Wednesday, January 15
Boston, Mass.
6:00 PM
Lehigh University
6-10,1-4Patriot
58
at
63
Boston University
9-9,3-2Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
20
38
58
Boston U.
33
30
63
Photo by: Clark Boinis
Strong First Half Pushes Boston U. Past Lehigh 63-58
1/15/2025 9:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON – Senior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored a game-high 20 points in his homecoming to Massachusetts and the Mountain Hawks shot 60% from the field in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Boston University Terriers, who prevailed over Lehigh by a score of 63-58 on Wednesday evening.
"They made the shots and we missed the shots," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They made some big plays. They were able to convert at a time when we weren't, but our guys battled and fought. We got a great boost out of our bench, which was a huge positive sign for us. The guys continued to scratch, claw and fight to get back in."
Boston U. (9-9, 3-2 PL) now holds a 16-10 all-time record over Lehigh (6-10, 1-4 PL) and the Terriers have won seven of their last ten against the Mountain Hawks. Wednesday night's game was a rematch of last season's Patriot League semifinal that saw a 30-point performance from Cam Gillus push Lehigh past BU 84-79 in overtime.
Lehigh's offense struggled to score in the opening frame, shooting 30.8% (8-26) and 7.1% (1-14) from three in the first half. On the contrary, BU started the game off hot, gaining an 18-point lead on 61.1% shooting in the opening 13 minutes. Lehigh finally found some offense in the final five minutes, sparked by an Edouard Benoit four-point play that helped cut the Terrier lead to ten. BU's Kyrone Alexander helped quiet the storm with a personal 5-0 run in the closing minutes to help his team take a 33-20 lead into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks found a renewed offensive punch in the second half, shooting a much higher percentage from the field. Lehigh slowly but surely chipped away at the BU lead, bringing their deficit to within single-digits on multiple occasions. Whitney-Sidney was the catalyst, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half. The Mountain Hawks took their first lead of the game with 5:43 remaining on a Whitney-Sidney layup, which was followed by four lead changes over the next two and a half minutes. After Alfredo Addesa knocked down his first career three-pointer to take a 55-54 lead, the Terriers scored seven unanswered to help regain the lead for good.
Lehigh and BU shot nearly identical marks from the field, as the Mountain Hawks were 45.1% (23-51) to the Terriers' 46.0% (23-50). BU owned the advantage from three, shooting 37.5% (9-24) to Lehigh's 17.4% (4-23). The Terriers also won the rebound battle 35-24 but were outscored 32-24 in the paint by the Mountain Hawks.
Whitney-Sidney posted his fourth 20+ game this season, scoring 20 points on 8-15 shooting to go along with a team-high four assists. The Somerville, Massachusetts native was supported by a large contingent of family and friends all night long behind the Lehigh bench.
"I thought [Tyler] did a great job for us," said Reed. "That comeback required a great deal of energy, and he led the charge. He was vocal with our guys, particularly playing with some younger guys trying to help them along. I'm proud of him not only for his performance, but the fact that he tried to lead the right way. It's nice that he can play well in front of people who care about him."
Sophomore Nasir Whitlock scored 10 points with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Whitlock has now reached double-figures in four of Lehigh's five Patriot League contests.
Benoit was the third Mountain Hawk to score in double-digits, posting 10 points on an efficient 4-5 from the field. His classmate Addesa also provided a scoring punch off the bench, adding a career-high six points and six rebounds in a career-high 16 minutes of action.
"Both [Edouard and Alfredo] needed to score for us," said Reed. "Not only did Alfredo score, I thought his rebounding was valuable. Edouard is a guy who can score, he's learning how to play this game, and today was a great and positive sign for him."
Alexander paced the Terriers with 18 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block. He was joined in double-figures by Michael McNair (15p) and Miles Brewster (11p).
Lehigh returns home on Saturday, January 18 to conclude their season series against Loyola Maryland. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m. and is presented by RichMar Florist.
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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"They made the shots and we missed the shots," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They made some big plays. They were able to convert at a time when we weren't, but our guys battled and fought. We got a great boost out of our bench, which was a huge positive sign for us. The guys continued to scratch, claw and fight to get back in."
Boston U. (9-9, 3-2 PL) now holds a 16-10 all-time record over Lehigh (6-10, 1-4 PL) and the Terriers have won seven of their last ten against the Mountain Hawks. Wednesday night's game was a rematch of last season's Patriot League semifinal that saw a 30-point performance from Cam Gillus push Lehigh past BU 84-79 in overtime.
Lehigh's offense struggled to score in the opening frame, shooting 30.8% (8-26) and 7.1% (1-14) from three in the first half. On the contrary, BU started the game off hot, gaining an 18-point lead on 61.1% shooting in the opening 13 minutes. Lehigh finally found some offense in the final five minutes, sparked by an Edouard Benoit four-point play that helped cut the Terrier lead to ten. BU's Kyrone Alexander helped quiet the storm with a personal 5-0 run in the closing minutes to help his team take a 33-20 lead into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks found a renewed offensive punch in the second half, shooting a much higher percentage from the field. Lehigh slowly but surely chipped away at the BU lead, bringing their deficit to within single-digits on multiple occasions. Whitney-Sidney was the catalyst, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half. The Mountain Hawks took their first lead of the game with 5:43 remaining on a Whitney-Sidney layup, which was followed by four lead changes over the next two and a half minutes. After Alfredo Addesa knocked down his first career three-pointer to take a 55-54 lead, the Terriers scored seven unanswered to help regain the lead for good.
Lehigh and BU shot nearly identical marks from the field, as the Mountain Hawks were 45.1% (23-51) to the Terriers' 46.0% (23-50). BU owned the advantage from three, shooting 37.5% (9-24) to Lehigh's 17.4% (4-23). The Terriers also won the rebound battle 35-24 but were outscored 32-24 in the paint by the Mountain Hawks.
Whitney-Sidney posted his fourth 20+ game this season, scoring 20 points on 8-15 shooting to go along with a team-high four assists. The Somerville, Massachusetts native was supported by a large contingent of family and friends all night long behind the Lehigh bench.
"I thought [Tyler] did a great job for us," said Reed. "That comeback required a great deal of energy, and he led the charge. He was vocal with our guys, particularly playing with some younger guys trying to help them along. I'm proud of him not only for his performance, but the fact that he tried to lead the right way. It's nice that he can play well in front of people who care about him."
Sophomore Nasir Whitlock scored 10 points with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Whitlock has now reached double-figures in four of Lehigh's five Patriot League contests.
Benoit was the third Mountain Hawk to score in double-digits, posting 10 points on an efficient 4-5 from the field. His classmate Addesa also provided a scoring punch off the bench, adding a career-high six points and six rebounds in a career-high 16 minutes of action.
"Both [Edouard and Alfredo] needed to score for us," said Reed. "Not only did Alfredo score, I thought his rebounding was valuable. Edouard is a guy who can score, he's learning how to play this game, and today was a great and positive sign for him."
Alexander paced the Terriers with 18 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block. He was joined in double-figures by Michael McNair (15p) and Miles Brewster (11p).
Lehigh returns home on Saturday, January 18 to conclude their season series against Loyola Maryland. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m. and is presented by RichMar Florist.
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
BU
FG%
.451
.460
3FG%
.174
.375
FT%
.615
.533
RB
24
35
TO
9
15
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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