Whitlock's Halfcourt Heave Sends Lehigh To Patriot League Semifinals

Thursday, March 5

Bethlehem, Pa.

7:00 PM

Lehigh University

16-16,11-7Patriot

Holy Cross

11-22,5-13Patriot

Holy Cross

Lehigh

Photo by: Olivia Link

Whitlock's Halfcourt Heave Sends Lehigh To Patriot League Semifinals

3/6/2026 12:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior captain Nasir Whitlock's halfcourt heave at the buzzer sent Lehigh men's basketball past the Holy Cross Crusaders on Thursday evening at Stabler Arena, 69-66. The Mountain Hawks have advanced to Sunday's Patriot League Championship semifinal.

NASIR WHITLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#GoLehigh #SCTop10 #PLTop3 pic.twitter.com/ynDgsn36zX
— Lehigh Men's Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 6, 2026

"Defense wins, that's all there is to it," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "Without that stop at the end of the game, we don't have an opportunity for that miracle play."

Lehigh (16-16) earns its first ever postseason win over Holy Cross (11-22) after entering the night 0-7 all time against the Crusaders. The win sends the Mountain Hawks back to the Patriot League semifinals for the first time since 2024.

The Mountain Hawks attacked the paint early, opening the game on an 8-0 run only with buckets inside. The Crusaders responded with five points unanswered before two Whitlock triples gave the Mountain Hawks a 14-5 advantage at the first media timeout. Alfredo Addesa put Lehigh ahead 18-11 before Holy Cross held the Mountain Hawks without a basket for nearly five minutes of action, cutting the lead to 19-14.

The Crusaders continued to trim their deficit out of the break, bringing themselves within three points. A steal and score from Jalen Vazquez and a Joshua Ingram triple lifted Lehigh back up by eight points before two more buckets from Holy Cross cut the lead to three once again. The Mountain Hawks and Crusaders traded a pair of 5-0 runs down the stretch before two Ingram free throws gave Lehigh a 31-26 halftime lead.

Tyler Boston got going early in the second half for the Crusaders, scoring eight points in the first two minutes to trim Holy Cross' deficit to one. A Gabe Warren layup provided Holy Cross its first lead of the game at 36-35 with 17:31 to play. Holy Cross extended their lead to four on a few Boston free throws before Whitlock went on a personal 8-4 to tie the game. Free throws from Hank Alvey put the Mountain Hawks back up by two with just under 12 minutes go.

The lead changed hands four times out of the break, with Lehigh leading 53-52 with 7:57 on the clock. Holy Cross' Aiden Disu knocked down a three to put the Crusaders up two on the next possession. Trailing by four, Whitlock drilled a triple before an Alvey hook shot gave Lehigh the lead, prompting a Holy Cross timeout. The Crusaders scored five unanswered to lead 62-58 with 4:12 remaining in the game.

Boston then knocked down a pair at the line to extend the Crusader lead to six at 2:43 mark. A pair of free throws and driving layup from Whitlock trimmed Lehigh's deficit to two with 1:48 remaining. After getting a stop on defense, Alvey connected on a hook shot that tied the game at 64-64. With 21.3 seconds remaining, Warren drilled a mid-range jumper to give the Crusaders a two-point advantage. Out of a timeout, Whitlock drove inside to tie the game with 11.2 seconds to go before Holy Cross' Boston turned the ball over with only two seconds remaining. Ingram inbounded the ball to Whitlock who sunk the game-winner from beyond halfcourt.

Lehigh finished the night shooting 49.1% (27-55) from the field, 46.2% (6-13) from three, and 75.0% (9-12) from the free throw line. Holy Cross posted shooting splits of 40.4% (21-52) from the floor, 25.0% (4-16) from three, and 90.9% (20-22) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Hawks gained a 34-27 advantage on the glass in a game that saw 12 lead changes.

Whitlock led the charge for Lehigh, scoring 29 points to go along with two steals, two assists, two rebounds, and one sensational shot.

"Forget the shot, that stop was the biggest play of the game," said Whitlock. "That was a big stop by the guys."

Alvey contributed 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal. Ingram scored 12 points with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Vazquez chipped in six points with a team-high seven rebounds.

Boston paced Holy Cross with 24 points while Warren (12p) and Disu (11p) also finished in double-figures for the Crusaders.

No. 2 Lehigh will host No. 3 Colgate in the Patriot League Championship semifinal on Sunday, March 8 at 12 p.m. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

"It's a very good matchup within our league with the two and three seed" said Reed on Sunday's semifinal. "We're going to have to get grounded, get back to work, and I'm looking forward to the chance to compete once again."

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