March 4, 2000

Box Score

EASTON, PA (AP) - Patriot League Player of the Year Brian Ehlers scored a game-high 13 points and Frank Barr had 12 to lead Lafayette to a 71-45 victory over Army in the opening game of the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament at Lafayette College on Saturday.

Lafayette (22-6), the tournament's second seed, won its seventh straight game overall and will advance to meet the winner of the Bucknell-Lehigh game in Sunday's semifinals.

Seth Barrett had 12 points and Mike Canty had 10 for seventh-seeded Army (5-23), which ended its regular season.

Lafayette went on a 12-0 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to take a 53-30 lead. The Leopards then ran off 14 of the next 21 points to take a 65-37 lead on Barr's jumper with 6:36 left in the game.

Army, which managed just 15 points in the second half, went 5:51 between baskets. The Cadets, who hit just 17 of 57 for the game, got no closer than 26 points in the final six minutes.

Lafayette, which never trailed, took its biggest lead in the opening half, 41-28, courtesy of a 12-5 run in the final two minutes of the half to end 41-30. Army earlier closed to 23-21 on Barrett's jumper with 7:26 left in the first half but Lafayette responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points.

The 26-point Lafayette win was its largest ever in Patriot League Tournament play.

The Leopards return to action on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. vs. the winner of the Bucknell (3) vs. Lehigh (6) game.