Courtesy of LehighSports.com
CINCINNATI – The Lehigh men’s basketball team fell behind 16-4, but bounced back with a vengeance as No. 7/8 Xavier squeaked out a back-and-forth season-opening game, 84-81, on Friday evening at the Cintas Center. Senior Tim Kempton led the Mountain Hawks with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting while junior Kahron Ross dished 12 assists, falling just two assists shy of tying his own school record. In the end, Lehigh fell just short of snapping Xavier’s streaks of 26 straight season opening wins and 16 consecutive home opening victories.
“I’m pleased that we could play well and be right there with a top 10 nationally ranked team, but I’m really disappointed because this was an opportunity we kind of let slip away,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “Our defense in the beginning of the game was very shoddy. I think a little bit of it was nerves. You saw us bobble the ball and be out of sorts, then our guys settled down and we made some defensive changes to get back in the game.”
Kempton’s 25 points tied for the game high as Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner combined for 49 points for the Musketeers. Senior Austin Price also scored double-figure points, posting 11 while freshman Jordan Cohen and junior Brandon Alston each scored nine. Ross also scored six points while turning the ball over just three times, compared to his 12 assists.
“Kahron makes so many things happen for us out on the floor,” said Reed. “He’s the gas to our engine. He finds people, he’s aggressive and assertive. One of the most important things I saw was the way in which he was communicating with his teammates, particularly in the second half. We really needed him to relay and organize early in the game and it seemed like he was trying to get his way. But he knocked off the rust and pushed forward. We saw some fire, some vigor and some great organization for him as he was directing and encouraging his teammates.”
Xavier scored the game’s first seven points before Kempton finished a layup to get Lehigh on the board with 17:29 on the first-half clock. The Musketeers opened a 16-4 lead before the Mountain Hawks answered with five straight points behind a Price free throw, Ross jumper and layup from sophomore Matt Holba.
The Musketeers reopened a double-digit lead at 20-9, but the Mountain Hawks continued to draw closer, pulling within six on multiple occasions: 22-16, 25-19 and 27-21.
Xavier scored eight of the next 10 points to reopen a 12-point, 35-23 lead, but the Mountain Hawks used a quick 8-0 run behind consecutive three-pointers from Cohen and Alston, followed by a Holba fastbreak layup, which pulled Lehigh within 35-31 with 4:41 on the first-half clock.
Lehigh used a 6-0 spurt to pull within 42-40 following Kempton’s second straight basket then Xavier responded with a 6-0 run of its own, but a Cohen three-pointer pulled the Mountain Hawks within 48-43 after 20 minutes of play.
Kempton led the Mountain Hawks with 12 first-half points while Ross dished nine assists.
Lehigh opened the second half with four straight points as a layup from sophomore Kyle Leufroy pulled the Mountain Hawks within 48-47 with 18:13 on the clock. The Musketeers went up by six at 53-47, but the Mountain Hawks went on an 11-4 run as a Leufroy three-pointer gave Lehigh its first lead, 58-57, with 12:14 remaining in regulation.
The teams went back and forth over the ensuing minutes, which included the third three-pointer of the game from Cohen, but the Musketeers used a pair of three-point plays to turn a 64-63 advantage into a 70-63 lead with 8:23 on the clock.
The Musketeers extended their run to 9-0 which gave them a 73-63 lead, but Lehigh would not go away. Two Kempton free throws, a Holba layup and Price three-pointer quickly pulled the Mountain Hawks back within 73-70 with 5:41 still on the clock.
Xavier again reopened an eight-point lead at 81-73 with 2:23 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks pulled within four at 82-78 following a Kempton three-point play with 40 seconds on the clock. Another three-point play from Kempton pulled Lehigh within three at 84-81. Ross followed by taking a charge, giving the offense an opportunity to tie. However, three-point attempts from Ross and Price were off the mark as Xavier narrowly escaped.
Lehigh shot 50 percent for the game (29-of-58), including 39 percent from three-point range (9-of-23). Xavier finished at 52 percent (32-of-62) and 24 percent from long distance (4-of-17). The Mountain Hawks held Xavier to just 39 percent in the second half after the Musketeers shot 61 percent in the first 20 minutes. Xavier finished with a 32-27 edge in rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks return to action next Thursday when they head to Yale to face the Bulldogs.
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