Lehighsports.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh closes out a tough three game road trip with a visit to Washington, D.C. on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks take on the American Eagles at Bender Arena.  Lehigh has been off since last weekend when the Brown and White knocked Holy Cross off in Massachusetts for the first time since 1998 with a dominating 78-60 victory.  Freshman Gabe Knutson led the way with a season best 31 point effort  and the Mountain Hawks converted 17 Holy Cross turnovers into 25 points.  American closed the first half of league play on a high note as the Eagles are riding a three-game winning streak, which includes a 76-66 victory over Lafayette last Saturday in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Four AU players scored in double figures in the game, led by Vlad Moldoveanu’s 21-point performance.   

The last six games played between Lehigh and American inside Bender Arena have featured plenty of defense and exciting finishes.  The Mountain Hawks have won four of the six meetings, but none since 2007.  The average margin of victory has been only 6.5 points with three games decided by five or less and two games going to overtime (2004, 2009).  Lehigh has averaged 64.2 points in the six games with the Eagles averaging 63.6 points.

The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League during league play in field goal percentage defense (38%), three-point defense (27%) and scoring margin (+9.3) and have held five of seven opponents under 70 points.  During non-league play Lehigh allowed teams to shoot 43% from the field and 37% from downtown. 

Lehigh and American will tip things off at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon from inside Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.  The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr on the call.  Pre-game coverage gets underway at 1:30.