Monmouth Hawks (1-3, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (4-2, 0-0 Patriot)
Sunday, November 27, 2016 | 2:00pm ET
Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA
Monmouth looks for its second win of the season at the Christmas City Classic, where it will face Lehigh on Sunday. The Hawks began the 2016-17 campaign with their first opening day win since 2010-11 at Robert Morris, besting the Colonials 69-56. Three days later, Monmouth was defeated by former NEC rival St. Francis Brooklyn by a score of 87-78. Freshman Rosa Graham followed up her 14-point performance at Robert Morris with a 19-point outburst at St. Francis Brooklyn. Senior Tyese Purvis continued her strong start to the season in Monmouth's home opener on Saturday, dropping 17 points against ACC opponent Clemson. The Hawks were outlasted by the Tigers, 60-47, despite outscoring Clemson in the second, third, and fourth quarters. Monmouth came up just short against Hartford on Saturday, losing 75-72 after a shot at the buzzer rimmed out. The team looks to get back on the winning path at Lehigh on Sunday.
SCOUTING THE LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS
After winning three straight games, Lehigh fell to Norfolk State in the first day of the Christmas City Classic, 81-57. Junior guard Quinci Mann is averaging 18.3 points through the first six games, while freshman forward Gena Grundhoffer is averaging 11.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Monmouth (6-3) and Lehigh (3-6) will meet up for the 10th time in program history dating back to their first matchup on December 7, 1994, which Monmouth won by a score of 69-66. Monmouth won the first three games of the series, including a 76-75 victory in the 1997-98 season in the Hawks' only other appearance in the Christmas City Classic. All three of those meetings were played in the 1990s. Lehigh has bested Monmouth in each of the last two years' season-openers, with the Mountain Hawks coming away with the 95-88 win in overtime last year. In 2012-2013, the Hawks won in double overtime by a score of 55-50.
