ALBANY, NY – Patriot League preseason favorite Lehigh scored 10 unanswered points down the stretch to pull away from Siena Basketball 80-69 in the home opener, and spoil new head coach Jamion Christian's Times Union Center debut. Freshman guard Jalen Pickett was stellar in defeat, posting season-highs of 25 points and six rebounds while also adding seven assists for the Saints.

Kyle Leufroy scored 25 points on 8-11 shooting including 4-5 from three for Lehigh (4-1) which shot 58% from the field and 63% (12-19) from distance. Jordan Cohen added 15 points for the Mountain Hawks which have now won 12 of their last 13 regular season contests.

Pickett shot 10-19 from the floor and added three steals in his first game in front of the home Siena (2-3) crowd. Evan Fisher added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Sloan Seymour contributed nine points on a trio of threes for the Saints which shot just 8-30 (26.7%) from distance.

Lehigh shot 68% (17-25) from the field including 67% (8-12) from distance in the opening half. But Siena hung tough in a stanza which featured three ties and five lead changes, as the Saints held within 42-37 at the break.

The Mountain Hawks kept the Saints at arm's length for the most of the second half, with Siena battling back within 64-61 with 6:39 to play. However Lehigh responded with its decisive 10-0 run over the ensuing 4:35 to build a 13-point lead with just 96 seconds remaining.

Reserves Marques Wilson and Jeameril Wilson combined to shoot 9-12 in adding 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Mountain Hawks which held a 24-7 advantage in bench scoring.

The Saints face their third of three straight Patriot League contenders when they host Colgate Saturday at 2 p.m.