Thursday, January 2
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
66
vs
64
Bucknell University
Photo by: Clark Boinis
Lehigh Outlasts Bucknell In 20-Point Comeback Overtime Victory
1/2/2025 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A new season began for Lehigh men's basketball on Thursday evening at Stabler Arena, as the Mountain Hawks played host to the Bucknell Bison to begin Patriot League play. Down by as many as 20 points late in the second half, the Mountain Hawks rallied to force overtime and pulled out a 66-64 win to open the league slate 1-0.
Lehigh (6-6, 1-0 PL) and Bucknell (4-10, 0-1 PL) have now played in consecutive overtime contests, as the Mountain Hawks defeated the Bison 71-63 at Sojka Pavilion last February. The Mountain Hawks have now won six of their last seven meetings against the Bison dating back to the 2021-22 academic year. Thursday's win also made the Mountain Hawks a perfect 5-0 at Stabler Arena on the season.
The Mountain Hawks and Bison were locked into a gritty defensive battle to open the first half. Tyler Whitney-Sidney connected on a triple at 18:06, which sparked four lead changes between the two teams in the ensuing 11 minutes of play. After a Cam Gillus three set the score at 17-16 with 7:20 to go, Bucknell outscored Lehigh 13-0 over the next four minutes to take a commanding 30-16 lead. The Mountain Hawks narrowed the gap to ten in the final two minutes, but a near full-court heave from guard Elvin Edmonds IV with two seconds remaining gave the Bison a 33-20 lead at halftime.
After holding Lehigh to 20 points in the first half, Bucknell built on their lead to begin the second. The Bison outscored the Mountain Hawks 16-9 in the first nine minutes of the frame much in part to seven-footer Noah Williamson, who proved to be a difficult matchup in the post. Trailing by 20 with ten minutes remaining, Lehigh needed a miracle to get back into the game.
The Mountain Hawks cut the lead to 16 off a bucket from Nasir Whitlock and free throws from Joshua Ingram, but Bucknell's Pip Ajayi connected on a layup to set the score at 51-33 with under ten minutes to play. From there, Lehigh uncorked a massive 16-0 run to bring them within two fueled by a combined 13 points from Gillus and Whitlock. Bucknell halted the Lehigh run, eventually leading 57-53 with 1:09 on the clock. Keith Higgins Jr. brought the Mountain Hawks within two, and after a stop on defense, Whitlock tied the game on a baseline jumper with 25 seconds remaining that sent the game to overtime.
The overtime period began with Williamson going 1-2 from the line for Bucknell to give them an early lead. However, the big man quickly fouled out of the game on the very next possession, taking Bucknell's leading scorer out of the game. The two teams exchanged free throws throughout the bulk of the overtime, changing the lead three times. Hank Alvey connected on the first field goal of the frame with 1:09 remaining to give the Mountain Hawks the lead, but Edmonds responded on the other end to put his team ahead 64-62. Trailing by two, Ingram hauled in a huge offensive rebound and kicked it out to Whitlock for the go-ahead three, which the sophomore calmly knocked down with only 24 seconds remaining. After getting a stop on defense, Higgins extended Lehigh's lead to two after hitting 1-2 from the free throw line. Josh Bascoe's three at the buzzer was no good, and the Mountain Hawks completed the stunning comeback.
Lehigh connected on only 33.8% (22-65) of its shots while Bucknell converted only 40.0% (24-60) of theirs. The Mountain Hawks bested the Bison from outside the arc 33.3% (9-27) to 27.8% (5-18) while both teams struggled from the free throw line with percentages of 61.9% (13-21) for Lehigh and 55.0% (11-20) for Bucknell. The Bison earned a narrow edge on the glass 41-39 while also leading for nearly 75% of the game.
Whitlock starred in 27 minutes off the bench for Lehigh, posting a career-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting and a 3-4 mark from distance. His backcourt classmate Gillus was also a catalyst in Lehigh's comeback, scoring 16 points to go along with five rebounds, a career-high five assists and three steals.
Higgins was steady as always for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 15 points with six rebounds and three made triples. The senior has now scored 12 or more points in 11 consecutive games.
Alvey was key defensively for Lehigh, hauling in a career-high nine rebounds while blocking a career-high four shot attempts in his first Patriot League game. The first-year scored five points, including the key field goal in overtime.
Williamson led Bucknell in scoring with 17 points while Bascoe (15p) and Ajayi (13p) also reached double-figures for the Bison.
