Lehigh men’s basketball comes back, beats Holy Cross 64-59

The first half looked like Lehigh men’s basketball’s winning streak was going to end at four games to one of the worst teams in the Patriot League.

But later in the second half, things completely changed.

Lehigh (11-14, 9-5 Patriot) put together an 18-0 run towards the end of the second half to propel itself over College of the Holy Cross, 64-59, Monday night in Stabler Arena.

Junior guard Austin Price scored a team-high 20 points to help lead the Mountain Hawks to an eventual 10-point lead with 57 seconds left in the second half.

“I’m one of the guys on the team that can really get us a win, so when they need me to score, I know I can do it,” Price said. “Especially (with a) late clock, things like that, I know I’m the go-to guy for our team to score.”

The Mountain Hawks knocked down a season-high 24 free throws, many of which were late in the second half, to maintain that lead. Holy Cross (10-15, 5-9 Patriot) missed five straight free throws late in the game and went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, allowing Lehigh to build a lead. The win stretches Lehigh’s win streak to five games.

Both teams suffered from a sloppy shooting night, finishing under 40 percent from the field. Lehigh managed a slight edge – 36.7 percent compared to 34.9 percent for Holy Cross. The Hawks especially struggled from the 3-point line, shooting just 4-of-15.

Lehigh coach Brett Reed credited the Crusaders’ defense, which stifled the team’s offense for much of the game. However, it was Lehigh switching to a 2-3 zone that shut out Holy Cross for over seven minutes.

“That zone defense, although not perfect, at least disrupted their rhythm a little bit,” Reed said. “It took the ball out of the hands of some of the guys who were getting some comfortable shots and forced some other people to make some decisions.”

Sophomore guard Kahron Ross added 17 points, going 9-of-11 from the line. Junior center Tim Kempton notched his third straight double double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Kempton, however, was held scoreless in the first half, missing all four of his shots.

“I was able to knock down two free throws early in the second half, and that’s kind of what got me going,” Kempton said. “They were running a weird baseline double, and I just wasn’t converting in the first half.”

The slow start is something Lehigh will have to avoid in its next game, which comes just two days later against Navy. Reed said the team will need a productive practice Tuesday to continue its winning mentality.

“(We need) to really pinpoint the fact that we did not have the right type of mental approach going into the game, and that’s something that everyone has to be accountable to and responsible for to get ready for Wednesday’s game.”

Lehigh will go on the road to Annapolis, Maryland, to face Navy on Wednesday at 7 p.m.