BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Round one of the rivalry went to the Leopards on Saturday afternoon in Patriot League men's basketball action at Stabler Arena.
 
Three players scored in double figures for the Maroon and White led by 22 points from junior Neil Quinn. Quinn, who netted double figures for the 17^th straight game, finished 8-of-15 from the floor while adding seven rebounds.
 
Senior guard Tyrone Perry contributed 19 points on a 7-of-10 shooting performance while junior forward Leo O'Boyle chipped in with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and three three-pointers. The Leopards shot 56 percent from the floor as a team and were even on the glass.
 
In the first half, Lafayette forced eight turnovers and turned those into 18 points. Quinn contributed 13 before intermission, including a 5-of-5 shooting effort from the line. O'Boyle and Perry also hit double figures in the opening stanza with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Lafayette closed the half on the 6-0 run thanks to a pair of fast-break layups from O'Boyle and two Quinn free throws.
 
As the second half opened, the Leopards kept the offense moving, stretching the lead to 15 on two occasions before taking a 16-point lead at 16:29 when O'Boyle nailed a three from straight on off a C.J. Fulton assist. Fulton finished the day with six points, five assists and five steals.
 
Lehigh showed the game was far from in hand. The hosts, spurred by nine points from Jake Betlow, reeled off a 22-6 run over the next seven minutes and knotted the game at 55-55.
 
Quinn then converted a three-point play at the nine-minute mark and junior Kyle Jenkins added a putback at 7:44 as Lafayette led 60-56.  
 
The teams continued to trade three-pointers, but it was Jenkins 30-footer before time expired on the shot clock that gave Lafayette the lead for good, 68-67 with 1:52 left in the game.
 
Fulton pushed Lafayette's lead to 70-67 on a fast-break layup off a turnover 1:11 left. Lehigh's Marques Wilson (15 points) answered with a driving layup with 16 seconds left.
 
The Leopards inbounded the ball and Perry had a look at a layup to go by three, but instead he opted to pull the ball back out and burn some time off the clock. He then made both ends of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds left before hitting one more free throw to seal the 73-69 final.
 
Lafayette will turn right around and travel to Patriot League frontrunner Colgate on Monday for a 6 p.m. tip.
 
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.