Wednesday, January 7
Bethlehem, Pa.
6:00 PM
Lehigh University
5-11,1-2Patriot
66
vs
58
Holy Cross
6-10,1-2Patriot
1
2
F
Holy Cross
30
28
58
Lehigh
33
33
66
Photo by: Olivia Link
Lehigh Tops Holy Cross 66-58 For First Patriot League Win
1/7/2026 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A career night from sophomore Edouard Benoit paved the way for Lehigh men's basketball to pick up its first Patriot League win of the season over Holy Cross 66-58 at Stabler Arena on Wednesday evening.
Lehigh (5-11, 1-2 PL) has defeated Holy Cross (6-10, 1-2 PL) in twelve of the last fourteen meetings between the two schools, including four in a row. Head coach Brett Reed now sits only eight wins away from becoming the third coach in Patriot League history to reach 300 wins.
Nearly six minutes of time went off the clock before the first media timeout, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 13-9 advantage at the 14:03 mark following a Hank Alvey and-one. Caleb Thomas helped give Lehigh a spark off the bench early, scoring twice to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 21-14.
The Crusaders used a 12-3 run to take a 26-24 lead with 4:39 remaining in the half. Holy Cross' defense held the Mountain Hawks to 2-8 shooting throughout the run. Lehigh's offense got back on track in the final four minutes of the half, shooting 4-5 from the field to lead 33-30 headed to the locker room.
Lehigh was on fire to open the second half, outscoring Holy Cross 10-4 to take a nine-point lead with 15:48 to play. Alvey and Benoit did all the damage during Lehigh's run, helping the Mountain Hawks extend their lead to 47-36 with 11:54 remaining. The Crusaders responded with a 9-4 run of their own that brought them within six at the under-eight media timeout.
The Mountain Hawks caught fire from deep down the stretch, using triples from Benoit and Peter Kramer to go back up by 11. The Crusaders managed to cut the lead to four with under a minute to play, but Nasir Whitlock converted four clutch free throws in the closing moments of the game to seal Lehigh's first Patriot League win of the season.
Lehigh shot 49.1% (26-53) from the floor, 40.0% (6-15) from three, and 88.9% (8-9) from the free throw line in Wednesday's victory. Holy Cross posted shooting splits of 43.6% (24-55), 23.1% (3-13), and 70.0% (7-10). The Mountain Hawks outrebounded the Crusaders 32-27, making Lehigh a perfect 4-0 when they outrebound their opponent.
Benoit starred in only his third game back from injury, posting a career-high 22 points on 9-15 shooting and 4-7 from distance. The Canadian sophomore added five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
Alvey continued to be a force for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist. Alvey is now averaging 22.3 points per game through the first three games of league play.
Whitlock scored ten points while grabbing three steals to keep his double-digit scoring streak of 13 games alive. Joshua Ingram stuffed the stat sheet with four points, ten rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
The Crusaders were led by Gabe Warren's 15 points and Joe Nugent's 12.
Lehigh heads north to Hamilton, N.Y. for a date with the Colgate Raiders on Saturday, January 10 at 2 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
🎙️ Head coach Brett Reed speaks with @R_Mcgett9 following tonight's win over Holy Cross!#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/icIRUeypTd
— Lehigh Men's Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 8, 2026
Lehigh (5-11, 1-2 PL) has defeated Holy Cross (6-10, 1-2 PL) in twelve of the last fourteen meetings between the two schools, including four in a row. Head coach Brett Reed now sits only eight wins away from becoming the third coach in Patriot League history to reach 300 wins.
Nearly six minutes of time went off the clock before the first media timeout, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 13-9 advantage at the 14:03 mark following a Hank Alvey and-one. Caleb Thomas helped give Lehigh a spark off the bench early, scoring twice to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 21-14.
The Crusaders used a 12-3 run to take a 26-24 lead with 4:39 remaining in the half. Holy Cross' defense held the Mountain Hawks to 2-8 shooting throughout the run. Lehigh's offense got back on track in the final four minutes of the half, shooting 4-5 from the field to lead 33-30 headed to the locker room.
Lehigh was on fire to open the second half, outscoring Holy Cross 10-4 to take a nine-point lead with 15:48 to play. Alvey and Benoit did all the damage during Lehigh's run, helping the Mountain Hawks extend their lead to 47-36 with 11:54 remaining. The Crusaders responded with a 9-4 run of their own that brought them within six at the under-eight media timeout.
The Mountain Hawks caught fire from deep down the stretch, using triples from Benoit and Peter Kramer to go back up by 11. The Crusaders managed to cut the lead to four with under a minute to play, but Nasir Whitlock converted four clutch free throws in the closing moments of the game to seal Lehigh's first Patriot League win of the season.
Lehigh shot 49.1% (26-53) from the floor, 40.0% (6-15) from three, and 88.9% (8-9) from the free throw line in Wednesday's victory. Holy Cross posted shooting splits of 43.6% (24-55), 23.1% (3-13), and 70.0% (7-10). The Mountain Hawks outrebounded the Crusaders 32-27, making Lehigh a perfect 4-0 when they outrebound their opponent.
Benoit starred in only his third game back from injury, posting a career-high 22 points on 9-15 shooting and 4-7 from distance. The Canadian sophomore added five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
Alvey continued to be a force for the Mountain Hawks, scoring 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist. Alvey is now averaging 22.3 points per game through the first three games of league play.
Whitlock scored ten points while grabbing three steals to keep his double-digit scoring streak of 13 games alive. Joshua Ingram stuffed the stat sheet with four points, ten rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
The Crusaders were led by Gabe Warren's 15 points and Joe Nugent's 12.
Lehigh heads north to Hamilton, N.Y. for a date with the Colgate Raiders on Saturday, January 10 at 2 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
HolyCr
Lehigh
FG%
.436
.491
3FG%
.231
.400
FT%
.700
.889
RB
27
32
TO
9
12
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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