Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Boston University hit 10 of its first 12 second-half field goals as it turned a three-point halftime lead into a 20-point advantage, on its way to downing the Lehigh men’s basketball team 88-82 in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on Thursday evening in Stabler Arena. The loss snapped the Mountain Hawks’ eight-game winning streak as their season ends with a 16-14 record. Trailing by 20 approaching six minutes remaining, Lehigh staged a furious comeback, pulling as close as five with 30 seconds on the clock, but the Terriers hit enough free throws in the final seconds to close out the victory.
“I thought we were sped up a little bit. For us to have 10 first-half turnovers and eight within the first five, six, seven minutes, it was an indicator that we were a little bit out of sorts and a little bit out of sync,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “I was wondering how our team would respond being as young as they are and having so few people be in this position before (Patriot League Tournament). We didn’t respond as well as we needed to.”
In his final-career game, senior Kahron Ross tied for the team lead with 17 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. He added three assists, four steals and a block. Ross finishes his historic Lehigh career with 1,368 points, good for 15th in school history, and 660 career assists, 61 helpers more than anyone else in Patriot League history. This season, Ross became the first four time All-Patriot League honoree in school history.
Five Mountain Hawks finished with double-figure points. Sophomore Jordan Cohen also had 17 on 7-of-12 shooting, classmate Pat Andree tallied 15 on 6-of-10 from the field, freshman James Karnik posted 13 points and nine boards while junior Lance Tejadarecorded 13 points and four assists. Max Mahoney led Boston University’s charge with 27 points while Javante McCoy added 21.
The Terriers opened an early 11-6 lead, which eventually reached 17-10. A 5-0 surge pulled Lehigh within 17-15, but Boston University scored the next eight points to take a 25-15 advantage with 6:32 on the first-half clock. From there, the Mountain Hawks chipped away. A Ross three-pointer and Karnik free throw pulled Lehigh within 29-26 with 2:21 remaining in the first. Cohen knocked down a jumper in the final seconds to pull Lehigh within 33-30 at the half.
Boston University scored four points in the first 32 seconds of the second half to set the tone. A few minutes later, the Terriers staged a 25-11 run to turn a 44-38 lead into a 69-49 advantage following a McCoy trey with 7:29 remaining.
From that point forward, Lehigh outscored Boston University 33-19, but ran out of time. Ross knocked down consecutive three-pointers, with exactly one minute then 48 seconds remaining, to pull the Mountain Hawks within two possessions at 82-76. A Cohen layup pulled Lehigh as close as five at 85-80, then after McCoy went 1-of-2 at the line, freshman Marques Wilson missed a three-pointer that would have pulled the Mountain Hawks within three points. Boston University knocked down enough free throws down the stretch to advance to Sunday’s Patriot League Semifinals.
“In the second half, I thought Boston University played very well,” said Reed. “I told our team at halftime that we had 10 turnovers and were only down three. This could be our half. But in the second half, there was a time when we really did not convert. We had open shots and good looks. They would rim out. We would miss. We didn’t have the chance to put points up on the board.
“During that stretch and throughout the game, Mahoney punched us in the gut on the inside and Boston University consistently knocked down shots. They went on a tear during a stretch where they extended the game. When you have two team who are closely matched, one’s making shots and one isn’t, that can be the difference in the game.”
The Mountain Hawks finished at 46 percent from the field (28-of-61), including 32 percent from three-point range (8-of-25). Boston University finished at 53 percent (28-of-53) and 44 percent from long distance (7-of-16). The Terriers held a 33-31 edge in rebounds.
Lehigh returns all but one player next season for a team that won eight straight games to close the regular season, winning 10+ Patriot League contests and earning a home quarterfinal game for a fourth straight season. The Mountain Hawks do lose Ross, the all-time leader for assists in school and Patriot League history.
“Kahron Ross is very special to my heart,” said Reed. “I told our guys I looked forward to seeing them every single day in practice. I’ve looked forward to every opportunity with them. They’ve been a joy to coach. They’re kids who I care about. They made this year fun. In a season where we lost over 4,000 points and 1,600 rebounds and people are wondering which direction this team will go, they exhibited great unity and tremendous unselfishness. They were authentic, real and opened up to each other to build trust.
“Kahron really set the tone. He helped set a course, hopefully for our future. It’s not going to be easy to replace him because you’re talking about a terrific player who’s been a really strong contributor for us for a number of years. Kahron put his thumbprint not only on this season, this team and these young guys, but also in many respects, our program moving forward.”
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