Saturday, February 24
Easton, Pa.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
12-15,9-7Patriot
71
at
63
Lafayette College
11-18,10-6Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
37
34
71
Lafayette
26
37
63
Photo by: Clark Boinis
Lehigh Completes Season Sweep Of Lafayette With 71-63 Road Win
2/24/2024 6:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. – Lehigh men's basketball squared off against Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center for this year's second installment of the Rivalry on Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks led by as many as 20 points in a season-sweeping 71-63 win over the Leopards.
"I thought our guys came in attack mode," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They ended up working together to knock down some shots in the first half, and defensively they set the tone in beginning of both halves… The defensive energy was incredible."
The win marked Lehigh's (12-15, 9-7 PL) fifth-consecutive victory and second over Lafayette (11-18, 10-6 PL) this season. The Mountain Hawks are now only one game behind the Leopards for second place in the conference and could clinch the second seed with two wins and a Lafayette loss next week.
The Mountain Hawks attacked the Leopards from the perimeter to begin the game, knocking down 3-3 three-point attempts to take a 9-2 lead just under three minutes in. Lafayette's Kyle Jenkins responded from deep shortly after, but an ensuing 8-0 run from Lehigh expanded upon the lead they wouldn't give up for the entirety of the game.
The Leopards cut the Mountain Hawk lead to six with under ten minutes remaining in the half, however, the next five minutes all belonged to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks pulled off a 17-4 run in that stretch, which included nine points from Keith Higgins Jr. and six from Nasir Whitlock. Lafayette was able to cut the lead to single digits after playing solid defense to close out the half, but a Burke Chebuhar triple with 19 seconds remaining in the frame set the score 37-26 headed into the locker room.
Once again, the opening to the half was favorable for the Mountain Hawks, who extended their lead to 20 points over the first five minutes of the second for their largest of the game. Lafayette continued to attempt a comeback throughout the half, but Lehigh seemed to have an answer after every mini-run the Leopards went on.
With two minutes remaining in the half, Lafayette had cut the lead to seven points, their smallest deficit since the first half. However, Higgins silenced the Lafayette crowd by converting an and-one inside to put the Mountain Hawks back up by ten. The Leopards began fouling in an attempt to extend the game, but the damage had already been done as Lehigh knocked off their rival for the second time this season.
Leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring was Chebuhar, who tallied 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season. Dominic Parolin joined him with 12 rebounds of his own in the win, including five offensive boards that helped Lehigh gain a 14-10 advantage in second-chance points. Parolin finished with six points and swatted a career-high four shots in the win.
"We've always known that Burke is really talented, he's just really taken advantage of his opportunity this year," said Keith Higgins Jr.
"On a night where maybe [Dom] wasn't clicking on all cylinders offensively, he brought the effort plays by going to glass, challenging shots, and playing hard defense," said Reed. "That's a signature of how you end up getting road wins."
Joining Chebuhar in double-digits was Tyler Whitney-Sidney and Higgins, who posted 15 and 14 points respectively. Both juniors are now under 50 points away from reaching 1,000 in each of their careers.
"It was great to have [Keith and Tyler] both clicking tonight," said Reed. "I thought Keith was super-efficient. He ended up making plays and making shots, you always feel comfortable with the ball in his hands."
Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks were first-years Whitlock (8p), Joshua Ingram (6p) and Cam Gillus (6p).
"All three of them are super talented, and I think as the year's gone on, they've had to step into bigger roles," said Higgins on the team's first-years. "I think that they're going to continue playing well down the stretch."
The Mountain Hawks will close out the Patriot League regular season with two games at home next week. The team will welcome the Boston University Terriers on Wednesday, February 28 at 6 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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"I thought our guys came in attack mode," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They ended up working together to knock down some shots in the first half, and defensively they set the tone in beginning of both halves… The defensive energy was incredible."
The win marked Lehigh's (12-15, 9-7 PL) fifth-consecutive victory and second over Lafayette (11-18, 10-6 PL) this season. The Mountain Hawks are now only one game behind the Leopards for second place in the conference and could clinch the second seed with two wins and a Lafayette loss next week.
The Mountain Hawks attacked the Leopards from the perimeter to begin the game, knocking down 3-3 three-point attempts to take a 9-2 lead just under three minutes in. Lafayette's Kyle Jenkins responded from deep shortly after, but an ensuing 8-0 run from Lehigh expanded upon the lead they wouldn't give up for the entirety of the game.
The Leopards cut the Mountain Hawk lead to six with under ten minutes remaining in the half, however, the next five minutes all belonged to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks pulled off a 17-4 run in that stretch, which included nine points from Keith Higgins Jr. and six from Nasir Whitlock. Lafayette was able to cut the lead to single digits after playing solid defense to close out the half, but a Burke Chebuhar triple with 19 seconds remaining in the frame set the score 37-26 headed into the locker room.
Once again, the opening to the half was favorable for the Mountain Hawks, who extended their lead to 20 points over the first five minutes of the second for their largest of the game. Lafayette continued to attempt a comeback throughout the half, but Lehigh seemed to have an answer after every mini-run the Leopards went on.
With two minutes remaining in the half, Lafayette had cut the lead to seven points, their smallest deficit since the first half. However, Higgins silenced the Lafayette crowd by converting an and-one inside to put the Mountain Hawks back up by ten. The Leopards began fouling in an attempt to extend the game, but the damage had already been done as Lehigh knocked off their rival for the second time this season.
Leading the Mountain Hawks in scoring was Chebuhar, who tallied 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season. Dominic Parolin joined him with 12 rebounds of his own in the win, including five offensive boards that helped Lehigh gain a 14-10 advantage in second-chance points. Parolin finished with six points and swatted a career-high four shots in the win.
"We've always known that Burke is really talented, he's just really taken advantage of his opportunity this year," said Keith Higgins Jr.
"On a night where maybe [Dom] wasn't clicking on all cylinders offensively, he brought the effort plays by going to glass, challenging shots, and playing hard defense," said Reed. "That's a signature of how you end up getting road wins."
Joining Chebuhar in double-digits was Tyler Whitney-Sidney and Higgins, who posted 15 and 14 points respectively. Both juniors are now under 50 points away from reaching 1,000 in each of their careers.
"It was great to have [Keith and Tyler] both clicking tonight," said Reed. "I thought Keith was super-efficient. He ended up making plays and making shots, you always feel comfortable with the ball in his hands."
Also scoring for the Mountain Hawks were first-years Whitlock (8p), Joshua Ingram (6p) and Cam Gillus (6p).
"All three of them are super talented, and I think as the year's gone on, they've had to step into bigger roles," said Higgins on the team's first-years. "I think that they're going to continue playing well down the stretch."
The Mountain Hawks will close out the Patriot League regular season with two games at home next week. The team will welcome the Boston University Terriers on Wednesday, February 28 at 6 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
Lehigh
Laf
FG%
.433
.349
3FG%
.350
.320
FT%
.706
.688
RB
46
36
TO
12
7
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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