BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off a stellar all-around effort against Holy Cross, the Lehigh men’s basketball team looks to carry the momentum when it travels to American to face the Eagles. Tipoff on Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m. Lehigh picked up its second straight win by 30+ points, while forcing Holy Cross to just 29.5 percent shooting (13-of-44). The Mountain Hawks are hoping to improve to 2-0 in the Patriot League for the first time in six seasons (2006-07) when they defeated American and Navy to begin league play.
Lehigh was clicking on all cylinders Saturday. A tight first half saw Holy Cross leading 17-16 with 9:06 on the clock, but that’s when the Mountain Hawks caught fire. Lehigh went on a 14-0 run over the next 6:08 to take a double-digit lead. The Crusaders pulled within eight, but that’s the closest they would come as Lehigh snapped a two-game losing streak in Patriot League openers, improving to 14-9 all-time in league openers (including 7-2 at home).
Junior Mackey McKnight led a balanced offense with 16 points (11 coming after halftime) while senior Holden Greiner added 15 and Gabe Knutson had 12. Juniors B.J. Bailey and Anthony D’Orazio added nine points apiece behind 2-of-3 and 4-of-5 shooting, respectively. Lehigh outrebounded a strong rebounding team, 39-26 behind a career-high 10 boards from freshman Justin Goldsborough, who also added six points to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Week laurels. He became Lehigh’s first Rookie of the Week since the last week of 2010-11 when McKnight earned the honor.
Lehigh shot 50 percent or better from the field for the sixth time this season. The Mountain Hawks are 6-0 in those contests. Lehigh finished at 52 percent (28-of-54), including 67 percent in the second half (16-of-24).
The Mountain Hawks’ defense continued to impress, forcing Holy Cross to just 29.5 percent shooting (13-of-44) from the field. Lehigh’s three strongest defensive efforts (in terms of points allowed) have come in its last three games (59 at VCU, 46 vs. Muhlenberg and 47 against Holy Cross). Prior to that, the Mountain Hawks’ season-best for points allowed was 63 against Fordham. Lehigh held Holy Cross’ leading scorer Dave Dudzinski (who was averaging a team-leading 16.3 points), to only seven on 1-of-6 shooting.
Ten of Lehigh’s 11 wins have come by double figures, including a 40-point win over Fairleigh Dickinson (102-62), 35-point margin against Muhlenberg (81-46), Saturday’s 32-point win over Holy Cross (79-47) and 29-point victory against NEC power Robert Morris (89-60).
Lehigh has won four of its last five road games after starting the year 0-2 on the road (losses at Baylor and Pittsburgh). The Mountain Hawks are looking to snap a two-game losing streak at Bender Arena and win there for the first time since Feb. 6, 2010.
American has enjoyed an up-and-down campaign, coming in with a 6-10 record after winning two of its last three games. The Eagles are 3-3 at home vs. 3-7 on the road. Stephen Lumpkins leads the team in points (14.9) and rebounds (9.1) while Blake Jolivette comes in at 10.5 points and Daniel Munoz 10.3. Tony Wroblicky has teamed with Lumpkins to form an impressive duo down low as he averages 7.4 points and 5.9 boards. Munoz leads the team with 55 assists. The Eagles’ wins have come at Quinnipiac, vs. Mount St. Mary’s, vs. Saint Francis (Pa.), at UMBC, against Maryland Eastern Shore and vs. Cornell.
American leads the all-time series, 22-16 and has won two straight in Bender Arena. The Mountain Hawks have won four of the last seven meetings, including all three during their 2010 Patriot League Championship season. The sides first met during the 1960-61 season, a 71-61 American victory. Lehigh’s first win came in 1964-65 by a 63-47 final.
The Mountain Hawks return home to host Colgate on Saturday. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Lehigh then heads to Bucknell next Wednesday (Jan. 23) to face the Bison at 6 p.m. 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 16, 2013
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Opponent:
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American Eagles
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Tip-off:
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7:30 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Bender Arena/4,500
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Location:
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Washington, D.C.
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Lehigh’s Record:
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11-4 overall, 1-0 Patriot League
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American’s Record:
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6-10, 1-0 Patriot League
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Series:
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American leads, 22-16
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr. Pregame coverage gets underway at 7:00 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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