The Mountain Hawks will be on the road for their next Patriot League contest, traveling to Baltimore to take on the Loyola Maryland Greyounds on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reitz Arena.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Hear from head coach Brett Reed after tonight's overtime comeback thriller over Bucknell! 🎙️#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/I7iBFlXgum
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 3, 2025
Lehigh (6-6, 1-0 PL) and Bucknell (4-10, 0-1 PL) have now played in consecutive overtime contests, as the Mountain Hawks defeated the Bison 71-63 at Sojka Pavilion last February. The Mountain Hawks have now won six of their last seven meetings against the Bison dating back to the 2021-22 academic year. Thursday's win also made the Mountain Hawks a perfect 5-0 at Stabler Arena on the season.
The Mountain Hawks and Bison were locked into a gritty defensive battle to open the first half. Tyler Whitney-Sidney connected on a triple at 18:06, which sparked four lead changes between the two teams in the ensuing 11 minutes of play. After a Cam Gillus three set the score at 17-16 with 7:20 to go, Bucknell outscored Lehigh 13-0 over the next four minutes to take a commanding 30-16 lead. The Mountain Hawks narrowed the gap to ten in the final two minutes, but a near full-court heave from guard Elvin Edmonds IV with two seconds remaining gave the Bison a 33-20 lead at halftime.
After holding Lehigh to 20 points in the first half, Bucknell built on their lead to begin the second. The Bison outscored the Mountain Hawks 16-9 in the first nine minutes of the frame much in part to seven-footer Noah Williamson, who proved to be a difficult matchup in the post. Trailing by 20 with ten minutes remaining, Lehigh needed a miracle to get back into the game.
The Mountain Hawks cut the lead to 16 off a bucket from Nasir Whitlock and free throws from Joshua Ingram, but Bucknell's Pip Ajayi connected on a layup to set the score at 51-33 with under ten minutes to play. From there, Lehigh uncorked a massive 16-0 run to bring them within two fueled by a combined 13 points from Gillus and Whitlock. Bucknell halted the Lehigh run, eventually leading 57-53 with 1:09 on the clock. Keith Higgins Jr. brought the Mountain Hawks within two, and after a stop on defense, Whitlock tied the game on a baseline jumper with 25 seconds remaining that sent the game to overtime.
The overtime period began with Williamson going 1-2 from the line for Bucknell to give them an early lead. However, the big man quickly fouled out of the game on the very next possession, taking Bucknell's leading scorer out of the game. The two teams exchanged free throws throughout the bulk of the overtime, changing the lead three times. Hank Alvey connected on the first field goal of the frame with 1:09 remaining to give the Mountain Hawks the lead, but Edmonds responded on the other end to put his team ahead 64-62. Trailing by two, Ingram hauled in a huge offensive rebound and kicked it out to Whitlock for the go-ahead three, which the sophomore calmly knocked down with only 24 seconds remaining. After getting a stop on defense, Higgins extended Lehigh's lead to two after hitting 1-2 from the free throw line. Josh Bascoe's three at the buzzer was no good, and the Mountain Hawks completed the stunning comeback.
WHITLOCK FOR THE LEAD!!!!!!!!! @ShiftyWhitlock
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 3, 2025
📺 https://t.co/nYn2yyUKqi@PatriotLeagueHQ @espn pic.twitter.com/keeDkyGR8K
Lehigh connected on only 33.8% (22-65) of its shots while Bucknell converted only 40.0% (24-60) of theirs. The Mountain Hawks bested the Bison from outside the arc 33.3% (9-27) to 27.8% (5-18) while both teams struggled from the free throw line with percentages of 61.9% (13-21) for Lehigh and 55.0% (11-20) for Bucknell. The Bison earned a narrow edge on the glass 41-39 while also leading for nearly 75% of the game.
Whitlock starred in 27 minutes off the bench for Lehigh, posting a career-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting and a 3-4 mark from distance. His backcourt classmate Gillus was also a catalyst in Lehigh's comeback, scoring 16 points to go along with five rebounds, a career-high five assists and three steals.
Tonight's player of the game: @ShiftyWhitlock ⭐#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/rShavVrhQN
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 3, 2025
Higgins was steady as always for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 15 points with six rebounds and three made triples. The senior has now scored 12 or more points in 11 consecutive games.
Alvey was key defensively for Lehigh, hauling in a career-high nine rebounds while blocking a career-high four shot attempts in his first Patriot League game. The first-year scored five points, including the key field goal in overtime.
Williamson led Bucknell in scoring with 17 points while Bascoe (15p) and Ajayi (13p) also reached double-figures for the Bison.
The Mountain Hawks will be on the road for their next Patriot League contest, traveling to Baltimore to take on the Loyola Maryland Greyounds on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reitz Arena.
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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