Courtesy of PatriotLeague.org.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – It was an impressive three days for Patriot League men’s basketball teams, and now the squads try to keep the momentum going as they head towards exam breaks.
Five teams took the court Tuesday, and each of the four at home came away with a victory. Bucknell went into its exam break with a 76-60 win over Kent State, while Lehigh routed Fordham 81-63, Army won the battle of the Hudson Valley with a 91-57 triumph over Marist and Lafayette rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat St. Francis (Pa.) 61-58. American went on the road and fell to Howard 55-50.
Three more played on Wednesday, and it was another successful night with two victories on the road. Navy held a 53-29 advantage in the second half to race past Monmouth 85-66, while Holy Cross got a career-high 30 points from Justin Burrell for an 83-78 win at Sacred Heart. Colgate fell at Quinnipiac 67-56.
American capped the weekday slate with a 73-70 win in double overtime at UMBC on Thursday, giving League squads a 7-2 mark during the week.
Bucknell is now off until Dec. 15, a 10-day exam break before it hosts La Salle. All other teams have at least one more game remaining before taking an exam break of a week or more. Lehigh, Holy Cross and Colgate play their last game before the break on Saturday, while Lafayette and American will do so on Sunday and Navy on Monday.
Time to Study
Bucknell became the first Patriot League team to enter its exam break this week, as the win over Kent State on Tuesday was the last action for the Bison until they face La Salle on Dec. 15. Holy Cross, Lehigh and Colgate play their final game before exam breaks on Saturday, while Lafayette and American have their last action on Sunday. Navy plays on Monday before taking its exam break. Army still has three more games, and will not have its break until playing Maine on Dec. 14. All eight teams will be off for at least a week while the schools are in the final exam period.
Home Cooking
Patriot League teams are 20-4 on their home courts this year, and every squad has won at least once at home. It was another great night for the home teams on Tuesday as Lehigh, Bucknell, Army and Lafayettte all won. The Mountain Hawks improved to 4-0 at home, while Bucknell is 3-0 and Holy Cross and Army are each 2-0. Lehigh has an 11-game home winning streak dating back to last season, while Army has won six straight non-League home games since last year. Colgate and Holy Cross host opponents on Saturday while Lafayette and American play at home on Sunday.
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