Canisius 63, Lehigh 51

Canisius guard Zach Lewis scored a game-high 24 points and also sparked a clinching run in the second half as the Golden Griffins defeated Lehigh 63-51 Tuesday night in Bethlehem, Pa.

Lewis’ clutch 3-pointer — he made four of 11 attempts from beyond the arc — with 1:10 left turned back a Lehigh rally. The Mountain Hawks previously cut the lead to 54-51 on forward Tim Kempton Jr.’s jumper in the lane. Canisius pulled away by scoring the last nine points of the game.

Kempton, son of the former Notre Dame and NBA player Tim Kempton, led Lehigh with 19 points. He and guard Brandon Alston (11 points) were the only Mountain Hawks to score in double figures.

After Lehigh (0-2) took a 36-32 lead on an Alston layup with 14:13 left in the second half, Canisius went on a 16-2 run over the next 6:07 to take control.

Two free throws from Canisius guard Jamal Reynolds capped the run with 8:07 remaining as the Golden Griffins took a 48-38 lead. Lewis scored five points in that sequence.

Reynolds was the only other scorer in double figures for Canisius (2-0) with 12 points. He also led the Golden Griffins with seven rebounds.