Monday, December 30
Smithfield, R.I.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
68
at
70
Bryant
Lehigh falls in final seconds at Bryant, 70-68
12/30/2013 10:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - For a second straight season, Lehigh and Bryant went down to the final seconds and for a second straight year, it was the Bulldogs who pulled out the victory, winning 70-68 on Saturday evening. Freshman Tim Kempton led the charge with his third-career double-double, including an offensive rebound and layup that tied the score at 68, but a Bryant layup with 2.1 seconds on the clock was the difference. Senior Mackey McKnight had a good look at a three as the buzzer sounded, but it fell just short.
Â
The game featured nine ties and 16 lead changes. The defeat snapped Lehigh's five-game winning streak as the Mountain Hawks enter Patriot League play with a 7-6 record.
Â
"That's the type of game that really stings," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "You're in a position to potentially win and there are plays that [Bryant] ended up making. At the end, we forced a wild, contested shot. Unfortunately, we didn't hold possession of the basketball and they were able to pick it up and score, which was really unfortunate for us."
Â
Kempton finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, despite battling some foul trouble. It marked the freshman's third double-double this month and third in his last five games. Sophomore Jesse Chuku was strong, posting 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, including one second-half stretch when he took over on both ends of the floor.
Â
McKnight added 14 points and five assists while freshman Austin Price had 11 points off the bench, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Â
"In close games, everyone always looks towards the final plays, but it actually is a combination of all plays within the game, whether it's the seventh possession, 17th possession or 47th possession," said Reed. "All of them have equal weights, although we don't always picture it that way."
Â
Three Bulldogs combined for 57 of Bryant's 70 points; Alex Francis scored 20, Corey Maynard had 19 and Dyami Starks added 18.
Â
Bryant jumped out to an early lead as a Francis three-point play made it 7-3 with 17:55 on the clock. The Mountain Hawks answered with five straight points behind a Kempton post move and McKnight three to make it 8-7 heading into the first media timeout.
Â
Both teams struggled offensively as Kempton ended nearly a three-minute drought with three straight points. However, the Bulldogs answered with five straight as a Shane McLaughlin trey gave Bryant a 12-11 lead and Francis layup made it 14-11 heading into the under-12 media timeout.
Â
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 20-13 following a Francis free throw with 8:34 on the clock. Freshman Shane Whitfield scored Lehigh's two points during that stretch.
Â
Bryant's lead reached 10 at 25-15 following a Joe O'Shea driving layup, but Price answered with a three on the other end to make it 25-18 with 5:16 left in the first half. Lehigh went on to score 15 of the final 20 first-half points. Sophomore Justin Goldsborough scored five straight, beginning with an offensive rebound and three-point play, then another basket. Price evened the score at 30 with 43 seconds remaining, forcing a Bryant timeout. That stood as the halftime score.
Â
Lehigh shot 39 percent in the first half (11-of-28) and 57 percent from three-point range (4-of-7). Bryant shot 37 percent (11-of-30) and 10 percent from long distance (1-of-10). The Mountain Hawks held a 20-17 rebounding edge. McKnight led the way with seven first-half points while Price had six. Kempton added five points and six rebounds.
Â
After a Bryant free throw less than a minute into the second half, Whitfield knocked down a jumper to give Lehigh its first lead since 9-7. Chuku went on to post three blocks in a 1:13 span and followed that up with a three on the other end to give Lehigh a 38-33 lead with 16:05 remaining.
Â
A Bryant layup made it 38-35, but Lehigh scored five of the next seven points as another Chuku trey made it 43-37 with 13:49 on the clock. A Kempton three-point play made it 46-40, but the Bulldogs answered with a quick 6-0 run behind a three-point play and transition three to even the score at 46 with 12:22 to go.
Â
Price responded with a three to make it 49-46. Starks answered following the media timeout, then Lehigh scored four straight behind a Conroy Baltimore layup and two Price free throws to make it 53-49 with 10:23 on the clock.
Â
Bryant responded with a 7-0 run, using four straight points from Francis followed by an O'Shea three, which made it 56-53 with 7:58 remaining.
Â
Two straight baskets - from Kempton and Whitfield - made it 57-56 Lehigh, but Bryant answered right back with a Maynard layup on the other end to make it 58-57.
Â
The teams went back and forth over the ensuing minutes, trading leads. A McKnight driving layup gave Lehigh a 64-62 lead, but Starks hit a big three with 2:29 remaining to make it 65-64 in favor of Bryant.
Â
A McKnight jumper gave Lehigh a 66-65 advantage, which proved to be its final lead of the game. Down two with 30 seconds remaining, Kempton grabbed a huge offensive rebound and converted the layup to pull even at 68. However, after a wild Maynard shot, Francis picked up the loose ball and converted the easy layup for the 70-68 lead.
Â
With just 2.1 seconds remaining, Reed called timeout and drew up a play which got McKnight open. He had a good look at a potential game-winning three, but it fell just short.
Â
The Mountain Hawks shot 43 percent for the game (25-of-58) and 50 percent from three-point range (8-of-16). Bryant shot 43 percent (26-of-60) and 24 percent from long distance (5-of-21). Lehigh held a 39-35 rebounding edge.
Â
Lehigh returns to action in three days when it travels to Colgate to open Patriot League play against the Raiders. Tipoff on Thursday (Jan. 2) is set for 7 p.m.
Â
"Hopefully this is an opportunity to learn and grow," said Reed. "You really have two choices. You can let a game like this really gnaw at you and tear you apart, or you have an opportunity to learn and grow. Hopefully, we'll show maturity and do that moving forward."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
