City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--The Lehigh Mountain Hawks (0-5) dropped their fifth straight to start the season after being voted Patriot League preseason favorites in blowout fashion, as the twelfth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (5-1) sailed to an 80-54 victory on their home court.

At First…
Lehigh found a way to hang with the Cavaliers for the entirety of the first half, even taking a 24-23 lead with five minutes to play on a Jesse Chuku three-pointer. From there, however, Virginia closed out the half on an 12-4 spurt to take a 35-28 lead at the break.

Turning Point…
The Cavaliers used their momentum from the end of the first half to dominate the opening minutes out of the break, scoring eleven of the first thirteen points as part of a 22-7 run that spanned nine minutes to start the second half. From there, Virginia never looked back, leading 57-35 with eleven minutes left.

Shining Stars…
Matched up with the tough, deep frontcourt of Virginia, forward Tim Kempton still had a solid performance for Lehigh, dropping fourteen points. Freshman guard Kyle Leufroy had his second double-digit game of his young Lehigh career, scoring fourteen points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting.

Virginia’s highly-talented senior guard Malcolm Brogdon had himself quite the night, scoring twenty-three points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. He also had four rebounds and three assists to contribute to his impressive night for the Cavaliers.

Noteworthy Numbers…
Virginia, who is known for being one of the nation’s toughest defensive teams, held Lehigh to just fourty-percent shooting, while forcing seventeen turnovers. The Cavaliers’ offense, however, played an outstandingly clean game, turning the ball over only seven times while committing only nine team fouls.

Up Next…
Lehigh (0-5) @ No. 16 Purdue (11/28, 7:00 p.m.)
Virginia (5-1) @ Ohio State (12/1, 7:30 p.m.)