Saturday, February 8
Bethlehem, Pa.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
9-14,4-8Patriot
75
vs
78
American University
15-10,9-3Patriot
1
2
OT 1
F
American
25
39
14
78
Lehigh
29
35
11
75
Photo by: Clark Boinis
Lehigh Falls Short 78-75 To American In Overtime
2/8/2025 6:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Riding a two-game win streak, Lehigh men's basketball returned to action on Saturday afternoon to take on the first-place American University Eagles at Stabler Arena. Sophomore Joshua Ingram sank two clutch free throws with one second remaining to force overtime, but the Eagles prevailed 78-75 in extra time.
"When you shoot 17% from three against a very good team, you're putting a lot of pressure on your defense," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "[American] has some really good players that are upperclassmen that ended up making plays."
American (15-10, 9-3 PL) remains atop the Patriot League standings after today's win over Lehigh (9-14, 4-8 PL). The Eagles sweep the season series after earning a narrow win over the Mountain Hawks last month and now trail Lehigh in the all-time series 34-30.
Both teams started rather slowly to begin the first half, as only 21 total points were scored within the first nine minutes of the game. American led 15-9 with 11:07 to go before a 16-4 Lehigh run gave the Mountain Hawks their largest lead of the game at 25-19 with under five minutes to play. AU stormed back to bring their deficit to within one, but three free throws from sophomore Cam Gillus put Lehigh ahead 29-25 at halftime.
After trailing in the first half, the Eagles started off the second frame hot, opening an 11-2 run to take a 36-31 lead through the first four minutes of action. An Edouard Benoit step-back three and free throws from first-year Hank Alvey quickly tied the game and sparked a series of back-and-forth possessions. The score became tied seven times over the course of the next 7:48 of gameplay until AU found some breathing room off of a quick personal 5-0 run from Colin Smalls. Lehigh responded with a 6-0 run of their own, but the Eagles jumped back ahead to lead by six with 1:51 to play. The Mountain Hawks continued to fight down the stretch, eventually cutting the lead to one with 16 seconds remaining. AU's Elijah Stephens was fouled with a chance to put his team ahead by three, but missed 1-2 to keep Lehigh's chances alive. With 1.0 remaining, AU's Lincoln Ball fouled Ingram, putting the sophomore at the line with a chance to tie. Ingram calmly knocked down both to force the overtime period.
In overtime, the Eagles scored six points unanswered to begin the frame while locking in defensively, keeping the Mountain Hawks scoreless until Ingram knocked down two more at the line with 1:51 to play. Ingram's free throws were bookended by another 6-0 AU run that put the Eagles ahead by ten with 33 seconds left. Lehigh was able to cut the gap to three, but ultimately ran out of time to mount another comeback.
Lehigh and American were nearly identical from the floor, as the Mountain Hawks shot 42.6% (23-54) to AU's 42.4% (25-59). The Mountain Hawks struggled from three-point range, shooting 17.4% (4-23) while the Eagles shot 23.8% (5-21). The story of the game was at the free throw line, where American shot 85.2% (23-27) to Lehigh's 67.6% (25-37).
Leading the charge offensively for Lehigh was senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney who posted a team-high 19 points on 8-13 shooting. Whitney-Sidney passed Joe Knight for 17th on Lehigh's all-time scoring list in Saturday's loss.
Ingram tied his season-high of 14 points while adding six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. The sophomore shot 10-12 from the free throw line.
"For Josh to step up and do it with confidence amongst a lot of things going on, it says a lot about the young man," said Reed on Ingram's clutch free throws. "He's continuing to take a lot of positive steps forward, seeing him knock down those free throws was part of that continued growth."
Three other Mountain Hawks scored in double-figures on Saturday, those being Alvey (12p), Gillus (11p) and sophomore Nasir Whitlock (10p).
Graduate student Matt Rogers scored a game-high 27 points for American. He was joined in double-figures by senior Elijah Stephens with 23 points.
The Mountain Hawks head south to take on the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis, Maryland on Wednesday, February 12 at 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"When you shoot 17% from three against a very good team, you're putting a lot of pressure on your defense," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "[American] has some really good players that are upperclassmen that ended up making plays."
American (15-10, 9-3 PL) remains atop the Patriot League standings after today's win over Lehigh (9-14, 4-8 PL). The Eagles sweep the season series after earning a narrow win over the Mountain Hawks last month and now trail Lehigh in the all-time series 34-30.
Both teams started rather slowly to begin the first half, as only 21 total points were scored within the first nine minutes of the game. American led 15-9 with 11:07 to go before a 16-4 Lehigh run gave the Mountain Hawks their largest lead of the game at 25-19 with under five minutes to play. AU stormed back to bring their deficit to within one, but three free throws from sophomore Cam Gillus put Lehigh ahead 29-25 at halftime.
After trailing in the first half, the Eagles started off the second frame hot, opening an 11-2 run to take a 36-31 lead through the first four minutes of action. An Edouard Benoit step-back three and free throws from first-year Hank Alvey quickly tied the game and sparked a series of back-and-forth possessions. The score became tied seven times over the course of the next 7:48 of gameplay until AU found some breathing room off of a quick personal 5-0 run from Colin Smalls. Lehigh responded with a 6-0 run of their own, but the Eagles jumped back ahead to lead by six with 1:51 to play. The Mountain Hawks continued to fight down the stretch, eventually cutting the lead to one with 16 seconds remaining. AU's Elijah Stephens was fouled with a chance to put his team ahead by three, but missed 1-2 to keep Lehigh's chances alive. With 1.0 remaining, AU's Lincoln Ball fouled Ingram, putting the sophomore at the line with a chance to tie. Ingram calmly knocked down both to force the overtime period.
In overtime, the Eagles scored six points unanswered to begin the frame while locking in defensively, keeping the Mountain Hawks scoreless until Ingram knocked down two more at the line with 1:51 to play. Ingram's free throws were bookended by another 6-0 AU run that put the Eagles ahead by ten with 33 seconds left. Lehigh was able to cut the gap to three, but ultimately ran out of time to mount another comeback.
Lehigh and American were nearly identical from the floor, as the Mountain Hawks shot 42.6% (23-54) to AU's 42.4% (25-59). The Mountain Hawks struggled from three-point range, shooting 17.4% (4-23) while the Eagles shot 23.8% (5-21). The story of the game was at the free throw line, where American shot 85.2% (23-27) to Lehigh's 67.6% (25-37).
Leading the charge offensively for Lehigh was senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney who posted a team-high 19 points on 8-13 shooting. Whitney-Sidney passed Joe Knight for 17th on Lehigh's all-time scoring list in Saturday's loss.
Ingram tied his season-high of 14 points while adding six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. The sophomore shot 10-12 from the free throw line.
"For Josh to step up and do it with confidence amongst a lot of things going on, it says a lot about the young man," said Reed on Ingram's clutch free throws. "He's continuing to take a lot of positive steps forward, seeing him knock down those free throws was part of that continued growth."
Three other Mountain Hawks scored in double-figures on Saturday, those being Alvey (12p), Gillus (11p) and sophomore Nasir Whitlock (10p).
Graduate student Matt Rogers scored a game-high 27 points for American. He was joined in double-figures by senior Elijah Stephens with 23 points.
The Mountain Hawks head south to take on the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis, Maryland on Wednesday, February 12 at 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Americ
Lehigh
FG%
.424
.426
3FG%
.238
.174
FT%
.852
.676
RB
38
35
TO
11
11
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
10
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballSeason Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
