Tuesday, March 4
Baltimore, Md.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
11-19,6-12Patriot
73
at
77
Loyola University Maryland
12-18,6-12Patriot
1
2
F
Lehigh
38
35
73
Loyola Maryland
43
34
77
Photo by: Tommy Biltcliff
#9 Lehigh Narrowly Defeated By #8 Loyola In Patriot League First Round
3/4/2025 11:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BALTIMORE – The Patriot League Championship began on Tuesday evening for Lehigh men's basketball, as the team traveled south to face the eighth-seeded Loyola Maryland Greyhounds in the first round of the tournament. The Mountain Hawks played in a tightly-contested affair with the Greyhounds but ultimately fell by a score of 77-73.
"For months and months, [our players] have invested so much of themselves into this team and into this season," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "The energy and attitudes of our guys were positive and fairly consistent throughout the year. When you've got a team that's dealing with adversity and they're able to keep their heads up and stay together, that's a major statement about the character of the kids and they way in which they were trying to persevere."
Lehigh (11-19) and Loyola (12-18) are tied 1-1 all-time in the postseason while the Greyhounds now own a slim 18-17 advantage in the all-time series. The Greyhounds will move on to face #1 Bucknell in the Patriot League quarterfinal on Thursday.
The Greyhounds opened the gates hot, shooting 5-6 from the field to jump ahead to a 10-3 lead. The Mountain Hawks responded with buckets from first-years Edouard Benoit and Hank Alvey to pull within two, but Loyola's hot shooting continued throughout the first half. Tyson Commander was a catalyst for the Greyhounds, scoring 11 points with three triples in the first half. A Jacob Theodosiou layup extended Loyola's lead to 12 with 11:24 to go, their largest of the game. Needing an offensive spark, senior Ben Knostman went on a personal 9-4 run in the latter half of the frame to bring Lehigh within three. The Mountain Hawks outscored the Greyhounds 6-4 in the final four minutes of the half to enter the locker room trailing by 43-38.
The second half was as closely-contested as it could be, as the lead changed hands ten times in the frame. The Mountain Hawks took their first lead of the half off of a Cam Gillus mid-range jumper at 54-53 with 13:16 to play. However, the Greyhounds had an answer each time Lehigh found themselves with a slim lead. Gillus then knocked down a corner three with 8:25 on the clock to go ahead 61-60, but Loyola's Jordan Stiemke knocked down three from the line on the ensuing possession.
The teams continued to trade buckets down the stretch, culminating in a tie ballgame with 3:29 to play. Nasir Whitlock broke the tie with a free throw to give Lehigh a 70-69 advantage, but Loyola's Milos Ilic responded with two at the line to put his team ahead by one with under two minutes play. After two more changes of the lead, Loyola held a 75-73 advantage with 32 seconds remaining. With seven seconds remaining, senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney couldn't connect on a three-point jumper that would've given the Mountain Hawks the lead. Loyola's David Brown III then knocked down 2-2 from the line to ice the game for the Greyhounds.
Both teams shot the ball very effectively, with Lehigh shooting 52.8% (28-53) from the floor to Loyola's 51.0% (26-51). The Mountain Hawks found an advantage from three, shooting 46.7% (7-15) while the Greyhounds shot 28.6% (6-21). In addition, Lehigh outrebounded Loyola 34-25. However, the story of the night came at the free throw line, where Lehigh was bested 47.6% (10-21) to Loyola's 73.1% (19-26).
Whitlock led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 16 points off the bench. The sophomore knocked down two triples while adding a rebound and an assist.
Whitney-Sidney posted 12 points and a season-high six assists. The Somerville, Massachusetts native finishes his career 13th on Lehigh's all-time scoring list with 1,475 career points.
Knostman finishes his Lehigh career scoring ten points on a perfect 4-4 from the field while dishing out four assists. Benoit also reached double-figures with ten points. Alvey hauled in a career-high 11 rebounds in Tuesday's loss.
"[Ben] was terrific," said Reed. "He settled us down a little bit, gave us some momentum. A great performance by him tonight."
