BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off a busy weekend at the World Vision Challenge at UConn, the Lehigh women’s basketball team returns to action against Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday in a special 12 p.m. tip-off inside Stabler Arena. It will be Education Day with over 1,500 local students expected to be in attendance.
The Mountain Hawks (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak on Sunday with a convincing 56-29 win over Howard. Lehigh bounced back from a slow start to score 37 second half points while allowing fewer than 30 points in a game for the first time in 30 years. That snapped the squad’s first four-game losing streak since the 2006-07 campaign. It previously hadn’t lost even two straight games in the same season since 2007-08.
Wednesday will mark only Lehigh’s second home game of the young season, while Saint Joseph’s is also its second (of three) Atlantic 10 opponents. The Mountain Hawks dropped their first A-10 game at defending WNIT participant Duquesne on Nov. 12.
The Mountain Hawk defense enjoyed a historic defensive effort on Sunday, allowing only 29 points to Howard, the fewest by a Lehigh squad since defeating Franklin & Marshall during the 1980-81 season. Ironically, that victory came by the same 27-point margin (55-28). The Mountain Hawks held Howard to 24 percent shooting for the game and only 21 percent from behind the three-point arc. No Bison player even cracked double figures, while senior Courtney Dentler scored 17 points to fall only 13 short of outscoring the entire Howard team herself.
Despite losing two-of-three last weekend, the Mountain Hawks gained invaluable experience which they can carry into Patriot League play. Not only did they hang tough with SEC squad LSU, but they also enjoyed strong stretches against No. 1 UConn, who is riding an 84-game winning streak. Lehigh enjoyed seven-minute stretches in both halves in which they played the Huskies even. Dentlerenjoyed another strong weekend, which included a career-high tying 20 points against LSU on Friday while leading the way with 17 points on Sunday vs. Howard. That earned her second honorable mention recognition of the season on the Patriot League Weekly Honor Roll.
Saint Joseph’s holds a 8-1 lead in the all-time series, which includes two straight victories. The teams didn’t play last season after facing off in two straight years, both Hawks’ victories. Lehigh bounced back from six-straight losses against Saint Joseph’s by winning its first (and only) game on Nov. 29, 2004 by a 68-66 final on the road. The Mountain Hawks have been tough to beat at home as of late, but it’s Saint Joseph’s who is a perfect 4-0 against Lehigh in Stabler Arena.
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Lehigh’s second (of three) Atlantic 10 opponents this season, Saint Joseph’s enters with a 3-1 record, with wins over Providence, Sacred Heart and UMBC, while falling to Drexel last time out. The Hawks are led by Michelle Baker, who averages 14.5 points per game, while Kelly Cavallo is at 10.8 and Katie Kuester averages 10.5. Cavallo also leads the way with 8.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Saint Joseph’s is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of plus-11 (60.5-49.5) through four games.
Wednesday will mark the second of three games for the Mountain Hawks this season against Atlantic 10 foes. Lehigh fell to Duquesne in the season-opener and will also host La Salle on Jan. 2. The Mountain Hawks were 3-0 against the A-10 last year, with wins over La Salle, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure.
The Mountain Hawks remain at Stabler Arena for their second straight home game when they host Binghamton on Saturday at 5 p.m. as part of a basketball doubleheader with the men’s team. They then hit the road to face Saint Peter’s and NJIT next Tuesday and Thursday before rounding out their pre-holiday schedule on Saturday (Dec. 11) against Wagner. Tickets for all home games are now on sale and may be purchased on Lehighsports.com or by calling the ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME.
Date: December 1, 2010
Opponent: Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Tip-off: 12:00 PM
Arena/Capacity: Stabler Arena/5,600
Location: Bethlehem, Pa.
Lehigh’s Record: 2-5 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
Saint Joseph’s Record: 3-1 overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10
Series: Saint Joseph’s leads, 8-1
Radio:
Internet Video: WLVR 91.3 FM with Matt Markus beginning at 11:45
Lehighsports.com
Behind Enemy Lines: http://www.sjuhawks.com/
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