Lehigh 81, Lafayette 55 — Rapid Recap
After the first edition of The Rivalry this season featured a tight finish down the stretch, the Lehigh men’s basketball team left nothing to chance Sunday afternoon, flying past Lafayette 81-55 in front of a packed crowd of 2,177 at Kirby Sports Center.
Turning point: The Mountain Hawks came out flying in the first half, shooting 40 percent — both from the field and beyond the arc — by halftime and building up a 16-point lead while the Leopards had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (seven).
The blowout reached full effect in the second half as Lehigh proved there was no lid on the basket Lafayette was shooting on in the first half, continuing to shoot well and force turnovers.
The Mountain Hawks’ biggest lead of the game was 32 points, 72-40, with 6:21 left in the second half.
While the game’s final minutes were still meaningful in the first meeting back on Jan. 21, they were reserved for bench players seeing action on Sunday — whose buckets received some of the biggest roars of the day.
Top performer: Senior forward/center Tim Kempton turned in another double-double for Lehigh, racking up 22 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Austin Price added 12 points, sophomore guard Kyle Leufroy had 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals and junior guard Kahron Ross chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
In his final game at Kirby Sports Center, Lafayette senior guard Nick Lindner led the way with 15 points. He received a standing ovation when he exited the game with 2:02 left in the second half.
What it means: With the Patriot League tournament right around the corner, the Mountain Hawks looked dialed in and picked up their second straight double-digit win — with a much different game than their 75-68 win over the Leopards last month.
Lafayette’s Senior Day was spoiled, with Lindner and Monty Boykins (injured) being honored pregame. The Leopards finished with one more field goal (19) than turnovers (18). They will hit the road for its final two games of the regular season.
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9.
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