The Lehigh men’s basketball team is heading back to the Patriot League Championship after a 91-88 double overtime victory over Boston University on Sunday afternoon.
A corner 3-pointer from senior Tim Kempton put Lehigh up 85-82 with 1:22 left to play in the second overtime. After Lehigh increased its advantage to seven, BU connected on two 3-pointers late and the Mountain Hawks found themselves up just three points with three ticks left and possession of the ball.
Freshman Jordan Cohen rushed the in-bounds pass under pressure and it carried sophomore Kyle Leufroy out of bounds. BU regained possession but failed to get off a good look at the buzzer as Lehigh survived a late scare.
Kempton anchored the Mountain Hawks with 31 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high six blocks. He played two overtimes and the final seven minutes of regulation with four fouls. With his 10th point of the game, Kempton became the third player in the school history to notch 2,000 points in his career. Fellow classmate Austin Price chipped in 23 points after a season-high 27 points in the quarterfinal victory over Colgate University on Wednesday night.
Junior Brandon Alston tallied 18 points and five rebounds. He was one of three Mountain Hawks to knock down at least six free throws during the game. As a team, Lehigh converted 18 of its 24 free throw attempts including a 7-for-7 game from Leufroy. On the defensive end, the Mountain Hawks forced 18 turnovers including 12 steals. Leufroy, Price and junior Kahron Ross all picked up three steals each. The Terriers were held to 38 percent shooting from the field as a unit, and Lehigh contained their starting guards to a combined 9-for-30 shooting.
The Mountain Hawks will face off against the Patriot League regular season champion Bucknell University on Wednesday for the title. Lehigh defeated the Bison twice this season by an average margin of 10 points.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for their first Patriot League Championship since 2012.
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