Sunday, March 10
Boston, Mass.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
14-17,9-9Patriot
84
at
79
Boston University
16-17,10-8Patriot
1
2
OT 1
F
Lehigh
28
42
14
84
Boston U.
46
24
9
79
Photo by: Clark Boinis
Mountain Hawks Advance To Patriot League Championship In Overtime Comeback Thriller Over Boston U.
3/10/2024 10:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON, Mass. – Lehigh men's basketball found themselves trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half of Sunday afternoon's Patriot League semifinal. Against all odds, the sixth-seeded Mountain Hawks stunned the second-seeded Boston University Terriers 84-79 in overtime to advance to their first league championship since 2017.
"I've got to credit [our guys] for fighting," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "After the game, I told them that I believed in them all the way through… We have been in so many difficult situations that I felt really confident and comfortable that our guys could come through."
Lehigh (14-17) had lost both regular season contests to Boston U. (16-17) by a combined three points. The Mountain Hawks snapped a three-game skid to the Terriers with the win and advanced to the Patriot League tournament championship for the fifth time under Reed's leadership.
The first half of Sunday's thriller was dominated by the Terriers. BU was lights out from beyond the arc, shooting 57.8% (11-19) from three-point range in the frame. The Terriers only made four field goals that were not three-pointers in the first half. Meanwhile, Boston U. played excellent defensively, holding Lehigh to 34.4% (10-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes. A Miles Brewster three in the closing moments of the half gave the Terriers their largest lead of the game at 21, but first-year Cam Gillus responded with a three of his own on the other end to head into the locker room trailing 46-28.
After BU's monstrous first half, Lehigh returned the favor to begin the second. The Mountain Hawks uncorked a 20-6 run through the first ten minutes, highlighted by a renewed effort defensively and clutch shot-making. Gillus was the engine behind Lehigh's comeback, as the first-year scored 18 points alone in the second half, including four triples. The score still remained in favor of BU 52-48 with under ten minutes to play in the game.
Lehigh earned its first lead of the afternoon at the 7:25 mark in the second half off of a Keith Higgins Jr. mid-range jumper to go ahead 55-54. However, a quick five-point BU swing put them back ahead by four. On the ensuing possessions, Gillus knocked down back-to-back triples to put his team back in the lead. A subsequent Higgins triple put Lehigh ahead by five, prompting a Terriers timeout with 4:27 left to play.
With time beginning to wind down, the Mountain Hawks gained a six-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, thanks to two made free throws from Tyler Whitney-Sidney. However, the Terriers came storming back, scoring seven points in a minute's time to regain a 69-68 lead. With only :17 left on the clock, Gillus was fouled, and the first-year knocked down both at the line to give Lehigh the lead. BU's Brewster was fouled with four seconds remaining, but made only one of two free throws to leave the game tied at 70 apiece. Whitney-Sidney nearly walked it off with a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, but his shot did not fall, sending the game to overtime.
The Mountain Hawks struck first in the overtime period on two made free throws from Gillus, and an additional free throw from Bube Momah put Lehigh up by three. After an Anthony Morales layup cut the lead to one, Higgins connected on an and-one mid-range try that put the Mountain Hawks ahead by four and gave the junior his 1,001st career point in a Lehigh uniform. The Terriers were able to tie the game at 76, but two clutch baskets from Whitney-Sidney in the final minute gave Lehigh a two-possession lead. Whitney-Sidney knocked down 4-4 attempts from the line in the final ten seconds to ice the game and complete the improbable comeback.
Gillus, whose career-high entering the night was 12, exploded for 30 points on 9-12 shooting, 6-8 from distance and 6-6 from the charity stripe. The first-year added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in his career performance.
"He had his own personal run in that second half where he was just sensational," said Reed on Gillus' performance. "Not only did he play great defense, he ends up going 9-12 from the floor… Cam's been there before, he's won state championships and been a clutch player. I guess he took that to heart and said 'this is my moment, let's go'."
"In warm-ups I saw a couple go in the basket and I was feeling good, and when I made two in the first half, I was like, okay, the basket is seeming wide open," said Gillus. "In the second half I saw two more go in, so I was like okay, this is my night, I'm feeling it."
Whitney-Sidney also shined in the win, scoring 21 points to go along with an impressive 10-11 mark from the free throw line. Higgins joined him in double-digits with 11 points off the bench. Leading the Mountain Hawks in both rebounding and assists was Burke Chebuhar, who hauled in ten boards and assisted on four baskets.
"[Keith and Tyler] really stayed calm, cool and collected and led well, which I think ultimately allowed us to have the right emotional energy going into the second half," said Reed.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Hamilton, N.Y. on Wednesday to play for the Patriot League Championship against #1 Colgate at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.
