Courtesy of LehighSports.com
HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Lehigh men’s basketball team used a 15-0 first-half run to create separation then used a 14-0 second-half run to turn a four-point lead into an 18-point advantage as the Mountain Hawks beat Colgate, 71-54 on Wednesday evening. Lehigh’s eighth straight win clinches a top two seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks will be no lower than the No. 2 seed, but still have a chance at the top spot heading into Saturday’s regular season finale. Lehigh improves to 12-5 with the win and moves to .500 at 14-14 for the first time this season.
Junior Tim Kempton led Lehigh with 16 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double in the last six games. He shot 6-of-8 from the floor for a second straight contest. Classmate Austin Price added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-of-5 from three-point range while sophomoreKahron Ross tallied 12 points (10 in the first half) and seven assists compared to just one turnover. In the process, he moved into fourth place in school history for assists in a single season, currently owning 166.
Sophomore Tyler Jenkins scored a career-high eight points on 3-of-5 shooting while adding a career-high four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Senior Justin Goldsborough posted two points and six big rebounds in 13 strong minutes off the bench. All 10 Mountain Hawks who played scored points.
“I thought Tyler played outstandingly well,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “He really brought defensive energy and a defensive presence and he earned extra minutes when he was out there on the floor. He played with some confidence, which was great to see. He wasn’t rattled and he had his head on straight. It’s a bonus when he knocks down perimeter shots, but he’s been working hard at it. Justin Goldsboroughalso gave us some great rebounds and a terrific finish at the rim in his minutes. Those minutes matter and I thought those guys did a great job providing complementary roles.”
Kempton opened the scoring with a post move just 16 seconds into the game. With Lehigh leading 7-4 following a Ross layup, Colgate scored the next four points to take an 8-7 lead and later took 11-9 and 13-12 advantages midway through the first half.
Lehigh responded with a 15-0 run as a Jesse Chuku three-pointer gave the Mountain Hawks a 15-13 lead with 10:57 on the first-half clock. Kempton and Ross followed with layups then Ross knocked down a three-pointer to give the Mountain Hawks a 22-13 lead with 8:30 to go until halftime. The trey gave Ross 10 early points on 4-of-4 shooting.
A Kempton layup and Jenkins corner three-pointer gave Lehigh a 27-13 lead, forcing Colgate’s second timeout of the first half with 5:48 on the clock.
In total, the Mountain Hawks held the Raiders scoreless for nearly six minutes as part of their run. Following the 15-0 run, Colgate scored the next five points to pull within nine. A mini 5-0 Lehigh run helped the Mountain Hawks reopen their 14-point, 32-18 lead following a Jenkins layup with 1:50 remaining in the first half.
The Raiders responded with seven of the final nine first-half points, including a three-pointer as the first half expired to pull Colgate within 34-25 following 20 minutes of play.
Colgate’s Jordan Swopshire opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer to extend its run to 10-2, but a Price trey helped Lehigh regain a nine-point, 37-28 advantage. The Mountain Hawks responded with the next five points to take a 14-point lead, but the Raiders used a 14-4 run, which ended with consecutive treys from Sean O’Brien and Tom Rivard pulled Colgate within 46-42 with 9:08 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Jenkins had a big answer, knocking down a trey just 24 seconds later to stem the tide and give Lehigh a 49-42 lead with 8:44 remaining.
The Mountain Hawks continued the momentum and turned it into a 14-0 run as a Ross jumper gave Lehigh an 11-point, 53-42 lead, while a Price three-pointer made the score 58-42 and a Leufroy jumper gave the Mountain Hawks an 18-point, 60-42 lead with 4:14 on the clock.
Colgate didn’t pull any closer than 14 the rest of the way and Lehigh’s lead reached 20 at one point, as the Mountain Hawks wrapped up the 71-54 victory.
Lehigh shot 53 percent for the game (26-of-49), including 50 percent from three-point range (10-of-20). Colgate finished at 33 percent (21-of-63) and 35 percent from long distance (9-of-26). The Mountain Hawks finished with a 37-27 edge in rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks wrap up the regular season when they travel to Army West Point on Saturday to face the Black Knights. Opening tipoff is set for 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Lehigh will then host a Patriot League Quarterfinal game for the sixth time in the last seven years next Thursday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m.
OTHER GAMES IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
FROM TUESDAY
Leave a Reply