent:
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Muhlenberg Mules
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Tip-off:
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7:00 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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9-4 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Muhlenberg’s Record:
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8-4, 4-2 Centennial Conference
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 58-52
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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 6:30 PM
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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