Monday, January 19
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
8-12,4-3Patriot
vs
Loyola University Maryland
6-14,2-5Patriot
1
2
F
Loyola Maryland
41
40
81
Lehigh
41
47
88
Photo by: Tommy Herstich
Lehigh Bests Loyola Maryland 88-81 On CBS Sports Network
1/19/2026 10:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men's basketball played its third game in six days on Monday evening, welcoming Loyola University Maryland to Stabler Arena for a nationally televised contest on CBS Sports Network. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Greyhounds 88-81 to pick up their fourth win in the last five games.
"It takes a lot out of you to play a double overtime game only two days ago, and we're playing a lot of guys for a lot of minutes," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "Our guys really earned this win tonight."
Lehigh (8-12, 4-3 PL) had lost three straight to Loyola (6-14, 2-5 PL) entering Monday's game, including a 77-73 loss to the Greyhounds in last year's Patriot League Championship First Round. The win marks number 295 for Reed, putting him only five away from becoming the second coach in Patriot League history to surpass 300 wins.
The Greyhounds opened the night on a strong note, leading 11-8 at the first media timeout on 4-6 shooting. Loyola extended their lead coming out of the break, scoring six unanswered to lead by nine. Nasir Whitlock and Andrew Urosevic helped cut Lehigh's deficit to three, but multiple three-point shots from the Greyhounds extended their lead to 11 with 8:05 to play in the first half.
The Mountain Hawks began to chip into the Greyhounds' lead, knocking down several three-pointers to get within striking distance. Back-to-back buckets from Joshua Ingram brought Lehigh within three at the 3:47 mark, prompting a Loyola timeout. Whitlock knocked down a triple with 38 seconds on the clock that sent the game tied 41-41 at halftime.
Ingram and Jalen Vazquez scored buckets within the first two minutes of the first half, giving Lehigh its first lead since the 17:09 mark of the first half. Loyola worked to get back in front 59-52 by way of an 18-7 run that included four triples. A personal 5-0 run from Whitlock in under 30 seconds quickly pulled the Mountain Hawks back within two with 11:06 to play.
The Mountain Hawks continued to rally out of the under 12 media timeout, outscoring Loyola 6-0 to take a slim 63-61 lead. The lead changed hands six times over the next five minutes of action, with Lehigh leading 73-72 with 3:55 to play. Lehigh finally found some separation with under two minutes to play by way of two Whitlock free throws to go up 79-75. Loyola's Braeden Speed connected on a three-pointer the very next possession to trim the deficit to one.
Trailing by three, Speed connected on another triple to tie the game at 81-81 with under a minute remaining. With 30 seconds on the game clock, Whitlock drove in the lane and finished through contact, converting a traditional three-point play to give Lehigh an 84-81 advantage. Speed missed a triple on the next possession, and Benoit and Ingram knocked down clutch free throws to ice the game for the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh shot a very efficient 57.4% (31-54) from the floor to go along with 36.8% (7-19) from three and a staggering 95.0% (19-20) from the free throw line. Loyola posted shooting splits of 46.8% (29-62) from the field, 40.6% (13-32) from three, and 62.5% (10-16) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Hawks and Greyhounds tied 29-29 on the boards in a game that saw 17 lead changes.
Whitlock had another big night for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 28 points with seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals on 8-11 shooting and a perfect 9-9 from three. The reigning Patriot League Player of the Week is averaging a league-best 19.8 points per game and 20.0 per game against Patriot League competition.
"For [Nasir] to have seven assists with only one turnover, I thought that was really valuable," said Reed. "We know he can score, but he's got to be able to value possessions and finish possessions. Tonight, he gave us a complete game."
Benoit contributed 18 points in the win, marking his seventh straight double-digit scoring game. Ingram posted 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Vazquez stuffed the stat sheet, scoring a career-high ten points with six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Hank Alvey chipped in nine points while Andrew Urosevic (5p) and Alfredo Addesa (4p) scored off the bench.
Speed led the Greyhounds with 20 points while Emmett Adair (13p) and Jonas Sirtautas (12p) also reached double-figures.
