BETHLEHEM, Pa. –
Deon Perry scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the second half as Loyola University Maryland men's basketball rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Lehigh University, 91-82, on the road Saturday in Patriot League play.
Perry knocked down a career-best six 3-pointers, three in the second half, and he was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Jaylin Andrews added 19 points, while
Alonso Faure had his second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Chris Kuzemka tallied 11 off the bench, and
Golden Dike added six while tying Faure for game-high honors with 10 rebounds.
Lehigh (14-11 overall, 9-5 Patriot League), which entered the game in second place in the conference, took a 46-40 halftime lead and extended it to a 13-point margin by scoring the second half's first seven points.
Three minutes after the Mountain Hawks took their 53-40 lead, a Perry three trimmed Loyola's deficit to four, 57-53, at 13:30. A traditional 3-point play by Faure then made it a one-point game, and a Faure basket at 10:06 gave Loyola its first lead in over 21 minutes.
The lead changed hands seven times between Faure's basket and a Keith Higgins, Jr., three that put Lehigh on top, 81-79, with 3:19 on the clock.
That would be the last field goal the Greyhounds would yield in the game, however, as the Mountain Hawks went 0 of 4 from the field and 1 of 4 from the line in the final 3:19.
Perry made a three and was fouled, hitting the free throw for a four-point play, and Loyola was back in front, 83-81, at 3:02. The Greyhounds (9-18, 4-10) never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Perry and Andrews combined to go 6 of 6 from the line in the last minute after a
Kenneth Jones jumper gave Loyola a four-point cushion.
Loyola's comeback was its second largest of the season behind a 16-point comeback to beat Navy in January.
Andrews crossed the 1,300-point mark in his career during the game and now has 1,309 points.
The Greyhounds return to Reitz Arena to start a stretch of three out of four at home to close the regular-season. Loyola will hsot Lafayette College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15.
