Monday, February 8
Easton, Pa.
7:00 pm
Lehigh University
at
Lafayette
Lehigh heads to archrival Lafayette on Monday night
2/7/2016 6:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Riding two straight victories and coming off one of its most complete victories of the season, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks to continue the momentum on Monday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Lafayette to face the archrival Leopards. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Monday's game is the makeup of the Saturday, Jan. 23 contest which was postponed due to a severe winter storm that dumped in excess of 30 inches of snow in the area. Lehigh is coming off a dominant 72-49 win over previously red-hot American.
The Eagles entered Saturday's game winners of five straight games, including a double-digit victory against first-place Bucknell. In the end, Lehigh snapped that streak, one game after ending Loyola's three-game winning streak. The Mountain Hawks quickly erased much doubt, taking a 12-0 lead and not allowing a point until there was 13:33 on the first-half clock. American came back to within seven on multiple occasions, but Lehigh began the second half on a 16-0 run, which eventually extended to 24-1. A three-pointer from junior Austin Price gave Lehigh a 62-29 lead with 11:19 left in the second half as the Mountain Hawks cruised to victory.
Lehigh didn't allow a second-half point until there was 13:38 on the clock as Delante Jones hit a free throw. The Mountain Hawks didn't allow a field goal for the first 10:31 of the second-half as they completed a sweep of the regular-season series with American for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The 49 points allowed also marked a season-best for the Lehigh defense. The win proved crucial as Lehigh improved to 6-5 in Patriot League play, winning back-to-back games for the first time all season. With Navy's loss to Colgate, the Mountain Hawks are now tied for second place (in the loss column), one half game behind four teams: Navy, Colgate, Boston University and Loyola. With a win at Lafayette Monday, Lehigh would move into a tie for second place (if Colgate loses to Army West Point on Monday) or a tie for third place (if Colgate wins).
Junior Tim Kempton paced the offense against American, scoring 17 points (13 in the second half). He finished 8-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-8 in the second half. Kempton just missed a double-double, tallying a game-high nine rebounds to help the Mountain Hawks to a dominant 37-28 edge on the glass. Freshman Kyle Leufroy scored 12 points while Price tallied 11. Senior Jesse Chuku recorded eight points, four rebounds, a career-high seven assists and a block - which gave him 98 in his career. Senior Justin Goldsborough scored eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He capped off the game with an emphatic dunk with one-minute remaining off a nifty feed from sophomore walk-on Jay Jay Davis. Lehigh was able to spread the minutes around, with no one playing more than 30 minutes which could prove important with the Mountain Hawks in the midst of three games in five days.
Saturday's win was Lehigh's fourth wire-to-wire win of league play (Boston University, American and Holy Cross). The Mountain Hawks have trailed for a total of 3:33 over their six league victories, out of a possible 240 minutes.
Lafayette is struggling this season after losing several key players to graduation from last year's squad. The Leopards are 5-17 overall and 2-9 in league play, earning Patriot League victories at Army West Point and vs. Holy Cross. Lafayette has been close in several other games, losing to Loyola by three and dropping its last two games in overtime at home, vs. Army West Point and Boston University. Six of Lafayette's league losses have been by single digits. Nick Lindner leads the team in scoring (15.3 average) and assists (4.3 per game). Three others average double-figure points: Matt Klinewski (13.8), Bryce Scott (12.3) and Monty Boykins (11.1). Lafayette is fourth in the league in scoring average (72.6), but last in scoring defense (82.3).
Lehigh and Lafayette have gone back-and-forth over the recent years. The teams have split the last two season series, with the Leopards winning five of the last seven overall. Prior to that streak, Lehigh had won five in a row from 2010-12. Last season's meetings were both close with the Mountain Hawks winning at Lafayette 75-71 before the Leopards returned the favor, 63-61. The long-time rivals first met in 1901-92, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
After Monday's game, Lehigh returns to action in 48 hours when the Mountain Hawks travel to Bucknell to face the Bison. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be nationally-televised on American Sports Network.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Riding two straight victories and coming off one of its most complete victories of the season, the Lehigh men's basketball team looks to continue the momentum on Monday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Lafayette to face the archrival Leopards. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Monday's game is the makeup of the Saturday, Jan. 23 contest which was postponed due to a severe winter storm that dumped in excess of 30 inches of snow in the area. Lehigh is coming off a dominant 72-49 win over previously red-hot American.
