Sunday, February 22
Stabler Arena
12:00 pm
Lehigh University
15-12, 9-7PL
61
vs
63
Lafayette
16-11, 8-8PL
1
2
F
Lafayette
32
31
63
Lehigh
27
34
61
Mountain Hawks drop 63-61 final to Lafayette
2/22/2015 3:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - After struggling in the early going, the Lehigh men's basketball team began the second half by scoring 12 of the first 13 points, but Lafayette proved too much in the end as the Leopards won a back-and-forth affair, 63-61 on Sunday in Stabler Arena. Sophomore Tim Kempton posted his 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds while freshman Kahron Ross tallied 13 points and eight assists. Lehigh falls to 15-12 overall and 9-7 in the Patriot League as the Mountain Hawks remain in sole possession of third place in the league standings with two games remaining. Lafayette improves to 16-11 and 8-8 in the league.
Trailing 63-61 with less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Mountain Hawks made a defensive stop and called timeout with 12 seconds remaining. Coming out of the timeout, Lehigh had multiple opportunities to tie the score, but couldn't convert.
"We thought we'd ultimately try to space the floor, give Kahron Ross an opportunity to penetrate and get a decent look," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "Maybe he has a chance to create for others. It wasn't one of his best days. Our offense was hard to come by on a consistent basis. He ends up taking a quick shot. I would have liked for him to get a little bit more separation, whether it comes from a better screen, a better setup, or a little bit more patience. There's a bit of a scramble situation and in that funnel area, there was some indecision. The indecision and perhaps the idea that the clock was going to end soon, didn't give us the best opportunity to knock it down."
Kempton finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while junior Justin Goldsborough just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. Ross' 13 points included 2-of-3 from three-point range while senior Corey Schaefer was 2-for-3 from long distance as well. He finished with seven points and three rebounds on his Senior Day. Schaefer and classmates Conroy Baltimore, Stefan Cvrkalj, Khalid McCaskill and team manager Raven Gaddy were all recognized prior to tipoff. Sophomore Austin Price added 12 points as four Mountain Hawks finished in double figures. Sunday's game was televised nationally by CBS Sports Network.
Seth Hinrichs led Lafayette with 16 points while Dan Trist had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
"They're a team who has a high skill level and good spacing with what they do," said Reed. "We were unable to force turnovers. The more disappointing aspect is that we had some unforced turnovers which led to some easy opportunities for them."
The Leopards jumped out to early four-point leads of 4-0 and 9-5 lead following a Bryce Scott layup with 15:33 on the clock. The lead reached six at 14-8 before the Mountain Hawks scored four in a row. Lafayette held onto its lead over the remainder of the half, reaching 10 following a Zach Rufer layup which made it 27-17 with 3:26 on the clock.
From there, Lehigh scored 10 of the final 15 first-half points. A Ross three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run. After a Lindner layup, the Mountain Hawks scored three straight before a Hinrichs trey in the final seconds made it 32-27 Lafayette after 20 minutes of play.
Ross and Goldsborough led Lehigh with six first-half points apiece. The Mountain Hawks shot just 36 percent from the field (11-of-31) to Lafayette's 42 percent (13-of-31). Rebounds were tied at 19.
Lehigh took the momentum from the end of the first and began the second on a 12-1 run. Price began the half with a three-pointer just 12 seconds in. After a Hinrichs free throw, the Mountain Hawks answered with the next nine points. A Kempton three-point play made it 35-33 Lehigh, giving the Mountain Hawks their first lead of the game. Lehigh followed with a Ross fastbreak layup off a great pass from Price, before a Schaefer three-pointer made it 40-33 Mountain Hawks with 16:36 on the clock.
Lafayette quickly answered with a 9-2 run of its own, as a Trist layup evened the score at 42. The teams went back and forth over the ensuing minutes until the Leopards created some distance with an 8-0 run that turned a 50-49 Lehigh lead into a 57-50 Leopards' advantage with 6:01 on the clock.
The Mountain Hawks wouldn't quit. Trailing 59-51, it took Lehigh just over two minutes to stage an 8-0 run and even the score once again. A Goldsborough offensive layup and putback deadlocked the score at 59 with 2:54 remaining.
Lindner was big for Lafayette down the stretch as the teams traded basket. It was the Lafayette point guard who always had an answer. His jumper with 1:37 remaining gave his team a 63-61 lead, which proved to be the final.
For the game, Lehigh shot 40 percent (23-of-58) and 33 percent from three-point range (5-of-15) while Lafayette shot 43 percent (26-of-60) and 36 percent from long distance (8-of-22). The Mountain Hawks won the battle of the boards, 40-30.
The Mountain Hawks remain home on Wednesday for their final regular season home game as Lehigh hosts first-place Bucknell at 7 p.m. Lehigh will wrap up the regular season next Saturday (Feb. 28) at Colgate. Tipoff for that game is set for 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
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Team Stats
LAFAYETT
LEHIGH
FG%
.433
.397
3FG%
.364
.333
FT%
.750
.667
RB
30
40
TO
8
12
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballC/F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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