Milos Ilic led the Greyhounds offensively with 17 points. Theodosiou (15p), Commander (13p), Braeden Speed (13p) and Stiemke (11p) also reached double-figures for Loyola.
The Mountain Hawks now set their sights on the offseason.
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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"For months and months, [our players] have invested so much of themselves into this team and into this season," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "The energy and attitudes of our guys were positive and fairly consistent throughout the year. When you've got a team that's dealing with adversity and they're able to keep their heads up and stay together, that's a major statement about the character of the kids and they way in which they were trying to persevere."
Lehigh (11-19) and Loyola (12-18) are tied 1-1 all-time in the postseason while the Greyhounds now own a slim 18-17 advantage in the all-time series. The Greyhounds will move on to face #1 Bucknell in the Patriot League quarterfinal on Thursday.
The Greyhounds opened the gates hot, shooting 5-6 from the field to jump ahead to a 10-3 lead. The Mountain Hawks responded with buckets from first-years Edouard Benoit and Hank Alvey to pull within two, but Loyola's hot shooting continued throughout the first half. Tyson Commander was a catalyst for the Greyhounds, scoring 11 points with three triples in the first half. A Jacob Theodosiou layup extended Loyola's lead to 12 with 11:24 to go, their largest of the game. Needing an offensive spark, senior Ben Knostman went on a personal 9-4 run in the latter half of the frame to bring Lehigh within three. The Mountain Hawks outscored the Greyhounds 6-4 in the final four minutes of the half to enter the locker room trailing by 43-38.
The second half was as closely-contested as it could be, as the lead changed hands ten times in the frame. The Mountain Hawks took their first lead of the half off of a Cam Gillus mid-range jumper at 54-53 with 13:16 to play. However, the Greyhounds had an answer each time Lehigh found themselves with a slim lead. Gillus then knocked down a corner three with 8:25 on the clock to go ahead 61-60, but Loyola's Jordan Stiemke knocked down three from the line on the ensuing possession.
The teams continued to trade buckets down the stretch, culminating in a tie ballgame with 3:29 to play. Nasir Whitlock broke the tie with a free throw to give Lehigh a 70-69 advantage, but Loyola's Milos Ilic responded with two at the line to put his team ahead by one with under two minutes play. After two more changes of the lead, Loyola held a 75-73 advantage with 32 seconds remaining. With seven seconds remaining, senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney couldn't connect on a three-point jumper that would've given the Mountain Hawks the lead. Loyola's David Brown III then knocked down 2-2 from the line to ice the game for the Greyhounds.
Both teams shot the ball very effectively, with Lehigh shooting 52.8% (28-53) from the floor to Loyola's 51.0% (26-51). The Mountain Hawks found an advantage from three, shooting 46.7% (7-15) while the Greyhounds shot 28.6% (6-21). In addition, Lehigh outrebounded Loyola 34-25. However, the story of the night came at the free throw line, where Lehigh was bested 47.6% (10-21) to Loyola's 73.1% (19-26).
Whitlock led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with 16 points off the bench. The sophomore knocked down two triples while adding a rebound and an assist.
Whitney-Sidney posted 12 points and a season-high six assists. The Somerville, Massachusetts native finishes his career 13th on Lehigh's all-time scoring list with 1,475 career points.
Knostman finishes his Lehigh career scoring ten points on a perfect 4-4 from the field while dishing out four assists. Benoit also reached double-figures with ten points. Alvey hauled in a career-high 11 rebounds in Tuesday's loss.
"[Ben] was terrific," said Reed. "He settled us down a little bit, gave us some momentum. A great performance by him tonight."
Milos Ilic led the Greyhounds offensively with 17 points. Theodosiou (15p), Commander (13p), Braeden Speed (13p) and Stiemke (11p) also reached double-figures for Loyola.
The Mountain Hawks now set their sights on the offseason.
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
Loyola
FG%
.528
.510
3FG%
.467
.286
FT%
.476
.731
RB
34
25
TO
12
8
STL
3
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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