Dec. 6, 2010

Box Score | News Stand

EASTON, Pa. - For the second straight game, five players scored in double figures for Lafayette, guiding the Leopards to a 76-71 victory over Sacred Heart on Monday night at Kirby Sports Center.

Jim Mower led the way for the Leopards (3-6) with 16 points, including four three-pointers. Rob Delaney and Ben Wheeler each recorded career highs with 15 and 11, respectively, while Ryan Willen (12) and Jared Mintz (10) also reached double digits.

All 10 of Mintz's points came in the first half as part of a 54 percent shooting effort. The Leopards used a 13-4 run beginning with a pair of Mintz free throws at 9:46 and ending a little over a minute later with Delaney's three at 8:12 on one of Wheeler's career-high six assists. Lafayette led 42-34 at intermission.

In the second half, the game was tied, 63-63, for the fourth and final time at 5:07. One of Delaney's four three-pointers at 4:04 gave Lafayette the lead for good, 66-65. Willen's dunk pushed Lafayette to 68-65 with 3:26 left.

Willen, Mower, Delaney and Tony Johnson all converted a pair of free throws in the final 1:47 to help the Leopards put away the game. Delaney's foul shots with four seconds left advanced the Lafayette margin to eight before Jerrell Thompson hit a long three with 1.1 seconds left to trim the final to 76-71. Thompson finished with a game-high 19 points and Louis Montes added 13 for the Pioneers (1-7)

Lafayette shot 20-of-22 from the charity stripe (91 percent) while Sacred Heart turned in a 75 percent (18-of-24) performance. The Leopards held a slight edge on the glass, 29-26.

Lafayette closes out its five-game homestand on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Leopards host Great West Conference preseason favorite NJIT.