EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Jim Mower scored 16 points, leading five Lafayette scorers in double figures as the Leopards defeated Sacred Heart 76-71 on Monday night.
Mower scored eight points in the opening 6:06 of the second half, when the Leopards (3-6) widened a 42-34 halftime lead to 55-40.
The Pioneers came back to tie it at 58 as Lafayette scored just one more field goal in the next 7:32. But Ben Wheeler’s 3-pointer put the Leopards in front to stay, 61-58.
Lafayette, the nation’s fourth-best free-throw shooting team, made all six of its attempts in the final 36 seconds to secure the victory. The Leopards were 20 of 22 from the line for the game.