Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s basketball team bounced back from a tough loss in a big way, defeating third-place Loyola 71-66 on Wednesday evening in Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks didn’t trail for the game’s final 34:52, on the way to their fifth Patriot League victory of the season. Freshman Kyle Leufroy led the way with 20 points, his third career 20-point game, while sophomore Kahron Ross dazzled with 16 points, eight assists and two steals.
With the win, Lehigh improves to 5-5 in league play and move into a tie for third place in the loss column, just one game (in the loss column) behind second-place Navy, who stands at 7-4. In the process, the Mountain Hawks snapped the Greyhounds’ three-game winning streak.
“Kahron was certainly much more assertive tonight,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “Even as he caught the ball and was dribbling with his penetration, his balance was better. He was lower and was squaring himself towards the basket. Because of that, he was able to make some beautiful short-range passes to people who were rolling to the rim and his footwork was better on his dribble pullups. He was making the read immediately and playing with the type of assertiveness we really like to see. He’s an unselfish young man and he understands how to get other people involved, but knocking down the shot pretty effectively as he did tonight was a huge boost for us.”
Ross scored his 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also turned the ball over just twice, to go with his eight assists. Leufroy’s 20 points came on 7-of-10 shooting and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.
“Kyle has worked his way up within our rotation,” said Reed. “We’ve always seen offensive and defensive talent, but I’m getting more and more impressed with how he’s maturing as a player. The number of mistakes he was making earlier in the season has reduced. His effort and intensity has increased. He’s become a pretty reliable defender for us, someone we can put on challenging matchups. Offensively, I thought he established himself early with some excellent passes. Coupled with his athleticism and strength for finishing, it produces some pretty impressive numbers.”
Junior Austin Price added 11 points on 3-of-4 from three-point range. Senior Jesse Chuku and junior Tim Kempton scored nine points apiece.
Loyola opened a quick 6-2 lead, but the Mountain Hawks responded with a 12-0 run to take early control. The run included four three-pointers, three from Price and one from Chuku. Price’s third trey gave Lehigh a 14-6 advantage with 13:41 left in the first half.
The Mountain Hawks’ lead reached double figures as a Leufroy three-pointer gave Lehigh a 19-8 advantage with 11:06 on the clock. Lehigh’s lead reached 13 at 23-10 following a Leufroy layup with 9:26 left in the first half, but the Greyhounds used a 7-0 run to pull within six at 23-17 with 7:14 on the clock.
Lehigh had an answer, scoring seven of the next eight points as a Ross three-pointer helped him reach the 500-career point plateau, giving his squad a 30-18 advantage with 4:17 on the clock.
Loyola again pulled closer, staging a 6-0 run to pull within 30-24, but the Mountain Hawks used a pair of Ross free throws with eight seconds left in the first half to take a 34-26 lead into the locker room
The teams went back and forth early in the second half as a Justin Goldsborough layup helped Lehigh regain its eight-point, 42-34 lead, with15:35 on the clock. Moments later, the Greyhounds staged an 8-0 run capped off by an alley-oop dunk by Chancellor Bernard to tie the score at 44.
The game was tied for just seven seconds, however, as Ross answered with a jumper on the other end. Less than a minute later, a Chuku tip-in gave Lehigh a 48-44 lead.
Leading by two (48-46), the Mountain Hawks used a 9-1 burst capped off by a Leufroy three-pointer, to regain a double-figure, 57-47 lead with7:34 on the clock.
The Greyhounds slowly cut into Lehigh’s lead, pulling within six with 5:01 remaining then four with 4:14 on the clock. Eventually, an Eric Laster three-pointer pulled Loyola within 62-59 with 2:49 remaining. However, a Ross jumper and Kempton layup gave the Mountain Hawks a 66-59 advantage with 1:50 remaining.
A Walker trey pulled Loyola within 66-64 with 48 seconds to go, but the Mountain Hawks went 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to help seal the victory.
Lehigh finished the game shooting 47 percent from the field (26-of-55) and 47 percent from three-point range (7-of-15). Loyola shot 43 percent (23-of-54) and 25 percent from long distance (4-of-16). The Greyhounds held a 38-29 edge in rebounds.
Lehigh begins a busy five-day stretch on Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host American at 7 p.m. Lehigh then heads to Lafayette on Monday before traveling to Bucknell on Wednesday, both set for 7 p.m. tipoffs.
OTHER GAMES IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Boston U 83 Navy 72
The Midshipmen (16-8, 7-4 PL) entered the contest allowing a conference-low 62.3 ppg, but the Terriers (13-11, 6-5 PL) shot 68.2 percent in the first half and went 14-of-19 from the line in the second to become just the second opponent this season (and first at Alumni Hall) to eclipse the 72-point threshold in regulation. READ MORE.
Army West Point 84 Lafayette 81 OT
Tanner Plomb (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Kevin Ferguson (17 points, 10 rebounds) each registered double-doubles for Army in the comeback win. Kyle Wilson added 20 points and Dylan Cox scored 13, while Larry Toomey pulled in 10 rebounds. READ MORE.
American 69 Bucknell 55
American shot 55 percent from the floor and converted on 19-of-25 from the line. The Eagles outrebounded the Bison 33-28 and forced 12 turnovers. READ MORE.
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