Saturday, January 20
Bethlehem, Pa.
5:00 PM
Lehigh University
5-12,2-4Patriot
70
vs
68
American University
10-9,4-2Patriot
1
2
F
American
30
38
68
Lehigh
36
34
70
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Shorthanded Mountain Hawks Rally In 70-68 Win Over American
1/20/2024 8:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men's basketball entered Saturday evening's contest against the second place American Eagles with three players inactive on the sideline, including two regular starters. Despite this, the Mountain Hawks found a way to earn their first home Patriot League victory, defeating the Eagles by a score of 70-68.
"It was a hard-fought win, but it was simple basketball," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our guys made the right plays, covered for each other, rebounded the basketball and really trusted each other; it made all the difference in the world. Our energy was positive and we were also making smart basketball plays."
The Mountain Hawks (5-12, 2-4 PL) and the Eagles (10-9, 4-2 PL) split the season series after American earned a 75-66 victory in the Patriot League season opener on January 3. Overall, Lehigh leads the all-time series 34-28 and the Mountain Hawks are 8-2 in their last ten contests against American.
With Keith Higgins Jr., Jalin Sinclair and Nasir Whitlock all inactive for the Mountain Hawks, the team needed its guard depth to step up in their absence. First-year Cam Gillus got the start in place of Sinclair, playing a career-high 26 minutes against the Eagles.
In addition to Gillus' increase in minutes, senior guard Jayshen Saigal answered when called upon. The Scarsdale, N.Y. product's previous career-high in minutes was only nine, but the senior provided three points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in 20 quality minutes off the bench in Saturday's win.
"Jayshen not only stepped up in today's game, but he stepped up in our last couple of practices," said Reed. "He's really brought it, I'm proud of him to be able to step in and play that brand of basketball."
The Mountain Hawks began the game on a 10-4 run, much in part by first-year Joshua Ingram knocking down two triples within the first four minutes of action. American was able to even the playing field, often keeping the game within a possession or two for the majority of the half. However, two Tyler Whitney-Sidney free throws and a Burke Chebuhar three in the closing minute gave Lehigh a 36-30 halftime lead.
Whitney-Sidney came out of the gates hot in the second half, scoring nine of Lehigh's first 11 points in the second stanza. The junior from Somerville, Massachusetts posted a new career-high for the third time this season, tallying 27 points which included a perfect 10-10 mark from the free throw line.
"Tyler did a great job of getting to the line and converting at the line," said Reed. "That's the Tyler that we're used to seeing, he did a terrific job and we're pleased to get those points and being able to make important free throws."
Despite the big performance from Whitney-Sidney, the Eagles were able to keep things close down the stretch, as American was able to cut the lead to two with 11 seconds remaining. Bube Momah, who posted 14 points on the night, made several free throws in the closing moments that allowed Lehigh to hang on despite the late American push.
The Mountain Hawks shot an efficient 51.1% from the field in the win, including a 57.1% mark in the second half. Lehigh's excellent 90% (18-20) shooting from the free throw line was also critical in helping secure the win.
"Guys just decided they were going to try and grit up and try and get stops," said Reed. "It was a good win for us under tough circumstances, but our guys have faced tougher circumstances the whole way through."
The team has a rather quick turnaround ahead of them, as the Mountain Hawks are scheduled to take on Colgate on Monday night in Hamilton, N.Y. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. for Lehigh in what will be their first of three nationally televised games on CBS Sports Network this season.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"It was a hard-fought win, but it was simple basketball," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "Our guys made the right plays, covered for each other, rebounded the basketball and really trusted each other; it made all the difference in the world. Our energy was positive and we were also making smart basketball plays."
The Mountain Hawks (5-12, 2-4 PL) and the Eagles (10-9, 4-2 PL) split the season series after American earned a 75-66 victory in the Patriot League season opener on January 3. Overall, Lehigh leads the all-time series 34-28 and the Mountain Hawks are 8-2 in their last ten contests against American.
With Keith Higgins Jr., Jalin Sinclair and Nasir Whitlock all inactive for the Mountain Hawks, the team needed its guard depth to step up in their absence. First-year Cam Gillus got the start in place of Sinclair, playing a career-high 26 minutes against the Eagles.
In addition to Gillus' increase in minutes, senior guard Jayshen Saigal answered when called upon. The Scarsdale, N.Y. product's previous career-high in minutes was only nine, but the senior provided three points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in 20 quality minutes off the bench in Saturday's win.
"Jayshen not only stepped up in today's game, but he stepped up in our last couple of practices," said Reed. "He's really brought it, I'm proud of him to be able to step in and play that brand of basketball."
Hear @Matt_Markus speak with @j_saigal after his career-high 20 minutes in tonight's W!#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/fLDz8il86q
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 21, 2024
The Mountain Hawks began the game on a 10-4 run, much in part by first-year Joshua Ingram knocking down two triples within the first four minutes of action. American was able to even the playing field, often keeping the game within a possession or two for the majority of the half. However, two Tyler Whitney-Sidney free throws and a Burke Chebuhar three in the closing minute gave Lehigh a 36-30 halftime lead.
Whitney-Sidney came out of the gates hot in the second half, scoring nine of Lehigh's first 11 points in the second stanza. The junior from Somerville, Massachusetts posted a new career-high for the third time this season, tallying 27 points which included a perfect 10-10 mark from the free throw line.
"Tyler did a great job of getting to the line and converting at the line," said Reed. "That's the Tyler that we're used to seeing, he did a terrific job and we're pleased to get those points and being able to make important free throws."
Despite the big performance from Whitney-Sidney, the Eagles were able to keep things close down the stretch, as American was able to cut the lead to two with 11 seconds remaining. Bube Momah, who posted 14 points on the night, made several free throws in the closing moments that allowed Lehigh to hang on despite the late American push.
The Mountain Hawks shot an efficient 51.1% from the field in the win, including a 57.1% mark in the second half. Lehigh's excellent 90% (18-20) shooting from the free throw line was also critical in helping secure the win.
"Guys just decided they were going to try and grit up and try and get stops," said Reed. "It was a good win for us under tough circumstances, but our guys have faced tougher circumstances the whole way through."
The team has a rather quick turnaround ahead of them, as the Mountain Hawks are scheduled to take on Colgate on Monday night in Hamilton, N.Y. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. for Lehigh in what will be their first of three nationally televised games on CBS Sports Network this season.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Americ
Lehigh
FG%
.419
.511
3FG%
.400
.353
FT%
.667
.900
RB
33
26
TO
13
13
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
10
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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