Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s basketball team ended the first half on a 17-4 run to open a 24-point halftime lead and wouldn’t look back as the Mountain Hawks downed Cabrini, 93-72 on Thursday evening in Stabler Arena. Five Lehigh players posted double-figure points, led by a game-high 18 points from senior Austin Price. Freshman Pat Andree also recorded his first-career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as Lehigh enters Patriot League play on a three-game winning streak, owning a 6-5 overall record.
“We need Pat to be able to play a key role for us as we move forward,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “I think he fits the bill of being able to knock down shots, he’s a pretty good passer and he has a pretty good offensive IQ. Defensively, he needs to continue to grow, but a big element of defense is rebounding the basketball and helping us close out possessions. If he’s able to rebound the basketball effectively, that’s at least something we can count on and bank on as we move forward in league play.”
The Mountain Hawks have now scored 90 or more points in each of their last three games, averaging 94.3 points in that span. Price finished the evening 4-of-6 from three-point range while adding five rebounds. Leufroy was 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Freshman Jordan Cohen also had 15 points and a career-high seven rebounds, sophomore Brandon Alston recorded 12 points, four rebounds and four assists while senior Tim Kempton had eight points and eight rebounds. Junior Kahron Ross dished 10 assists while turning the ball over just once in only 22 minutes.
“You’re playing at a difficult time of the year coming out of exams. Lehigh’s a challenging school, our guys work hard academically and challenge themselves,” said Reed. “I would like to see our defensive toughness increase because I think we had some slippage tonight. There are a lot of things we need to remind our guys about that are really key for us to be a championship-caliber team. In some aspects, we showed it tonight because we were willing to share the basketball and the ball moved quickly at times. Defensively and overall with some of our overall effort plays, I was a little disappointed, but I think there’s some context to help explain it.”
Lehigh opened up a close back-and-forth opening few minutes, using a mini 6-0 spurt capped off by consecutive layups from Cohen to give the Mountain Hawks a 22-12 advantage with 12:10 on the first-half clock. Cabrini pulled back within five, but Lehigh began to pull away as the first half progressed. Leading by six at 29-23, seven straight Mountain Hawk points gave Lehigh a 36-23 lead following a Kempton layup with 5:23 on the clock.
Lehigh ended the half on a 17-3 run, which included three consecutive three-pointers, two from Price and one from Leufroy. Price ended the half with a pair of free throws to cap off the run and give the Mountain Hawks a 56-32 halftime lead.
The Mountain Hawks’ lead reached 25 early in the second half, but the Cavaliers wouldn’t go away. Cabrini used an 11-1 run to pull within 15 at 62-47, but Lehigh retook control. Lehigh used a 9-2 run capped off by a Leufroy layup to give the Mountain Hawks a 74-50 advantage with 10:39 on the clock.
The lead eventually reached 28 following another Leufroy layup, which made the score 84-56 with 7:50 remaining. Cabrini pulled back within 19, but Lehigh reopened a 24-point advantage, on its way to the 93-72 win.
The Mountain Hawks shot 47 percent for the game (29-of-62), including 39 percent from three-piont range (12-for-31). Cabrini finished at 40 percent (29-of-72), including 31 percent from long distance (8-of-26). Lehigh won the battle of the boards, 49-32.
Following the upcoming holiday, the Mountain Hawks open Patriot League play when they travel to Army West Point on Friday, Dec. 30. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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