It took three games, but the Lehigh basketball team finally has its first win of the season.
For the first time since the 2013-14 season, the Mountain Hawks (1-2) won their home opener, defeating Ivy League favorite Princeton University 76-67 at Stabler Arena on Sunday.
Freshman guard Jordan Cohen had an immediate impact in his first start of the season, putting up 20 points while connecting on seven of his eight attempts from the field. Cohen, starting in place of junior Kahron Ross who was kept out with a leg injury, played all but one minute of the game for the Mountain Hawks.
“It was a little bit nerve-racking,” Cohen said, “but my teammates helped me get over that. I mean they encouraged me from yesterday and just everyday they’ve been talking to me and encouraging me.”
Coach Brett Reed said he felt good about Cohen through the recruiting process and he had a good preseason.
“He’s a typical freshman, and you didn’t know for sure what you were going to get,” Reed said. “The good thing about (Cohen) thus far is that he’s shown that when the lights are on, the kid has come through. And tonight was Exhibit A.”
Senior Tim Kempton led the team in scoring for the third straight game with 24 points on 7 of 13 shooting, also hitting eight of his nine free throws. He further stuffed the stat sheet with 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in his second double-double of the season.
He, too, had nothing but praise to say about the role Cohen played in the win.
“We’ve been calling him out to kind of step up and not be so timid in practice and kind of have his own voice, and today maybe pushed him over the edge,” Kempton said. “He played a tremendous game. He kept us organized in our offense, he looked like a seasoned vet out there.”
Lehigh came out of the gate quickly, starting the game on a 7-2 run in the first two minutes.
The teams traded baskets for the next 10 minutes, with Princeton pulling ahead 22-21 with 7:17 left in the first half. Kempton gave Lehigh back the lead on the following possession, hitting his first 3-pointer of the season and his first of his two on the day.
“We needed this one,” Kempton said. “I think you could tell we played with a sense of urgency from the onset, something that we really haven’t had season-long.”
Lehigh appeared poised to enter the half with the lead after junior guard Brandon Alston hit a contested 3-pointer with eight seconds to go in the half, but Princeton answered back with a 3-pointer of its own in the final second to go into the half tied at 34.
Again on the front foot, the Mountain Hawks came out of the half on an 8-0 run. They were able to keep a sizable lead until a 10-2 run by Princeton brought the game to within a point with 3:45 left to play.
An old-fashioned 3-point play from Kempton ended the run, and senior guard Austin Price’s subsequent basket from behind the arc all but sealed the game for the Mountain Hawks.
The win was Lehigh’s second in its last three meetings with Princeton, but only its third since 1930, as Princeton now leads the all-time series 30-5.
The Mountain Hawks next play Nov. 25, traveling to take on Mississippi State University the day after Thanksgiving.
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