Lehigh 67, Texas Southern 63
Junior guard Corey Schaefer scored a career-high 16 points, helping Lehigh hold on for a 67-63 win over Texas Southern on Monday night at Brookings, S.D., as part of the Progressive Legends Classic.
The Mountain Hawks (1-4) never trailed, but the Tigers came close to snatching the win in the final minutes.
Lehigh led by as many as 13 points in the first half. Texas Southern narrowed the deficit to make it a one-possession game down the stretch but never was able to close the gap.
Schaefer went 7-for-13 from the field, hitting a jumper with less than four minutes to go after Texas Southern pulled within one point.
Lehigh center Tim Kempton had the best stat line, leading the Hawks with 20 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Senior guard Mackey McKnight finished with nine points and four assists, leaving him 10 points shy of the 1,000 milestone as the Mountain Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak.
Texas Southern center Aaric Murray, a graduate transfer from West Virginia, led all scorers with 28 points and snared nine rebounds. Point guard Ray Penn added 11 points, while forward D'Angelo Scott amassed nine points and 10 boards. The Tigers (2-5) lost their fifth game in a row after winning their first two games.
Texas Southern struggled mightily from the field in the first half, hitting just five shots and shooting 19.2 percent. The Tigers wound up shooting 36.2 percent on the night, while Lehigh shot 42.3 percent.
Lehigh will face either tournament host South Dakota State or Howard for the title on Tuesday. Texas Southern will play in the consolation game Tuesday.
