Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s basketball team began the second half on a 12-0 run to take control as the Mountain Hawks pulled away from visiting Army West Point, 83-69 on Senior Night Saturday in Stabler Arena. Senior Tim Kempton posted 25 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes for his sixth double-double in the last seven games. Sophomore Kyle Leufroy also scored 20 points while junior Brandon Alston tied a career high with 18. The win marks Lehigh’s fourth straight as the Mountain Hawks enter the Patriot League Tournament with an 18-11 record, 12-6 mark in the Patriot League as the No. 3 seed. Lehigh will host sixth-seeded Colgate in the Patriot League Quarterfinals next Thursday evening (Mar. 2) at 7 p.m.
“Tonight was a track meet,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “Our guys had to withstand a lot, they played a lot of minutes, but they played them effectively. I thought our defensive energy in the second half was at times incredible and it ultimately opened up the game for us.”
Kempton and Austin Price were recognized prior to their final regular season home games in the Brown and White. Kempton finished 10-of-14 from the field, in the process, moving into third place in school history for career points with 1,970. Kempton had two emphatic dunks on the night, including a behind-the-back dunk on a putback as part of the Mountain Hawks’ 12-0 run to begin the second half. Price tallied seven points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals without turning the ball over.
“Incredible night for Tim,” said Reed. “His energy was terrific. We had to make a tough decision to put him in late in the first half, even with two fouls. He responded and played intelligently. How about the play when he dove on the ground to force a jump ball early in the second half? A play like that helped us establish a toughness variable.”
Leufroy’s 20 points tied a season high while he added six rebounds and a career-high six assists. Junior Kahron Ross tallied eight points, eight assists and two steals.
A Ross three-pointer gave Lehigh an early 9-4 lead. The Black Knights came back and pulled even at nine. The teams went back-and-forth, tied at 12 and eventually 22. Army opened a 27-22 lead with 4:39 on the clock and still led 31-29 until a Kempton three-pointer gave Lehigh a 32-31 advantage with 1:54 remaining, a lead the Mountain Hawks wouldn’t relinquish.
Lehigh led 35-33 at the break before staging its second-half surge. The run began with five straight Kempton points and was followed by a Leufroy three-pointer and four more Kempton points, including his putback dunk. A Kempton jumper gave Lehigh a 47-33 lead with 15:42 remaining, second half.
The Mountain Hawks’ lead reached 16 as a Leufroy trey made the score 56-40 with 11:26 on the clock. Another Leufroy three gave Lehigh a 17-point, 63-46 advantage with 8:45 remaining. Army continued to pull close, but Lehigh always had an answer. An Alston three-pointer gave Lehigh its first 18-point lead at 67-49 then later, an Alston jumper gave the Mountain Hawks a 20-point, 83-63 advantage, on the way to the 83-69 final.
For the game, Lehigh shot 45.3 percent from the field (29-of-64), including 35.5 percent from three-point range (11-of-31). The Black Knights finished at 43.3 percent (26-of-60) and 25.8 percent from long distance (8-of-31). Army held a 39-36 edge in rebounds.
“One thing we’ve been working on is making quicker decisions and not dribbling it in one spot, but moving it around quickly,” said Reed. “Tonight, Army played a little bit of a zone. When we moved the ball quickly and made those quick decisions, it was amazing how open we were. That’s what you want. That’s how your shooters get into a nice rhythm, that’s how you get nice balance and that’s how you make a zone shift.”
Next up for the Mountain Hawks is the Patriot League Quarterfinals next Thursday (Mar. 2) as they host Colgate at 7 p.m
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