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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Austin Price scored a game-high 19 points to lead five Mountain Hawks in double figures as Lehigh (15-11, 9-6 PL) defeated visiting Navy (15-12, 10-5 PL), 74-55, on Wednesday evening to split the season series.

The Midshipmen entered the contest winners of 10 of its last 11 games, but lost for just the second time since January 5. the loss dropped Navy to third place in the Patriot League behind Bucknell (12-3) and Boston University (11-4) with three games to play.

Price made three 3-pointers for his 19 points and was 7-of-11 from the field. Tim Kempton recorded 12 points with eight rebounds, while Kyle Leufroy scored 12 points. Pat Andree scored 12 points off the bench and Brandon Alston added 10.

Lehigh jumped on Navy early, leading by as many as 18 points in the first half en route to a 35-23 halftime advantage. Navy rallied early in the second half to cut the margin to four points, but Lehigh responded with a 20-2 run over six minutes to put the game out of reach at 58-36.

Lehigh outshot Navy in the game, 57 percent to 40 percent, and the Mountain Hawks made 10 3-pointers.

Navy had a slow start to the game and didn't get on the scoreboard until the 16:26-mark when Tim Abruzzo hit a 3-pointer. Lehigh used a 9-0 run on a 3-pointer by Leufroy, a three-point play by Kempton and then another triple from Andree to go ahead 32-14 with five minutes left in the first half.

Navy chipped away at the lead as Hasan Abdullah fed Edward Alade for a dunk off an in-bounds play and Abruzzo had a steal and a fastbreak layup. Shawn Anderson's 3-pointer cut Lehigh's halftime margin to 12 points.

Navy came roaring out of the locker room in the second half, opening the period on an 11-3 run. Alade scored inside before Bryce Dulin and Tom Lacey knocked down jumpers. Price made a 3-pointer for Lehigh, but Alade scored inside again and then Abdullah's 3-pointer cut the margin to 38-34.

Lehigh then recovered to make five straight shots including 3-pointers by Leufroy, Price and Andree to begin its 20-2 run. Navy shot 1-of-10 from the floor and committed four turnovers during Lehigh's run. After Lehigh took a 22-point lead at 58-36, George Kiernan made a 3-pointer to halt the run, but Navy could not get closer than 12 points for the rest of the contest.

"We played poorly tonight," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. "We didn't execute offensively and we didn't execute defensively. And even after saying all that, our kids still fought back in the second half and we had a four-point game with 15 minutes to go. But then we had a bunch of turnovers and let the game get away from us."

Alade led Navy with 10 points and six rebounds, while Dulin and Abruzzo each scored eight pointd. Kiernan and Anderson scored seven points apiece.

Navy will next host Army West Point (10-17, 4-11 PL) on Saturday at 1:30 PM in the annual Army-Navy Star Game. The men's game will follow the Army-Navy women's Star Game at 11 AM. The Navy men defeated Army earlier this season, 96-80, in overtime.