Lehigh looks to continue streak at Saint Francis (Pa.) Saturday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Riding a six-game winning streak, the Lehigh men’s basketball team looks to make it seven in a row on Saturday when it travels to Saint Francis (Pa.) to face the Red Flash. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks (7-2) are off to their best start since 1980-81 (one game better than last season’s 6-3 record) while with a win Saturday, they’d be 8-2 after 10 games for the first time since the 1938-39 campaign.

The Mountain Hawks’ offense has been on fire as of late, eclipsing 80 points in three of its last four games to up its season average to 80.6. One game after scoring 100 for the first time since 2004, Lehigh posted 81 against Atlantic 10 squad Fordham. The Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead before holding off a Rams’ comeback attempt for an 81-63 victory. It marked Lehigh’s second straight win over Fordham after beating an A-10 team for the first time in school history last season.

A balanced offense saw the Lehigh starters account for 75 of the team’s 81 points with all five starters reaching double figures. It already marked the second time this season Lehigh has placed five in double digits. Junior Mackey McKnight led the way with 21 points while senior Gabe Knutson had 18, seniors Holden Greiner and C.J. McCollum 13 and junior Anthony D’Orazio 10. In the process, Knutson moved from 19th to 17th in school history for career points.

A big story on Tuesday was sharing the ball and overall unselfish play. The Mountain Hawks finished with 24 assists on 29 made field goals, led by a career-high six from D’Orazio. Greiner added a career-high four assists while McCollum tied a season high with four himself. McKnight dished five or more assists for the seventh time in nine games, this after doing so only 19 times in 64 career games entering the season. The 24 assists came with only nine turnovers as Lehigh took care of the ball, forcing 16 Fordham turnovers as well.

The win marked Lehigh’s 11th straight at home. The Mountain Hawks won’t return to Stabler Arena until Dec. 29 when they host Bryant, as Lehigh has road trips to Saint Francis (Pa.) and North Texas in between, along with a break for final exams.

Lehigh is eying its seventh straight win over Saint Francis and 11th consecutive victory over an NEC foe. Should they win, the Mountain Hawks would extend their overall winning streak to seven, marking their longest regular season winning streak since the 2005-06 season (Jan. 2 through Jan. 21). Lehigh did win nine straight last year (five in the regular season, three in the Patriot League Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament).

Saint Francis enters Saturday with an 0-7 record, but has been in nearly every game. The Red Flash lost to Penn State by seven (65-58), Colgate by nine (85-76), American by 10 (61-51) and Lafayette by three (61-58). Saint Francis also hung tough at Notre Dame, falling 69-52. Lehigh marks the third of four straight Patriot League foes on the Red Flash’s schedule, as they will host Bucknell on Dec. 17. Four players have averaged double figures, led by Umar Shannon (13.7) followed by Ollie Jackson (10.7), Stephon Mosley (10.3) and Stephon Whyatt (10.3). Mosley leads the team in rebounding (4.3) while Ronnie Drinnon is averaging 4.1. Shannon leads the team with 26 assists through seven games.

Saint Francis won the first three games in the all-time series, but Lehigh has responded in a big way, winning six straight. It all began in 1986-87, a 74-72 win. The Mountain Hawks have beaten the Red Flash five straight seasons, including the last two years in Stabler Arena (79-61 and 71-50). Saturday will mark the first game at Saint Francis since Nov. 25, 2009, a 76-67 victory.

Lehigh will have 12 days between games before heading to North Texas on Dec. 20. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Mountain Hawks will return home on Dec. 29 to host Bryant at 7 p.m.

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