Thursday, March 7
Easton, Pa.
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
13-17,9-9Patriot
76
at
61
Lafayette College
11-21,10-8Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
40
36
76
Lafayette
26
35
61
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Advances To Patriot League Semifinal With 76-61 Win Over Lafayette
3/7/2024 11:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. – The path to the Patriot League championship began on Thursday evening for Lehigh men's basketball when they squared off against rival Lafayette in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League tournament. The Mountain Hawks beat the Leopards for the third time this season by way of a 76-61 victory at the Kirby Sports Center.
"I felt like our defense was locked in, we did not allow them to be comfortable," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "That's a testament to the way in which our guys have shown a great deal of commitment and togetherness… When we've had success, it's been the signature of our defense, and tonight was no different."
Lehigh (13-17) earned its third victory over Lafayette (11-21) this season after sweeping the Leopards in the regular season, marking the first time the Mountain Hawks have pulled off a three-game sweep of the Leopards since the 2000-01 season. The Mountain Hawks will now play in the Patriot League semifinal for the first time since 2022.
The Mountain Hawks and Leopards laced up their shoes in front of a raucous crowd filled with fans from both schools. Physicality set the tone of the game in the opening minutes, as a total of only 24 points were scored through the first 10 minutes of play. However, Lehigh began to get hot from distance, connecting on four triples in the span of three minutes to take a 22-16 lead. Great passing, excellent defense, and an 8-11 mark from outside the arc in the first half allowed the Mountain Hawks to storm ahead to a 40-26 halftime lead.
After shooting 55.6% from the field in the first half, Lehigh's offense continued to roll in the second. The Mountain Hawks enjoyed a 10-5 run to begin the second half, putting them ahead 50-31 five minutes in. Lehigh continued to pour it on until a Nasir Whitlock three gave Lehigh its largest lead of the night at 63-38 with under eight minutes remaining in the game. The Leopards were able to slightly close the gap in the final minutes, but a Burke Chebuhar corner three with :23 left on the clock put the icing on the cake for the Mountain Hawks.
Chebuhar stole the show, scoring a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high six assists. The big man went a career high 8-11 from the field, which included an absurd 6-7 mark from three-point range.
"I'm not gonna lie, I felt good in warmups," said Chebuhar. "Everybody shot the ball well, teammates got me some great open looks early, and I felt confident and went with it."
Tyler Whitney-Sidney also impressed in the win, posting 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds. He was joined in double-figures by Dominic Parolin, who tallied 14 points, seven boards, three assists and a poster dunk over Lafayette's seven-footer Justin Vander Baan.
The Mountain Hawks shot 53.8% (28-52) from the floor and 65.0% (13-20) from three for the night. Lehigh outrebounded Lafayette 39-29, which included a 34-20 advantage on the defensive glass.
Lehigh assisted on 85% of their field goals to the tune of a season-high 24 assists. Keith Higgins Jr. led the group with seven on the night to go along with Chebuhar's six.
"[Keith] made some valuable decisions for us, particularly against their zone in the first half," said Reed. "Any night you get 24 assists on 28 field goals… Even when he's not shooting it as well as he normally does, [Keith] still found meaningful ways to contribute to our offense."
The Mountain Hawks will travel north to face the #2 Boston University Terriers in the Patriot League semifinal. The game will tip-off on Sunday, March 10 at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. All ticket sales will go through BU and can be found HERE.
"[Our games against Boston U.] have been very competitive games, they're tough games with intensity," said Reed. "Boston defends, we defend, so anything can happen. We're going to be prepared to compete and we're excited about this matchup."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"I felt like our defense was locked in, we did not allow them to be comfortable," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "That's a testament to the way in which our guys have shown a great deal of commitment and togetherness… When we've had success, it's been the signature of our defense, and tonight was no different."
Lehigh (13-17) earned its third victory over Lafayette (11-21) this season after sweeping the Leopards in the regular season, marking the first time the Mountain Hawks have pulled off a three-game sweep of the Leopards since the 2000-01 season. The Mountain Hawks will now play in the Patriot League semifinal for the first time since 2022.
The Mountain Hawks and Leopards laced up their shoes in front of a raucous crowd filled with fans from both schools. Physicality set the tone of the game in the opening minutes, as a total of only 24 points were scored through the first 10 minutes of play. However, Lehigh began to get hot from distance, connecting on four triples in the span of three minutes to take a 22-16 lead. Great passing, excellent defense, and an 8-11 mark from outside the arc in the first half allowed the Mountain Hawks to storm ahead to a 40-26 halftime lead.
After shooting 55.6% from the field in the first half, Lehigh's offense continued to roll in the second. The Mountain Hawks enjoyed a 10-5 run to begin the second half, putting them ahead 50-31 five minutes in. Lehigh continued to pour it on until a Nasir Whitlock three gave Lehigh its largest lead of the night at 63-38 with under eight minutes remaining in the game. The Leopards were able to slightly close the gap in the final minutes, but a Burke Chebuhar corner three with :23 left on the clock put the icing on the cake for the Mountain Hawks.
Chebuhar stole the show, scoring a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high six assists. The big man went a career high 8-11 from the field, which included an absurd 6-7 mark from three-point range.
"I'm not gonna lie, I felt good in warmups," said Chebuhar. "Everybody shot the ball well, teammates got me some great open looks early, and I felt confident and went with it."
Tyler Whitney-Sidney also impressed in the win, posting 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds. He was joined in double-figures by Dominic Parolin, who tallied 14 points, seven boards, three assists and a poster dunk over Lafayette's seven-footer Justin Vander Baan.
ON HIS HEAD ‼️‼️
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 8, 2024
📺 https://t.co/vrK1j4JN9X@ESPN @PatriotLeagueTV #GoLehigh #PLTop3 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/oBhSuk2qaa
The Mountain Hawks shot 53.8% (28-52) from the floor and 65.0% (13-20) from three for the night. Lehigh outrebounded Lafayette 39-29, which included a 34-20 advantage on the defensive glass.
Lehigh assisted on 85% of their field goals to the tune of a season-high 24 assists. Keith Higgins Jr. led the group with seven on the night to go along with Chebuhar's six.
"[Keith] made some valuable decisions for us, particularly against their zone in the first half," said Reed. "Any night you get 24 assists on 28 field goals… Even when he's not shooting it as well as he normally does, [Keith] still found meaningful ways to contribute to our offense."
The Mountain Hawks will travel north to face the #2 Boston University Terriers in the Patriot League semifinal. The game will tip-off on Sunday, March 10 at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. All ticket sales will go through BU and can be found HERE.
"[Our games against Boston U.] have been very competitive games, they're tough games with intensity," said Reed. "Boston defends, we defend, so anything can happen. We're going to be prepared to compete and we're excited about this matchup."
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Lehigh
Laf
FG%
.538
.387
3FG%
.650
.240
FT%
.778
.467
RB
39
29
TO
18
10
STL
10
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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