Lehigh Secures Quarterfinal Home Game In 78-73 Win At American

Wednesday, February 25

Washington, D.C.

7:00 PM

Lehigh University

14-16,10-7Patriot

American University

16-14,9-8Patriot

Lehigh

American

Photo by: Clark Boinis

Lehigh Secures Quarterfinal Home Game In 78-73 Win At American

2/25/2026 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WASHINGTON – Lehigh men's basketball faced off against the American University Eagles at Bender Arena in a pivotal Patriot League contest on Wednesday evening. Hank Alvey led the way with 24 points in a 78-73 Lehigh victory, securing a home quarterfinal game next week at Stabler Arena in the process.

"It was a very good win for us without a doubt," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "We had different people create at different times. I thought Nasir Whitlock was very unselfish early in the game, and that allowed Hank to thrive. In the second half I thought Jalen Vazquez did a great job, which allowed us to move Nasir off the ball, and in turn created opportunities for him to make some terrific plays."

Lehigh (14-16, 10-7 PL) has swept the season series against American (16-14, 9-8 PL) after defeating the Eagles 90-82 on February 11 at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks have clinched a top three seed in the Patriot League standings and could move up as high as second depending upon Saturday's results.

American jumped ahead to a 10-4 lead at the first media timeout behind an early seven point from Matt Mayock. The Eagles extended their lead to eight out of the break while holding the Mountain Hawks to 3-11 from the field through the first seven minutes of action. A Joshua Ingram three cut AU's lead to five at 15-10 at the under 12 media timeout.

The Mountain Hawks continued to trim AU's lead in the following minutes, using a Jalen Vazquez driving layup to trim the deficit to two at the under eight media timeout. Lehigh locked in defensively over the next five minutes, limiting the Eagles to 0-4 from the field. Two Peter Kramer triples capped off a 10-1 run to give Lehigh a 26-21 lead with 3:41 to play. Lehigh and AU traded buckets in the final minutes before a Nasir Whitlock and-one layup gave the Mountain Hawks a 33-28 advantage. AU's Madden Collins knocked down a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to go to the locker room trailing by three.

Lehigh opened the second stanza on a 9-3 run through the first two minutes of the second half to take a nine-point advantage. A Whitlock and-one propelled the Mountain Hawks to a 12-point lead with less than four minutes off the clock in the half. Kramer pushed Lehigh to a 13-point advantage with a mid-paint jumper before two Greg Jones buckets cut the lead to single digits at the 12:37 mark.

The Mountain Hawks managed to keep their lead at a comfortable distance, using an Alvey dunk to go up by ten with less than seven minutes remaining. The Eagles then began to rally, scoring six unanswered to pull within four points with 4:20 on the clock. AU cut the lead to two before a Vazquez and-one pushed Lehigh's lead back up to five. Leading by six, Kramer drilled his third triple of the night, lifting Lehigh to a nine-point advantage. AU stayed in the fight and eventually pulled within three points, but the Mountain Hawks knocked down their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Lehigh shot an efficient 52.0% (26-50) from the field, 33.3% (6-18) from three, and 71.4% (20-28) from the free throw line. AU posted shooting splits of 41.0% (25-61) from the floor, 29.0% (9-31) from distance, and 63.6% (14-22) from the line. AU gained a narrow advantage on the glass 33-32, but the Mountain Hawks outscored the Eagles in the paint 34-26.

Alvey was fantastic, scoring 24 points on 10-14 shooting with eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Whitlock posted 16 points with four assists and three rebounds. Vazquez delivered a career-high 15 points with four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Kramer finished with 11 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

Jones paced the Eagles with 23 points and eight rebounds. Mayock (15p), Collins (10p), and Julen Iturbe (10p) also scored in double-figures for American.

The Mountain Hawks will conclude the Patriot League regular season on Saturday, February 28 at 2 p.m. to host Bucknell at Stabler Arena on Senior Day.

Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.