Lehigh returns home to host Holy Cross Friday night

Friday, January 5

Bethlehem, Pa.

6 p.m.

Lehigh University

Holy Cross

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Lehigh returns home to host Holy Cross Friday night

1/4/2018 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's basketball team will look to bounce back from a tough road defeat at Navy when it returns home for the first time in 27 days to host Holy Cross this Friday. Opening tipoff is now set for 6 p.m. The Mountain Hawks led Navy for 21:41 on Tuesday night, but the Mountain Hawks couldn't create separation and in the end, the Midshipmen used a 13-0 run in the final minutes to pull away. The highlight for Lehigh was senior Kahron Ross breaking the Patriot League career record for assists.

On Friday, fans can get a $1 ticket at the door by bringing an unwanted Christmas gift for donation to New Bethany Ministries. There will also be $1 hot dogs and a seat cushion giveaway courtesy of Discover Lehigh Valley. Ross will be honored for his Lehigh, and league, records prior to Friday's contest.

Ross finished with nine helpers to reach exactly 600 in his career, passing Holy Cross' Jave Meade '04 and his 599, a record that stood for the last 14 years. The record-breaking assist came with 4:22 left in the second half on a Kyle Leufroy three-pointer that pulled Lehigh within 65-64. That's when the Midshipmen went on their run to put the game away.

Ross' nine assists tied a season high while he added eight points, four rebounds and a steal. Ross moved into 24th place in school history for career points (currently 1,141). Meanwhile, sophomore Jordan Cohen enjoyed a stellar first half, making his first start of the season for an injured Lance Tejada. Cohen had 15 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, finishing with 17 points, just one from tying a season high. Sophomore Pat Andree added 12 points, knocking down 4-of-9 three-pointers, including three in the second half. Leufroy filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, a career-high tying nine rebounds, two assists, a block and steal. Freshmen Caleb Bennett and Marques Wilson also played very well; Bennett had nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks while Wilson recorded five points on 2-of-3 shooting, along with a rebound and block. George Kiernan led Navy with 27 points; he scored 21 of the Mids' 31 first-half points.

In the end, 24 of Lehigh's 31 second-half points came on either a three-pointer or three-point play. The Mountain Hawks knocked down 5-of-19 from long range while also converting a trio of three-point plays (Ross, Bennett and Wilson). In the end, 19 of the Mountain Hawks' 33 second-half field goal attempts were from long range as Lehigh attempted to break down the Navy zone defense.

The loss was just Lehigh's third in its last 17 tries against Navy, but all three have come in the last six meetings. It marked the second straight season the Mountain Hawks lost at Navy. Last season, Lehigh also gave up a second-half lead, but bounced back a month later to defeat the Midshipmen in Stabler Arena.

Lehigh will return home where it is 3-2 on the season (compared to 3-5 on the road). The Mountain Hawks are one of just two teams in the league (the other being Colgate) to play each of the first two Patriot League contests on the road. Following Friday's game vs. Holy Cross, Lehigh will head to Boston University next Monday (Jan. 8) and Bucknell on Thursday (Jan. 11). The Mountain Hawks will play each of the top three teams from the preseason poll on the road within the first five games of the league schedule.

Holy Cross enters Friday with a 3-10 record and 0-2 mark in Patriot League play. The Crusaders feature several newcomers, having started two freshmen and three juniors in each of their first two league contests. Holy Cross has lost four straight overall after a 62-58 home win over New Hampshire. The Crusaders are 2-3 at home, but just 1-7 away from home (road and neutral-site contests). Jehyve Floyd leads the team in scoring (10.8) and rebounding (5.6) while Karl Charles averages 10.4 points and Caleb Green averages 10.3 along with a team-leading 38 assists. The Crusaders are second in the Patriot League in scoring defense (71.4), but they're last in scoring offense (63.2). Holy Cross is being outrebounded by an average of 9.6 per game.

Lehigh and Holy Cross split a pair of meetings last season, with each side winning at home. After the Mountain Hawks won 68-51 in January, the Crusaders responded by winning 61-45 the following month. Overall, Holy Cross leads the all-time series 41-21. Lehigh has won three of the last four meetings against the Crusaders at home, with the defeat coming in the 2015-16 Patriot League Championship Game. Lehigh and Holy Cross first met in 1976, an 84-60 Holy Cross victory, before reconvening for Patriot League play in the early 1990s.

Following Friday's game, the Mountain Hawks will hit the road for a Monday night showdown at Boston University. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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