By Cord Rankin
GAME NOTES
https://lehighsports.com/documents/2024/12/5/12-7_at_Dayton_MBB_Game_Notes.pdf
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Riding a two-game winning streak, Lehigh men’s basketball hits the road for a date with the Dayton Flyers on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be a homecoming for senior guard Ben Knostman, who attended nearby Tippecanoe High School.
Lehigh (3-5) and Dayton (7-2) have met once before in the 2009-10 season. The Mountain Hawks traveled to UD Arena to take on the Flyers, falling by a score of 89-71. A first-year C.J. McCollum led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 16 points matched by 16 from Dayton’s Chris Wright.
If Lehigh wins, they would earn their third consecutive win and first over Dayton in program history. In addition, a win at Dayton on Saturday would be Lehigh’s first road win of the season.
A stringent defensive effort and efficient night from the field guided the Mountain Hawks to a dominant 90-63 win over Monmouth on Wednesday. Five Mountain Hawks reached double figures in Wednesday’s win, led by a season-high 23 from senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney. The guard shot an efficient 9-13 from the field while tying his career-high of four made threes on the evening. Senior Keith Higgins Jr. extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games with 15 points in 32 minutes of action. Reaching a new career-high was first-year Edouard Benoit, who scored 14 points while making a career-best three triples. First-year Hank Alvey and junior Bube Momah each added ten points in the win.
Dayton enters Saturday’s matchup as one of the top ranked teams in the country, as the Flyers are currently receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll. Dayton’s losses came at the hands of No. 12 North Carolina by two and No. 5 Iowa State by five at the Maui Invitational but picked up a signature win over No. 2 UConn at the event. The Flyers also hold a win over Northwestern this season and are coming off of an eight-point victory against Western Michigan. Dayton’s leading scorer is senior guard Enoch Cheeks, who’s averaging 16.3 points while shooting 44.2% from three. Nate Santos (12.9 ppg), Zed Key (12.1 ppg) and Malachi Smith (11.0) also average double figures for Dayton.
Following Saturday’s game, the Mountain Hawks will have two weeks off for final examinations. After their break, Lehigh’s next game is on December 21 at 1 p.m. on the road against Long Island University.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast locally in the Dayton area on WHIO-TV as well as nationally on ESPN+. Fans can also listen on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM.
Date: December 7, 2024
Opponent: (RV) Dayton
Tip Off: 2:00 p.m.
Arena (Capacity): UD Arena (13,049)
Lehigh’s Record: 3-5
Dayton’s Record: 7-2
Series: Dayton leads, 1-0
TV: WHIO-TV/ESPN+ w/ Alex Mikos and Brooks Hall
Radio: Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM w/ Tom Fallon
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