Mountain Hawks return to action at North Texas Thursday

Thursday’s game will receive significant attention nationally between two top mid-major programs (North Texas won the Sun Belt in 2010) along with the individual matchup between McCollum and Mitchell. There are more than 50 NBA scouts and executives confirmed for Thursday’s game in one of the most anticipated individual matchups of the college basketball season.

Lehigh won its seventh straight game last time out at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Dec. 8. The Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 13-0 lead before holding off a pesky Red Flash squad that wouldn’t go away. Lehigh opened up as much as a 22-point lead late in the second half before winning 83-67. It marked the fourth time in their last five games that the Mountain Hawks eclipsed 80 points. Lehigh also defeated an NEC foe for the 11th straight time as it improves to 5-0 against the conference this season (also beating Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and Fairleigh Dickinson).

McCollum led the way with 29 points, which included 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Senior Gabe Knutson added 18 while junior Mackey McKnight had 13. The Mountain Hawks were a stellar 24-of-26 (92 percent) from the free throw line and stand second nationally for team free throw percentage in the latest NCAA national statistics (released Monday), coming in at 80.5 percent.

Thursday will mark Lehigh’s second trip to Texas this season (and first ever game against North Texas), after playing at Baylor in its season opener Nov. 9. The Mountain Hawks return to action following the holiday on Saturday, Dec. 29 when they host a resurgent Bryant squad who’s already won five games on the season including a big win at Boston College of the ACC. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. following the Lehigh women’s Christmas City Classic games earlier Saturday.

A win on Thursday would improve Lehigh’s record to 9-2, marking its best mark after 11 games since the 1925-26 season when it was 10-1. The Mountain Hawks are searching for their eighth straight win, which would be their longest since that same 1925-26 campaign when they won 11 straight to close out the season.

The Mountain Hawks are 1-3 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt. Lehigh has played four out of the five teams in the East Division, beating Florida International (1990-91 season) while falling to South Alabama (1995-96), Middle Tennessee (1992-93) and Florida Atlantic (1996-97). Thursday marks Lehigh’s first-ever game against North Texas and anyone from the West (which also features Arkansas Little Rock, Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe).

Knutson scored 18 points at Saint Francis to jump one spot (to 16th) on Lehigh’s all-time scoring list and five spots (from 55th to 50th) on the Patriot League list. The Mountain Hawks eclipsed 80 points for the fourth time in their previous five games, while finishing at 50 percent (or greater) from the floor (25-of-50) for a second straight game and fourth time this season. It marked Lehigh’s seventh straight win over Saint Francis and 11th straight over the NEC.

The 2010 Sun Belt Champions, North Texas was picked first in the West Division of the preseason poll. Featuring 6-8 NBA Mitchell, the Mean Green are 5-6 so far this season. North Texas is coming off two straight wins, over Jackson State (83-65) and Southeastern Louisiana (45-40). That marks their second winning streak of the season, along with three straight against Lamar, Cameron and IUPUI. Mitchell, a potential lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, leads the way with 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. Like Lehigh, North Texas features four double-figure scorers as Chris Jones comes in at 11.1, Jordan Williams at 10.4 and Alzee Williams at 10.3. Jones leads the team in assists with 54. The Mean Green were in the NIT Season Tip-Off, falling to Alabama-Huntsville while defeating 2012 NCAA Tournament squad Lamar.

The Mountain Hawks will return to action after the holiday when they host Bryant on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. Lehigh will head to VCU a week later (Jan. 5) in a game set for NBC Sports Network.

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