Saturday, March 2
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
12-17,9-9Patriot
60
vs
63
Colgate University
22-9,16-2Patriot
1
2
F
Colgate
35
28
63
Lehigh
25
35
60
Photo by: Holly Fasching
Whitney-Sidney Scores 1,000th Career Point In 63-60 Loss To Colgate
3/2/2024 4:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men's basketball welcomed the Colgate Raiders to Stabler Arena for Senior Day and the Patriot League regular season finale in front of a national audience on CBS Sports Network. The Mountain Hawks came back from down as many as 14, but the first-place Raiders held on 63-60 to claim their 16th league victory of the season.
"Our guys are battling, they're competing, and I thought they had great fight particularly in the second half," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "It's disappointing that we lost… But as far as trying to be together and trying to fight, those are really positive things to see."
With the loss to Colgate (22-9, 16-2 PL), Lehigh (12-17, 9-9 PL) will now have to be on the road for their upcoming quarterfinal game on March 7, and their opponent is still yet to be decided. The Raiders swept the season series against the Mountain Hawks with the win, albeit by a combined six points.
Tyler Whitney-Sidney got the scoring started on the game's first possession by knocking down an open three. The two teams traded baskets through the first eight minutes of the game, culminating in a Burke Chebuhar layup with 12:26 in the frame to lead by one. However, the Raiders orchestrated a 17-2 run over the next five minutes of gameplay to put themselves ahead by 14. The Mountain Hawks put a dent into the Raider lead, but ultimately trailed 35-25 at the break.
Whitney-Sidney once again scored quickly to begin the frame, but the Raiders offense kept pace. For every Lehigh basket, Colgate seemed to have an answer, as they maintained an 11-point lead eight minutes into the half. However, rallying behind a raucous Lehigh student section, the Mountain Hawks stormed back in the second half.
Lehigh pulled to within two points off of a Keith Higgins Jr. layup with 8:00 remaining in the game. After another Higgins and-one basket, the score was set at 59-56 in favor of the Raiders with 4:30 left in the game. Neither team scored for the next four minutes of gameplay until Cam Gillus scored a basket inside with :28 on the clock to cut the lead to one. However, with the shot clock turned off, the Mountain Hawks began to foul. Lehigh was unable to tie the game in their ensuing possessions, resulting in a three-point win for the Raiders.
First-year Cam Gillus led Lehigh's defensive effort with a career-high five steals and helped force 17 Colgate turnovers.
"Our defensive activity was very good," said Reed. "[Cam] has been on the floor by playing great defense, being assertive and taking care of the basketball. When he does those things, it's a major step for us."
Whitney-Sidney tallied a game-high 24 points on the day and surpassed 1,000 career points late in the second half. He added six rebounds, an assist and a steal while going a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.
"[Tyler] had to step up, we were struggling mightily to score in the first half," said Reed. "For him to score 1,000 points at the collegiate level as a junior tells you what type of contributions he's been making to our program."
Joining Whitney-Sidney in double figures was Dominic Parolin and Higgins, who each posted 11 points. Higgins now sits only 15 points away from reaching 1,000 career points himself.
The Mountain Hawks will await the results of Saturday's Patriot League games to determine their next opponent. The quarterfinal game will take place on Thursday, March 7.
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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"Our guys are battling, they're competing, and I thought they had great fight particularly in the second half," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "It's disappointing that we lost… But as far as trying to be together and trying to fight, those are really positive things to see."
With the loss to Colgate (22-9, 16-2 PL), Lehigh (12-17, 9-9 PL) will now have to be on the road for their upcoming quarterfinal game on March 7, and their opponent is still yet to be decided. The Raiders swept the season series against the Mountain Hawks with the win, albeit by a combined six points.
Tyler Whitney-Sidney got the scoring started on the game's first possession by knocking down an open three. The two teams traded baskets through the first eight minutes of the game, culminating in a Burke Chebuhar layup with 12:26 in the frame to lead by one. However, the Raiders orchestrated a 17-2 run over the next five minutes of gameplay to put themselves ahead by 14. The Mountain Hawks put a dent into the Raider lead, but ultimately trailed 35-25 at the break.
Whitney-Sidney once again scored quickly to begin the frame, but the Raiders offense kept pace. For every Lehigh basket, Colgate seemed to have an answer, as they maintained an 11-point lead eight minutes into the half. However, rallying behind a raucous Lehigh student section, the Mountain Hawks stormed back in the second half.
Lehigh pulled to within two points off of a Keith Higgins Jr. layup with 8:00 remaining in the game. After another Higgins and-one basket, the score was set at 59-56 in favor of the Raiders with 4:30 left in the game. Neither team scored for the next four minutes of gameplay until Cam Gillus scored a basket inside with :28 on the clock to cut the lead to one. However, with the shot clock turned off, the Mountain Hawks began to foul. Lehigh was unable to tie the game in their ensuing possessions, resulting in a three-point win for the Raiders.
First-year Cam Gillus led Lehigh's defensive effort with a career-high five steals and helped force 17 Colgate turnovers.
"Our defensive activity was very good," said Reed. "[Cam] has been on the floor by playing great defense, being assertive and taking care of the basketball. When he does those things, it's a major step for us."
Whitney-Sidney tallied a game-high 24 points on the day and surpassed 1,000 career points late in the second half. He added six rebounds, an assist and a steal while going a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.
"[Tyler] had to step up, we were struggling mightily to score in the first half," said Reed. "For him to score 1,000 points at the collegiate level as a junior tells you what type of contributions he's been making to our program."
Joining Whitney-Sidney in double figures was Dominic Parolin and Higgins, who each posted 11 points. Higgins now sits only 15 points away from reaching 1,000 career points himself.
The Mountain Hawks will await the results of Saturday's Patriot League games to determine their next opponent. The quarterfinal game will take place on Thursday, March 7.
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
Colg
Lehigh
FG%
.490
.407
3FG%
.200
.200
FT%
.733
.727
RB
39
28
TO
17
10
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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