The Eagles entered Saturday's game winners of five straight games, including a double-digit victory against first-place Bucknell. In the end, Lehigh snapped that streak, one game after ending Loyola's three-game winning streak. The Mountain Hawks quickly erased much doubt, taking a 12-0 lead and not allowing a point until there was 13:33 on the first-half clock. American came back to within seven on multiple occasions, but Lehigh began the second half on a 16-0 run, which eventually extended to 24-1. A three-pointer from junior Austin Price gave Lehigh a 62-29 lead with 11:19 left in the second half as the Mountain Hawks cruised to victory.
Lehigh didn't allow a second-half point until there was 13:38 on the clock as Delante Jones hit a free throw. The Mountain Hawks didn't allow a field goal for the first 10:31 of the second-half as they completed a sweep of the regular-season series with American for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The 49 points allowed also marked a season-best for the Lehigh defense. The win proved crucial as Lehigh improved to 6-5 in Patriot League play, winning back-to-back games for the first time all season. With Navy's loss to Colgate, the Mountain Hawks are now tied for second place (in the loss column), one half game behind four teams: Navy, Colgate, Boston University and Loyola. With a win at Lafayette Monday, Lehigh would move into a tie for second place (if Colgate loses to Army West Point on Monday) or a tie for third place (if Colgate wins).
Junior Tim Kempton paced the offense against American, scoring 17 points (13 in the second half). He finished 8-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-8 in the second half. Kempton just missed a double-double, tallying a game-high nine rebounds to help the Mountain Hawks to a dominant 37-28 edge on the glass. Freshman Kyle Leufroy scored 12 points while Price tallied 11. Senior Jesse Chuku recorded eight points, four rebounds, a career-high seven assists and a block - which gave him 98 in his career. Senior Justin Goldsborough scored eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He capped off the game with an emphatic dunk with one-minute remaining off a nifty feed from sophomore walk-on Jay Jay Davis. Lehigh was able to spread the minutes around, with no one playing more than 30 minutes which could prove important with the Mountain Hawks in the midst of three games in five days.
Saturday's win was Lehigh's fourth wire-to-wire win of league play (Boston University, American and Holy Cross). The Mountain Hawks have trailed for a total of 3:33 over their six league victories, out of a possible 240 minutes.
Lafayette is struggling this season after losing several key players to graduation from last year's squad. The Leopards are 5-17 overall and 2-9 in league play, earning Patriot League victories at Army West Point and vs. Holy Cross. Lafayette has been close in several other games, losing to Loyola by three and dropping its last two games in overtime at home, vs. Army West Point and Boston University. Six of Lafayette's league losses have been by single digits. Nick Lindner leads the team in scoring (15.3 average) and assists (4.3 per game). Three others average double-figure points: Matt Klinewski (13.8), Bryce Scott (12.3) and Monty Boykins (11.1). Lafayette is fourth in the league in scoring average (72.6), but last in scoring defense (82.3).
Lehigh and Lafayette have gone back-and-forth over the recent years. The teams have split the last two season series, with the Leopards winning five of the last seven overall. Prior to that streak, Lehigh had won five in a row from 2010-12. Last season's meetings were both close with the Mountain Hawks winning at Lafayette 75-71 before the Leopards returned the favor, 63-61. The long-time rivals first met in 1901-92, a 46-13 Lehigh victory. Lehigh won the first four games with Lafayette's first win coming in 1914-15.
After Monday's game, Lehigh returns to action in 48 hours when the Mountain Hawks travel to Bucknell to face the Bison. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be nationally-televised on American Sports Network.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Date: | February 8, 2016 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 PM |
| Arena/Capacity: | Kirby Sports Center/2,644 |
| Location: | Easton, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 8-14, 6-5 Patriot League |
| Lafayette's Record: | 5-17, 2-9 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lafayette leads, 139-82 |
| Radio: | Live on ESPN Radio 1160, 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Tom Fallon and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:30 PM |
| Television: | RCN-TV |
| Internet Video: | Patriot League Network |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | Lafayette's Official Website |
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