Navy pulls away from Mountain Hawks in final minutes as Ross sets PL career assists record

Tuesday, January 2

Annapolis, Md.

7 p.m.

Lehigh University

6-7, 1-1PL

Navy

10-5, 1-1PL

Lehigh

Navy

Navy pulls away from Mountain Hawks in final minutes as Ross sets PL career assists record

1/2/2018 10:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Postgame Reaction (Video): Head Coach Brett Reed

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy scored 13 straight points in the final four minutes to turn a one-point lead into a double-digit victory, downing the Lehigh men's basketball team 78-66 on Tuesday evening at Alumni Hall. Making his first start of the season, sophomore Jordan Cohen led the way with 17 points, 15 coming in the first half. Senior Kahron Ross had eight points and nine assists, breaking the Patriot League career assists record in the process. With the loss, the Mountain Hawks fall to 6-7 on the season and 1-1 in Patriot League play heading into a home matchup against Holy Cross on Friday at 6 p.m. Navy improves to 10-5 and 1-1 in the league.

"I was really disappointed because we kind of got three happy [in the second half]," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "We didn't get a lot of inside-out action. If you dialed up those looks for most of our players, they're all makeable shots for us. We had two that were involved in shot clock situations, but part of that is making sure you're effective enough early in the clock to get clean looks. We weren't able to really get to the basket like in the first half. If it wasn't transition, we became stalled in the half court against their zone. Three-point shots are a little bit of what a zone gives you and we have guys who can make those shots, but we have to get more versatility."

Ross' record-breaking assist came on a three-pointer, from junior Kyle Leufroy with 4:22 remaining in the second half. It was the 600th of his career to break the record held by Jave Meade '04 of Holy Cross.

"I couldn't be more proud of Kahron," said Reed. "He's had a terrific career, it's a signature accomplishment and I'm really proud of him. I would have liked to been able to celebrate a better outcome for him today, but nonetheless, it tells you a little bit about the trajectory of his career and what he's been able to do for us. He's a terrific young man and I've enjoyed coaching him and working with him. I'm very happy for him."

Leufroy finished with 13 points while sophomore Pat Andree had 12 on 4-of-9 from three-point range. George Kiernan led Navy with 27 points, 21 coming in the first half. Hasan Abdullah scored all 17 of his points in the second half.

Lehigh went on an early 8-0 run, beginning with a Cohen three-point play and ending with a Cohen three-pointer, to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 12-5 lead with 14:38 on the clock.

With the Mountain Hawks leading 14-7, Navy responded with a 13-2 run as a Kiernan three-pointer gave the Midshipmen a 20-16 advantage with 9:42 remaining in the first half.

Lehigh again had an answer, scoring the next nine points capped off by an Andree three-pointer to give the Mountain Hawks a 25-20 lead with 6:39 left in the first. Lehigh's lead reached six at 28-22 after Cohen's second three-pointer of the half, the Mids pulled as close as two on multiple occasions, but Cohen knocked down a driving floater in the final seconds of the stanza to give Lehigh a 35-31 halftime advantage.

Navy scored seven of the first nine second-half points to take a 38-37 lead less than two minutes into the frame. Consecutive three-point plays from Ross then freshman Caleb Bennett helped Lehigh take a 43-38 advantage, but Navy regained the lead through the middle stages of the period.

Lehigh regained a 53-51 lead on an Andree try with 9:21 on the clock, but a few minutes later, a Shawn Anderson three-point play gave the Mids a 63-61 lead, a lead Navy wouldn't relinquish. Leufroy's trey with 4:22 remaining gave Ross his record-breaking 600th assist and pulled the Mountain Hawks within 65-64, but that's when Navy staged its 13-0 run. Cohen converted a layup in the final seconds to pull the Mountain Hawks within 78-66 at the final horn.

For the game, the Mountain Hawks shot 39 percent from the field (24-of-61), including 30 percent from three-point range (8-of-27). After shooting 27 percent in the first half, Navy shot 57 percent in the second to finish the game at 41 percent (25-of-61). The Midshipmen were 36 percent from long distance (8-of-22). Navy held a 40-33 edge in rebounds.

The Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in nearly a month when they host Holy Cross on Friday. Opening tipoff is now set for 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online by clicking here. Fans can also get a $1 ticket at the door by bringing an unwanted Christmas gift for donation to New Bethany Ministries.

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