Courtesy of LehighSports.com
EMMITSBURG, Md. – Senior Tim Kempton had a career game, scoring a career-high 31 points while tying a career-high 18 rebounds as the Lehigh men’s basketball team used a 17-0 second-half run to create separation, on its way to a 90-71 win at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon. In total, six different Mountain Hawks scored eight or more points as Lehigh eclipsed 90 points for the first time since February of 2014.
“We were able to handle a lot of pressure,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “We were able to hold off some of Mount St. Mary’s runs. Tim Kempton was a big part of it. He grabbed just about every rebound. He was instrumental in helping us beat the press because he gave us a big target to get the ball inbounds, which helped us cut down some of those turnovers that were really big in fueling their runs.”
Kempton recorded a double-double before halftime, posting 10 points and 10 boards in the first half. The double-double was his fifth of the season and 38th of his career. He finished 9-of-13 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. Junior Kahron Ross added 16 points, which included a perfect 9-of-9 from the line, while senior Austin Price scored 13.
“We needed Tim in the backcourt when Mount St. Mary’s was pressing,” said Reed. “He had some pretty good ball security today. That’s a tough position to put a big guy in, but that tells you how his skill level has continued to improve over the course of his career. This was a high possession game. There were a lot of possessions and rebounds to be had. Then, with the open floor type of play, Tim is a guy who finds a variety of different ways to score.”
Sophomore Matt Holba contributed all over the court, recording nine points on 4-of-4 shooting to go with seven rebounds. Sophomore Kyle Leufroy and freshman Pat Andree each scored eight points.
Mount St. Mary’s hit a contested jumper 30 seconds into the game, but the Mountain Hawks responded with a 14-0 run, beginning with six straight points from Ross and ending with a Leufroy trey, as Lehigh took an early 14-2 advantage.
After the opening basket, the Mountain Hawks held Mount St. Mary’s scoreless for nearly five minutes until a Junior Robinson jumper pulled the Mountaineers within 14-4 with 14:56 on the clock. That basket began a 22-9 Mountaineers run as they used full-court pressure to force some turnovers. A fastbreak layup with 7:34 on the first-half clock gave Mount St. Mary’s a 24-23 lead.
Lehigh’s offense ended up going 6:18 without a field goal, but an Andree three-pointer gave the Mountain Hawks a 28-24 advantage with 3:27 left in the first half.
Lehigh knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the final 42 seconds, including one from Leufroy as the first half expired to give the Mountain Hawks a 38-33 lead following 20 minutes of play.
After going back and forth early in the second half, the Mountain Hawks were leading 49-44 with 15:17 on the clock. From there, Lehigh went on a 17-0 run, beginning with four straight points from Price, later including six points from Kempton and ending with five straight from Matt Holba. A Holba trey and dunk off a nifty assist from freshman Jordan Cohen gave the Mountain Hawks a 66-44 advantage with 8:57 remaining in the second half.
Mount St. Mary’s pulled as close as 14, but that came with less than two minutes remaining as Lehigh wrapped up the 90-71 victory.
Lehigh shot 51 percent for the game (28-of-55), including 46 percent from three-point range (10-of-22). Mount St. Mary’s finished at 41 percent (26-of-63) and 31 percent from long distance (9-of-29). The Mountain Hawks held a dominant 43-23 edge in rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks will return home for its final two games of nonleague play, beginning on Monday when they host Saint Francis (Pa.) at 7 p.m.
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