Thursday, March 2
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Lafayette (Quarterfinal)
Photo by: L.J. Smith
Mountain Hawks Prepare to Host Rival Lafayette in Patriot League Quarterfinal in Stabler Arena
3/1/2023 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The No. 3 seed Lehigh men's basketball team is back in Stabler Arena to host the sixth seed and rival Lafayette in a Patriot League quarterfinal on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased HERE or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. The quarterfinal game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM.
Lehigh (16-13, 11-7 PL) enters the game after falling to Boston University 59-56 to conclude the regular season Saturday inside Case Gym. With 4.3 seconds remaining after the Terriers made a couple of free throws, a last-second three-point shot for Mountain Hawks went off the back of the rim. Three Mountain Hawks finished in double figures led by Keith Higgins Jr. with 13 points. He added five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Tyler Whitney-Sidney finished with 12 points to go with three boards and one steal and Evan Taylor rounded out double-digit scores with 10 points and a team-high nine boards and a blocked shot. Just finishing outside of double figures was Dominic Parolin, who contributed nine points and eight rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
Senior Evan Taylor and sophomores Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney, who just earned All-Patriot League honors, are averaging 13-plus points for the Mountain Hawks. Higgins Jr. is averaging 14.9 points per game and 1.8 assists per contest to go with a team-leading 62 three-pointers. Taylor, who sits 26th all-time with 1,172 career points, is contributing 14.2 points with 6.5 rebounds per contest while Whitney-Sidney is scoring 13.4 points per outing, and a team-leading 37 steals and 2.3 assists per game, along with 4.8 rebounds.
Lafayette (9-22, 7-11 PL) enters the Patriot League Tournament on a four-game losing streak, falling to Bucknell (75-65), Colgate (73-69), Army (53-43) and Loyola (Md.) (73-70). Before that, the Leopards earned consecutive wins over Holy Cross (72-58) and an overtime victory over Boston University (69-65). After dropping their first three league games, the Leopards put together a four-game win streak before falling to Lehigh inside Stabler Arena on Jan. 21. Since Lehigh's win in the Kirby Sports Center on Feb. 4, Lafayette is 2-4 over its six games.
Three Leopards are scoring in double-figures, led by Leo O'Boyle, averaging 11.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and leading the team with 65 made three-pointers. CJ Fulton is scoring at a clip of 10.4 points per outing, 5.1 boards per contest and a team-high 147 assists and 58 steals while Josh Rivera is contributing 10 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Kyle Jenkins leads Lafayette within rebounds, averaging 5.7 per contest and scoring 9.3 points a night while Justin Vander Baan has a team-leading 32 blocks.
Lafayette is leading the all-time series 148-94, but the squads are tied at 5-5 in their last 10 games. Lehigh won the first game of the season series 61-49 on Jan. 21, for its first win against the Leopards at Stabler Arena since Jan. 2021. The Mountain Hawks earned the series sweep for the first time since 2018-19 with a 66-64 win on Feb. 4 for back-to-back victories inside the Kirby Sports Center. It has been almost 10 years since these two programs went head-to-head in the 2013 Patriot League Semifinals, where Lafayette defeated the Mountain Hawks 82-69, but the last tournament matchup that took place in Stabler Arena was in 2010 when Lehigh defeated the Leopards to win the Patriot League Championship. Lehigh has won three consecutive meetings against the Leopards and looks to make it four straight wins with a victory in the Patriot League quarterfinal.
The winner of the Lehigh-Lafayette quarterfinal game advances to the Patriot League semifinals to take on the winner of the American-Navy game. The semifinal game will take place on Sunday, March 5 at either 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. at the highest remaining seed and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Patriot League Quarterfinal
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Lehigh (16-13, 11-7 PL) enters the game after falling to Boston University 59-56 to conclude the regular season Saturday inside Case Gym. With 4.3 seconds remaining after the Terriers made a couple of free throws, a last-second three-point shot for Mountain Hawks went off the back of the rim. Three Mountain Hawks finished in double figures led by Keith Higgins Jr. with 13 points. He added five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Tyler Whitney-Sidney finished with 12 points to go with three boards and one steal and Evan Taylor rounded out double-digit scores with 10 points and a team-high nine boards and a blocked shot. Just finishing outside of double figures was Dominic Parolin, who contributed nine points and eight rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
Senior Evan Taylor and sophomores Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney, who just earned All-Patriot League honors, are averaging 13-plus points for the Mountain Hawks. Higgins Jr. is averaging 14.9 points per game and 1.8 assists per contest to go with a team-leading 62 three-pointers. Taylor, who sits 26th all-time with 1,172 career points, is contributing 14.2 points with 6.5 rebounds per contest while Whitney-Sidney is scoring 13.4 points per outing, and a team-leading 37 steals and 2.3 assists per game, along with 4.8 rebounds.
Lafayette (9-22, 7-11 PL) enters the Patriot League Tournament on a four-game losing streak, falling to Bucknell (75-65), Colgate (73-69), Army (53-43) and Loyola (Md.) (73-70). Before that, the Leopards earned consecutive wins over Holy Cross (72-58) and an overtime victory over Boston University (69-65). After dropping their first three league games, the Leopards put together a four-game win streak before falling to Lehigh inside Stabler Arena on Jan. 21. Since Lehigh's win in the Kirby Sports Center on Feb. 4, Lafayette is 2-4 over its six games.
Three Leopards are scoring in double-figures, led by Leo O'Boyle, averaging 11.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and leading the team with 65 made three-pointers. CJ Fulton is scoring at a clip of 10.4 points per outing, 5.1 boards per contest and a team-high 147 assists and 58 steals while Josh Rivera is contributing 10 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Kyle Jenkins leads Lafayette within rebounds, averaging 5.7 per contest and scoring 9.3 points a night while Justin Vander Baan has a team-leading 32 blocks.
Lafayette is leading the all-time series 148-94, but the squads are tied at 5-5 in their last 10 games. Lehigh won the first game of the season series 61-49 on Jan. 21, for its first win against the Leopards at Stabler Arena since Jan. 2021. The Mountain Hawks earned the series sweep for the first time since 2018-19 with a 66-64 win on Feb. 4 for back-to-back victories inside the Kirby Sports Center. It has been almost 10 years since these two programs went head-to-head in the 2013 Patriot League Semifinals, where Lafayette defeated the Mountain Hawks 82-69, but the last tournament matchup that took place in Stabler Arena was in 2010 when Lehigh defeated the Leopards to win the Patriot League Championship. Lehigh has won three consecutive meetings against the Leopards and looks to make it four straight wins with a victory in the Patriot League quarterfinal.
The winner of the Lehigh-Lafayette quarterfinal game advances to the Patriot League semifinals to take on the winner of the American-Navy game. The semifinal game will take place on Sunday, March 5 at either 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. at the highest remaining seed and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Patriot League Quarterfinal
| Date: | March 2, 2023 |
| Opponent: | Lafayette Leopards |
| Tip-off: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena (Capacity): | Stabler Arena (5,600) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 16-13, 11-7 Patriot League |
| Lafayette's Record: | 9-22, 7-11 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lafayette, 148-94 |
| Tickets: | LehighTickets.com |
| TV/Video: | Patriot League TV on ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM |
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballSeason Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