Lehigh will host rival Lafayette at Stabler Arena on Saturday, January 24 at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with women's basketball.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Â
"It takes a lot out of you to play a double overtime game only two days ago, and we're playing a lot of guys for a lot of minutes," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "Our guys really earned this win tonight."
Lehigh (8-12, 4-3 PL) had lost three straight to Loyola (6-14, 2-5 PL) entering Monday's game, including a 77-73 loss to the Greyhounds in last year's Patriot League Championship First Round. The win marks number 295 for Reed, putting him only five away from becoming the second coach in Patriot League history to surpass 300 wins.
The Greyhounds opened the night on a strong note, leading 11-8 at the first media timeout on 4-6 shooting. Loyola extended their lead coming out of the break, scoring six unanswered to lead by nine. Nasir Whitlock and Andrew Urosevic helped cut Lehigh's deficit to three, but multiple three-point shots from the Greyhounds extended their lead to 11 with 8:05 to play in the first half.
The Mountain Hawks began to chip into the Greyhounds' lead, knocking down several three-pointers to get within striking distance. Back-to-back buckets from Joshua Ingram brought Lehigh within three at the 3:47 mark, prompting a Loyola timeout. Whitlock knocked down a triple with 38 seconds on the clock that sent the game tied 41-41 at halftime.
Ingram and Jalen Vazquez scored buckets within the first two minutes of the first half, giving Lehigh its first lead since the 17:09 mark of the first half. Loyola worked to get back in front 59-52 by way of an 18-7 run that included four triples. A personal 5-0 run from Whitlock in under 30 seconds quickly pulled the Mountain Hawks back within two with 11:06 to play.
The Mountain Hawks continued to rally out of the under 12 media timeout, outscoring Loyola 6-0 to take a slim 63-61 lead. The lead changed hands six times over the next five minutes of action, with Lehigh leading 73-72 with 3:55 to play. Lehigh finally found some separation with under two minutes to play by way of two Whitlock free throws to go up 79-75. Loyola's Braeden Speed connected on a three-pointer the very next possession to trim the deficit to one.
Trailing by three, Speed connected on another triple to tie the game at 81-81 with under a minute remaining. With 30 seconds on the game clock, Whitlock drove in the lane and finished through contact, converting a traditional three-point play to give Lehigh an 84-81 advantage. Speed missed a triple on the next possession, and Benoit and Ingram knocked down clutch free throws to ice the game for the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh shot a very efficient 57.4% (31-54) from the floor to go along with 36.8% (7-19) from three and a staggering 95.0% (19-20) from the free throw line. Loyola posted shooting splits of 46.8% (29-62) from the field, 40.6% (13-32) from three, and 62.5% (10-16) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Hawks and Greyhounds tied 29-29 on the boards in a game that saw 17 lead changes.
Whitlock had another big night for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 28 points with seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals on 8-11 shooting and a perfect 9-9 from three. The reigning Patriot League Player of the Week is averaging a league-best 19.8 points per game and 20.0 per game against Patriot League competition.
"For [Nasir] to have seven assists with only one turnover, I thought that was really valuable," said Reed. "We know he can score, but he's got to be able to value possessions and finish possessions. Tonight, he gave us a complete game."
Benoit contributed 18 points in the win, marking his seventh straight double-digit scoring game. Ingram posted 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Vazquez stuffed the stat sheet, scoring a career-high ten points with six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Hank Alvey chipped in nine points while Andrew Urosevic (5p) and Alfredo Addesa (4p) scored off the bench.
Speed led the Greyhounds with 20 points while Emmett Adair (13p) and Jonas Sirtautas (12p) also reached double-figures.
Lehigh will host rival Lafayette at Stabler Arena on Saturday, January 24 at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with women's basketball.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Â
Team Stats
Loyola
Lehigh
FG%
.468
.574
3FG%
.406
.368
FT%
.625
.950
RB
29
29
TO
8
9
STL
3
5
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
9
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballLehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, November 12
2025-20226 Lehigh Men's Basketball Season Preview
Thursday, October 30
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
