Mountain Hawks drop home opener to Yale, 79-67

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team trimmed a 12 point second-half deficit down to three with 3:40 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks couldn't complete the comeback as they fell to Yale 79-67 on Thursday evening in Stabler Arena. For the second straight game, junior Austin Price led Lehigh in scoring, tallying 23 points, just one shy of tying his career high. Classmate Tim Kempton added 16 points and six rebounds in the defeat.

"Yale played well; they're a good team," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We can expect teams to answer the call. We need to make sure we're ready to step forward at the end of the game and answer the call ourselves. We closed to three, we missed the front end of a one and one, we missed an and-one and we missed two shots from the free throw line."

Price scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, finishing the game 8-of-16 from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. He was also active on the defensive end, tallying three steals to go with three assists.

"Austin has the ability to shoot from the perimeter and because of that ability and him reading screens a little bit better, defenses are in a bad spot," said Reed. "They have to chase him hard and they have to be in a position where they're closing. Because of that, he is deceptive enough to put the ball on the floor and attack an open gap. He's a decent enough passer where he can find people, but also he's got some creative finishes which complements his perimeter game."

Sophomore Kahron Ross added 10 points, six assists and three steals for the Mountain Hawks.

After Yale scored five unanswered points to start the game, Lehigh responded with the next five to pull even, all scored by senior Devon Carter. After a jumper by Price tied the score at nine apiece, Yale responded with a 9-3 run to take an 18-12 lead with 8:15 left in the first half.

The Mountain Hawks fought back with a 13-4 run of their run, beginning with a three-pointer from senior Jesse Chuku and ending with a Price trey, giving Lehigh a 25-22 lead with four minutes left in the first half. However, Yale returned the favor with a furious 16-3 run to end the half, good for a 36-28 lead heading into the locker room.

Lehigh got off to a strong start in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points to pull within 38-34 following a Ross jumper with 18:27 on the clock. Leading 41-37, the Bulldogs staged a quick 8-2 run to reopen a 10-point lead at 49-39. The lead extended to 12, but the game continued to go back and forth. Five straight Lehigh points, a Price three-point play and Kempton layup, pulled the Mountain Hawks within 51-46 with 12:19 remaining.

Yale quickly reopened a double-digit advantage, but the Mountain Hawks wouldn't back down. Within 62-54 with 6:40 on the clock, Lehigh eventually whittled the lead down to three following a Ross layup with 3:40 remaining. That's as close as the Mountain Hawks would get, however, as Yale closed the game on a 13-4 run, leading to the 79-67 final.

For the game, Lehigh shot 38 percent from the field (21-of-56) and 38 percent from three-point range (6-of-16). Yale finished at 44 percent (26-of-59) and 43 percent from long distance (9-of-21). The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards, 48-26.

The Mountain Hawks will now hit the road for four straight contests, beginning on Sunday at Columbia. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m.

"Playing such a challenging nonleague schedule, you have to grow through, and learn from, the experiences," said Reed. "It will take maturity and leadership, but it will also take improvements in some of these key areas. The good thing about playing against quality teams is when you make a mistake, they will convert so we have to do a better job of limiting our mistakes."

Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.

Mountain Hawks drop home opener to Yale, 79-67

Next Event

Team Stats

Austin Price

Tim Kempton

Kahron Ross

Devon Carter

Players Mentioned

Devon Carter

Jesse Chuku

Tim Kempton

Austin Price

Kahron Ross

Lehigh University Athletics

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Loyola University Maryland on March 4, 2025 , Loss , 73, to, 77

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Army on March 1, 2025 , Win , 89, to, 67

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Boston University on February 26, 2025 , Loss , 68, to, 79

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Lafayette College on February 22, 2025 , Loss , 70, to, 78

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Bucknell University on February 17, 2025 , Loss , 50, to, 67

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Holy Cross on February 15, 2025 , Win , 72, to, 60

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Navy on February 12, 2025 , Loss , 60, to, 63

Mountain Hawks drop home opener to Yale, 79-67

Related News

Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Austin Price

Tim Kempton

Kahron Ross

Devon Carter

Players Mentioned

Devon Carter

Jesse Chuku

Tim Kempton

Austin Price

Kahron Ross

Related News

Related Videos