BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men’s basketball narrowly fell in their season-opener to Cornell by a score of 84-78 inside Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks now set their sights on the Penn State Nittany Lions, as the two teams are slated to face off on Friday night in Happy Valley.
Lehigh’s matchup against Penn State will be the first of two Power 5 games for the Mountain Hawks this weekend. Following Friday’s contest, Lehigh will hit the road and head south to take on #19 North Carolina on Sunday.
It has been quite some time since the Mountain Hawks and Nittany Lions have squared off against one another. The last meeting between the two Pennsylvania schools came in 2010 in University Park, resulting in a 70-56 victory for Penn State. Lehigh led 27-21 at the half before the Nittany Lions pulled away in the second frame.
The Mountain Hawks (0-1) opened their season on Monday at home as part of a doubleheader with Lehigh women’s basketball. The men lost a tightly-contested matchup to Ivy League side Cornell in a game where neither team led by more than seven points. Junior Tyler Whitney-Sidney led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 23 points, sophomore Bube Momah grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in his first collegiate start while senior Jalin Sinclair added a team-best five assists in the loss.
Penn State (1-0) kicked off their season with a win over Delaware State on Monday by a score of 79-45. Kanye Clary led the Nittany Lions in scoring, posting 22 points on an efficient 7-11 from the field. College basketball veteran Qudus Wahab hauled in a team-high 13 rebounds while Ace Baldwin Jr.’s five assists led Penn State in the win.
The win marked the first with the Nittany Lions for head coach Mike Rhoades, who replaced Micah Shrewsberry a year after Penn State advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
Friday night’s matchup will be the first game against a Big Ten opponent for Lehigh since the team lost to Rutgers in overtime 73-70 in 2021.
Friday’s game will be aired on B1G+.
Date: November 10, 2023
Opponent: Penn State
Tip Off: 7:30 pm
Arena (Capacity): Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)
Lehigh’s Record: 0-1
Penn State’s Record: 1-0
Series: 31-11, Penn State leads
TV: B1G+ w/ Brian Tripp and Myles Dread