"Colgate is a very good team and they've got experienced guys, but we've got some energy and momentum here that I think is really special," said Reed. "I've got a big belief and a lot of faith in what we do, and faith in these guys."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"I've got to credit [our guys] for fighting," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "After the game, I told them that I believed in them all the way through… We have been in so many difficult situations that I felt really confident and comfortable that our guys could come through."
Lehigh (14-17) had lost both regular season contests to Boston U. (16-17) by a combined three points. The Mountain Hawks snapped a three-game skid to the Terriers with the win and advanced to the Patriot League tournament championship for the fifth time under Reed's leadership.
The first half of Sunday's thriller was dominated by the Terriers. BU was lights out from beyond the arc, shooting 57.8% (11-19) from three-point range in the frame. The Terriers only made four field goals that were not three-pointers in the first half. Meanwhile, Boston U. played excellent defensively, holding Lehigh to 34.4% (10-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes. A Miles Brewster three in the closing moments of the half gave the Terriers their largest lead of the game at 21, but first-year Cam Gillus responded with a three of his own on the other end to head into the locker room trailing 46-28.
After BU's monstrous first half, Lehigh returned the favor to begin the second. The Mountain Hawks uncorked a 20-6 run through the first ten minutes, highlighted by a renewed effort defensively and clutch shot-making. Gillus was the engine behind Lehigh's comeback, as the first-year scored 18 points alone in the second half, including four triples. The score still remained in favor of BU 52-48 with under ten minutes to play in the game.
Lehigh earned its first lead of the afternoon at the 7:25 mark in the second half off of a Keith Higgins Jr. mid-range jumper to go ahead 55-54. However, a quick five-point BU swing put them back ahead by four. On the ensuing possessions, Gillus knocked down back-to-back triples to put his team back in the lead. A subsequent Higgins triple put Lehigh ahead by five, prompting a Terriers timeout with 4:27 left to play.
With time beginning to wind down, the Mountain Hawks gained a six-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, thanks to two made free throws from Tyler Whitney-Sidney. However, the Terriers came storming back, scoring seven points in a minute's time to regain a 69-68 lead. With only :17 left on the clock, Gillus was fouled, and the first-year knocked down both at the line to give Lehigh the lead. BU's Brewster was fouled with four seconds remaining, but made only one of two free throws to leave the game tied at 70 apiece. Whitney-Sidney nearly walked it off with a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, but his shot did not fall, sending the game to overtime.
The Mountain Hawks struck first in the overtime period on two made free throws from Gillus, and an additional free throw from Bube Momah put Lehigh up by three. After an Anthony Morales layup cut the lead to one, Higgins connected on an and-one mid-range try that put the Mountain Hawks ahead by four and gave the junior his 1,001st career point in a Lehigh uniform. The Terriers were able to tie the game at 76, but two clutch baskets from Whitney-Sidney in the final minute gave Lehigh a two-possession lead. Whitney-Sidney knocked down 4-4 attempts from the line in the final ten seconds to ice the game and complete the improbable comeback.
Gillus, whose career-high entering the night was 12, exploded for 30 points on 9-12 shooting, 6-8 from distance and 6-6 from the charity stripe. The first-year added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in his career performance.
"He had his own personal run in that second half where he was just sensational," said Reed on Gillus' performance. "Not only did he play great defense, he ends up going 9-12 from the floor… Cam's been there before, he's won state championships and been a clutch player. I guess he took that to heart and said 'this is my moment, let's go'."
"In warm-ups I saw a couple go in the basket and I was feeling good, and when I made two in the first half, I was like, okay, the basket is seeming wide open," said Gillus. "In the second half I saw two more go in, so I was like okay, this is my night, I'm feeling it."
Whitney-Sidney also shined in the win, scoring 21 points to go along with an impressive 10-11 mark from the free throw line. Higgins joined him in double-digits with 11 points off the bench. Leading the Mountain Hawks in both rebounding and assists was Burke Chebuhar, who hauled in ten boards and assisted on four baskets.
"[Keith and Tyler] really stayed calm, cool and collected and led well, which I think ultimately allowed us to have the right emotional energy going into the second half," said Reed.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Hamilton, N.Y. on Wednesday to play for the Patriot League Championship against #1 Colgate at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.
"Colgate is a very good team and they've got experienced guys, but we've got some energy and momentum here that I think is really special," said Reed. "I've got a big belief and a lot of faith in what we do, and faith in these guys."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Lehigh
BU
FG%
.400
.456
3FG%
.414
.516
FT%
.800
.524
RB
36
37
TO
9
16
STL
8
3
Game Leaders
Pts
30
FGM
9
3FGM
6
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
10
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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