Second-Half Spurt Lifts Lehigh Past Army

Saturday, February 25

Bethlehem, Pa.

7:30 p.m.

Army West Point

12-18, 6-12PL

Lehigh

18-11, 12-6PL

Army West Point

LEHIGH

Second-Half Spurt Lifts Lehigh Past Army

February 25, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Army West Point men's basketball team dropped an 83-69 decision at Lehigh here Saturday night.

It was a slim 35-33 Lehigh lead at the break, but the Black Knights saw the Mountain Hawks open the second period with a 12-0 run, which ultimately put the game out of reach. Lehigh limited Army to just one 3-pointer in the opening six minutes of the second half as they sparked an overall run of 16-3 to take a 51-36 edge with 14:22 left to play.

The Cadets would get the deficit down to 12 on two different occasions with its most recent at the 6:21 mark following a Jacob Kessler trey, but that would be as close as they would come.

The Mountain Hawks have now won four straight, while the Black Knights' winning streak ends at three.

Jordan Fox registered a team-best 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 makes from behind-the-arc.

Matt Wilson and Kennedy Edwards added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Wilson led the Cadets on the boards with seven, while Tommy Funk and Fox recorded four assists each.

Army closes out its regular season slate with a mark of 12-18 to go along with its 6-12 Patriot League record. Lehigh finishes at 18-11 and 12-6, respectively.

The Black Knights will begin postseason play Tuesday when they host American in the Patriot League Tournament First Round. That contest will be a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup and is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Christl Arena.

Tickets for this game can be found HERE.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army finished the night shooting 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the floor and 25.8 percent (8-of-31) from downtown. The Black Knights also converted on 60 percent (9-of-15) of its free throw attempts.
Lehigh went 45.3 percent (29-of-64), 35.5 percent (11-of-31), and 87.5 percent (14-of-16), respectively.
Scott Mammel and Kessler added nine points apiece for the Black Knights. Mammel hit 3-of-6 from long range, while Kessler notched 4-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-3 from 3-point range.
Luke Morrison and John Emezie pulled down five rebounds each, while Kessler earned two steals.
The Black Knights slightly outrebounded their hosts 39-36, including a 9-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Army scored 34 points from inside the paint compared to 18 for Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks scored 13 points off turnovers, while the Cadets registered five.
Both teams notched 11 second-chance points.
The Black Knights converted on 19 fastbreak points to just nine for Lehigh.
The Cadets bench outscored the Mountain Hawks' 34-5.
Army led for 7:46. Lehigh was in front for 28:55. The game was tied for 3:19.
There were four tie scores and nine lead changes, all of which came in the first half.
Tim Kempton led all scorers with 25 points. Kyle Leufroy and Brandon Alston both matched their career highs with 20 and 18 points, respectively.

TURNING POINT

A Funk fastbreak layup with 35 seconds left pulled the Black Knights to within 35-33 at the break. Unfortunately, a 16-3 run for the Mountain Hawks to start the second half handed them a 51-36 lead with 14:22 left to play. Lehigh then maintained a double digit advantage throughout the remainder of the game.

UP NEXT

The Black Knights host American on Tuesday to kick off the Patriot League Tournament First Round. That contest is slated for 7 p.m. in Christl Arena and will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
The Eagles are coming off a 64-62 road victory over Loyola on Saturday in which senor Charlie Jones hit the game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds remaining.
American concluded its regular season scheduled with an overall record of 8-21. The Eagles finished conference play with a mark of 5-13.