Jan. 22, 2011
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
EASTON, Pa. - Senior co-captain Jared Mintz posted his first double-double of the season and seventh of his career with 14 points and 10 boards for the Leopards who were dealt a 79-62 setback to Lehigh on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
Mintz was joined by 10-point efforts from Ryan Willen and Tony Johnson. Junior Nick Petkovich made his first collegiate start and scored nine points and grabbed a career-high seven from the glass.
In the first half, Lafayette (7-13, 2-3) and Lehigh exchanged buckets for the opening 14 minutes before the Mountain Hawks pulled away with a 10-2 run that ended at the 11:33 mark. Lehigh led 18-8.
Petkovich spurred a mini-run for the Leopards with three straight three-pointers. Mintz added a put-back to cut Lehigh's lead to 21-19 with 7:08 left on the clock.
Lehigh (11-9, 2-3) ended the half, outscoring Lafayette 14-3 in the final six minutes. Lafayette trailed 35-22 going into intermission. Lehigh's C.J. McCollum had a double-double at halftime with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
In the final 20 minutes of the game, Lafayette cut the Lehigh lead to eight on three occasions. Mintz's three-point play at 9:57 made it 49-41 and the margin again was eight just 27 seconds later when Rob Delaney hit a jumper. The last time came at 6:28 on two Willen free throws with Lafayette trailing 57-49.
Lafayette was forced to foul down the stretch, sending Lehigh to the line eight times in the final three minutes. The Mountain Hawks converted each attempt.
For the game, the Leopards shot 82 percent from the line and 34 percent from the field while getting outrebounded 42-35 by the Mountain Hawks. Lafayette had a season-high seven blocks led by a career-high three from Levi Giese.
Lehigh was led by McCollum with 23 points and 14 boards. Holden Greiner and Gabe Knutson each chipped in 14 points while Michael Ojo (11) and Mackey McKnight (10) also reached double figures.
Lafayette is back on the road Wednesday when the Leopards head to West Point, N.Y. to take on Army at 7 p.m.
