Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s basketball team opened the game on a 12-0 run then began the second half on a 16-0 run to erase any doubt, on the way to a dominant 72-49 win over American on Saturday evening in Stabler Arena. Junior Tim Kempton led Lehigh with 17 points and nine rebounds as the Mountain Hawks picked up their fourth wire-to-wire win of the Patriot League season. With the victory, Lehigh moves to 6-5 in league play, good for a tie for second in the loss column heading into a Monday night showdown at archrival Lafayette.
“I was really pleased with the way we started each half,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “Their passion, energy and commitment to what we were trying to do was at a pretty high level. We’ve had moments before where maybe a 10 point lead evaporates and becomes four. Then you’re talking about an American team that has a totally different mindset and mentally moving forward. They have a charge and a bounce in their step. Instead, you take a 10-point game and extend it to 26. Now, everyone is scratching their heads and disbelief starts to set in.”
A balanced effort also saw freshman Kyle Leufroy tally 12 points and junior Austin Price score 11. Senior Jesse Chuku scored eight points (all in the first half) while adding four rebounds and a career-high seven assists (five in the second half). Senior Justin Goldsborough posted eight points off the bench on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting and 2-of-2 from the free throw line, including an emphatic dunk late in the game to get an energized Stabler Arena crowd to its feet.
“I was really pleased with the way our guys went about establishing themselves,” said Reed. “I’ve seen Kahron Ross really try to establish himself with poise and energy in the last two games, and I thought Tim Kempton tried to establish himself with some toughness tonight, which was nice to see.”
Sophomore Kahron Ross finished with six points and five assists while turning the ball over just once. With the win, the Mountain Hawks swept the season series from American and won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Lehigh jumped out to a 12-0 lead before American’s first points with 13:33 remaining in the first half. Four different Lehigh players scored in the initial run, led by four points from Ross and three each from Chuku and Leufroy.
A Delante Jones three-point play pulled the Eagles within 12-3, but the Mountain Hawks responded with seven of the next 10 points to take a 13-point, 19-6 lead following Chuku’s second three-pointer of the half with 11:31 on the clock.
American pulled within seven with 9:15 remaining in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks responded with an 11-2 run capped off by two straight Leufroy fastbreak layups to make the score 32-16 with 6:00 remaining.
The Eagles pulled within 10 on an Andrija Matic trey with 3:36 on the clock, which proved to be the halftime margin. A Price offensive rebound and putback gave Lehigh a 38-28 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Mountain Hawks finished the first half shooting 57 percent from the field (17-of-30) and holding a 19-11 edge in rebounds. Leufroy led the way with nine first-half points.
Lehigh came out of the locker room on fire, beginning the second half on a 16-0 run. After not allowing a point until there was 13:33 on the first-half clock, the Mountain Hawks didn’t allow a second-half point until 13:38 on the clock.
Following a Jones free throw, Lehigh immediately answered with an 8-0 run to extend its run since halftime to 24-1. A Price three-pointer gave the Mountain Hawks a 62-29 lead with 11:19 on the second-half clock. In the end, Lehigh didn’t allow a field goal for the first 10:31 of the second half.
American pulled within 24 with 5:25 remaining, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Lehigh wrapped up the win and its largest margin of victory of the Patriot League season.
Lehigh finished the game shooting 53 percent from the field (30-of-57) and 38 percent from three-point range (8-of-21). American finished the game at 32 percent (17-of-54) and 42 percent from long distance (8-of-19). The Mountain Hawks held a dominant 37-28 edge on the glass.
“Our team exhibited pretty good maturity and discipline tonight for a full 40 minutes,” said Reed. “That maturity and discipline needs to carry forward between games and from game to game. I really want our guys to understand how it felt to be dominant and how it felt to play with that type of intensity. It’s not always easy, but the outcome is pretty sweet.”
Lehigh continues its busy five-day stretch on Monday when the Mountain Hawks head to Lafayette for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Lehigh then heads to Bucknell on Wednesday, also a 7 p.m. tip.
OTHER GAMES IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Bucknell 77 Holy Cross 52
WORCESTER, Mass. – Nana Foulland scored a career-high 22 points, and Zach Thomas led a big effort from the Bucknell bench with 14 points and 10 rebounds to send the Bison to a 77-52 victory over Holy Cross at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon. READ MORE.
Loyola (MD) 100 Army West Point 99 2OT
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Andre Walker scored a career-high 31 points with his final two free throws putting Loyola in front with 3.9 seconds left in double overtime to lift Loyola University Maryland to a 100-99 victory at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday afternoon in Patriot League play. READ MORE.
Boston 89 Lafayette 82 OT
EASTON, Pa. – After senior Nathan Dieudonne drained two free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation, freshman Kyle Foreman tallied 11 points to help lead the Boston University men’s basketball team to a thrilling come-from-behind 89-82 overtime victory at Lafayette. READ MORE.
Colgate 58 Navy 55
With it a 51-50 Raiders edge, sophomore Jordan Robertson drained a big 3-pointer to give Colgate the four-point lead with 1:40 left to play. Jace Hogan cut the advantage in half but Robertson converted on 1-of-2 free throws during the next possession to make it a 55-52 ballgame with 36 ticks remaining on the clock. READ MORE.
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