March 7, 2010

Post Game Highlights  |  2010 Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship page

Bethlehem, Pa. - The top seed yet again advanced to the Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship, as Lehigh kept the perfect run of title-game appearances for the No. 1 seed going by defeating No. 4 American, 79-57, in the semifinals of the 2010 Patriot League Tournament on Sunday at Stabler Arena.

Lehigh will host its archrival, No. 3 seed Lafayette, for the Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship on Friday at 4:45 p.m. on ESPN2. Lafayette defeated No. 7 Holy Cross, 66-63, in the other semifinal contest earlier on Sunday. To read the full recap from that game, click here.

Lehigh advances to the Patriot League Championship for the second time overall, and first since winning its only title in 2004. The top seed has moved on to the Championship in each of the Patriot League's 20 seasons, and has won it all in 15 ofthe previous 19 seasons. The Mountain Hawks improve to 21-10 overall, matching a school record for wins in a season that was set in 1987-88.

American's quest for a third straight Patriot League Championship comes to an end. The Eagles close their season at 11-20.

Lehigh took control right from the start, scoring the first 11 points less than three minutes into the game. American did bounce back with eight straight points, but would get no closer than three as Lehigh answered with a 7-2 run for an 18-10 advantage with 9:21 left. The Mountain Hawks closed the first half with a 16-5 run over the last five minutes, taking their biggest lead with a halftime score of 39-21.

The second half was largely a formality, with Lehigh scoring the first five points and holding the advantage between 16 and 24 points the rest of the way.

The Mountain Hawks beat American by double digits in all three meetings this year. Lehigh shot 50 percent in the first half to build the lead and finished at 47 percent for the game, and made 8-of-13 from three-point range and 21-of-26 from the line. Patriot League Player of the Year CJ McCollum led all scorers with 22 points, while Lehigh's trio of senior starters all scored in double figures. Dave Buchberger had 16 points while making 4-of-5 three-poiners, Marquis Hall had 11 points and six assists and Zahir Carrington tallied a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Mountain Hawks had 15 assists with just 10 turnovers, and recorded 12 steals to force 16 American turnovers.

Stephen Lumpkins led American with 15 points and nine rebounds. Steve Luptak scored 14, while Nick Hendra tallied 11, all in the first half. First-Team All-Patriot League pick Vlad Moldoveanu was in foul trouble throughout the night and scored just two points with six rebounds. The Eagles shot 40 percent for the game, and held a 34-33 rebounding edge.

In addition to the top seed advancing in all 20 Patriot League Tournaments, the higher seed is now 39-1 in the semifinal round after the victories by Lehigh and Lafayette on Sunday. The higher-seeded squad has won all 38 games in the past 19 years. Teams with home court in the semifinals have a 20-2 record, winning all 12 games in the past six seasons.

No team seeded lower than third has ever advanced to the Patriot League Championship game, with the losses by Holy Cross and American giving teams seeded fourth or lower an 0-32 mark in the semifinal round.

For more information on the 2010 Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament, visit the Championship page here

For a recap from each institution and the box score from the matchup, go to the links below.

at Lehigh 79, American 57
Box Score