Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a week with no games due to the weekend snowstorm, the Lehigh men’s basketball team returns to action on Wednesday when the Mountain Hawks host Colgate at 7 p.m. Saturday afternoon’s rivalry matchup at Lafayette was postponed and will now be played on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Wednesday is now a doubleheader with the women’s team as the women host Lafayette at 5 p.m. with the men’s game tipping off approximately 30 minutes following its conclusion. Wednesday’s game is part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week in support of the fight against cancer.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. At Wednesday’s game, donations will be collected for Relay for Life and fans can fill out signs identifying who they fight for. Photos with those signs will be taken and posted online. Fans are also encouraged to take part and wear suits and/or sneakers.
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a tight five-point loss against Navy last Wednesday, Lehigh’s fourth league defeat, all by six points or fewer. The game was highlighted by a big 16-2 first-half run to help turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead. A game of runs saw the Midshipmen respond with a 19-3 run which bridged the end of the first half and beginning of the second. From there, Lehigh pulled closer on multiple occasions, but couldn’t get any closer than two. Down three, the Mountain Hawks had a chance to tie the score in the final minute, but the possession ended in a turnover, one of 18 on the evening.
Junior Tim Kempton paced the offense with a team-high 16 points, 14 coming in the second half. He shot 5-of-11 from the field while adding seven rebounds. Senior Jesse Chuku scored 13 points on 3-of-6 three-point shooting, including two big second-half treys to help keep the Mountain Hawks close. Classmate Devon Carter tied a career high for a second straight game with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 2-of-3 from three-point range. Senior Justin Goldsborough was a big spark off the bench, tallying four points and six rebounds in the first half. He finished the game with six points on 3-of-3 shooting along with those six boards and three blocks.
The loss snapped Lehigh’s 11-game winning streak against Navy, marking the Mountain Hawks’ first loss against the Midshipmen since Feb. 10, 2010, an 85-78 defeat in Stabler Arena. Despite the defeat, Lehigh remained in a tie for fourth place in the league standings while Navy stayed tied for first with its 6-1 record. Since then, only three Patriot League contests have been played: Bucknell won at Boston University Saturday, Colgate beat Holy Cross Sunday and Bucknell topped Lafayette Monday. Lehigh is currently tied with Army West Point for fourth place in the standings, 2.5 games behind Wednesday’s opponent (Colgate).
Colgate has been a surprise team in the league standings so far. Despite losing several key players to graduation and being selected ninth in the preseason poll, the Raiders are now 6-2 in league play which includes a big win at Bucknell, handing the Bison their first Patriot League defeat. Colgate is led by senior point guard Austin Tillotson, who is among the league leaders in assists (5.2 per game). He has also scored a team-leading 13.8 points per contest. Jordan Swopshire is second in scoring with 10.2 points per contest while Tom Rivard averages 9.2. The Raiders started the season 2-6, but are 8-3 ever since.
Colgate has won the last three games in the all-time series with Lehigh to take a 51-36 lead. The Raiders won the regular season finale in 2013-14 by a 74-57 final before taking both meetings last season, 68-61 and 61-55. Lehigh has still won six of the last 10 meetings overall, including four straight from 2012 to 2013. The first-ever meeting between the two sides was in 1909-10, a 25-24 Colgate win. The next game didn’t come until 1959-60. Lehigh’s first victory was in 1961-62 by a 72-71 final.
Lehigh begins the second round of Patriot League play when the Mountain Hawks travel to Boston University this weekend. Tipoff on Sunday is set for 12 p.m. and will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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