Alvey's 30 Points Send Lehigh To Patriot League Championship Game

Sunday, March 8

Bethlehem, Pa.

12:00 PM

Lehigh University

17-16,11-7Patriot

Colgate University

18-15,11-7Patriot

Colgate

Lehigh

Photo by: Ethan Kenworthy

Alvey's 30 Points Send Lehigh To Patriot League Championship Game

3/8/2026 4:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A career-high 30 points from sophomore Hank Alvey propelled Lehigh men's basketball to a 76-69 win over the Colgate Raiders in the Patriot League Championship semifinal on Sunday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks have advanced to this upcoming Wednesday's Patriot League Championship game.

𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 ‼️#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/46mK9w0V6y
— Lehigh Men's Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 8, 2026

"This team has done an excellent job of overcoming some challenges this season," said Murray H. Goodman '48 head coach Brett Reed. "The seniors did a great job buying in and that followed suit with everyone else. These guys have really pulled together, showed incredible effort and unity, and trusted the process."

No. 2 Lehigh (17-16) has now beaten No. 3 Colgate (18-15) three times this season after earning a pair of one-point victories on January 10 and January 31, marking the first time the Mountain Hawks have gone 3-0 against the Raiders in a season since 2017. The Mountain Hawks' win marks the first championship appearance for the team since 2024.

The Raiders held a 9-6 advantage at the first media timeout of the first half, the difference being an Andrew Alekseyenko triple. Colgate's defense held Lehigh without a basket for nearly four minutes, taking a 14-7 lead in the process. A Sam Wright triple extended Colgate's lead to eight before a 7-0 run pulled the Mountain Hawks within one at the 8:10 mark.

Lehigh took its first lead of the game at 22-21 off a Hank Alvey hook shot with six minutes to go in the half. An Edouard Benoit layup and an Andrew Urosevic triple extended Lehigh's lead to six, bringing the Stabler Arena crowd of 1,683 to its feet. The Raiders pulled back within three on an Alekseyenko layup with 43 seconds left in the half before Alvey put the Mountain Hawks back up by five. Colgate's Jalen Cox scored inside in the final seconds of the half to set the score at 33-30 in favor of Lehigh after 20 minutes.

Alvey opened the second half for Lehigh converting an and-one to extend the lead to six. Cox then scored six straight for the Raiders, tying the game at 36-36. Another Alvey basket and Benoit triple gave the Mountain Hawks a five-point cushion at the first media timeout. Alvey scored inside once again for the Mountain Hawks before a Cox triple brought Colgate within four at the under 12 media timeout.

The Raiders tied the game out of the break using buckets from Josh Ahayere and Cooper Wright. Nasir Whitlock then began to heat up for Lehigh, hitting back-to-back threes to go back up by three. Alvey brought Lehigh back up by four on another and-one before Colgate tied the contest back up at 61-61 with 5:43 to play.

Leading by two, Whitlock pulled up and drained a three to extend the Mountain Hawk lead to five with under four minutes to go. Two more free throws from Alvey pushed Lehigh's lead to seven with under three minutes to play. Free throws from Whitlock gave Lehigh a nine-point advantage before two Alekseyenko free throws shortened the gap back to seven. Colgate then forced a turnover on the inbounds and scored, setting the score at 72-67 with 1:39 remaining.

Colgate's defense forced another turnover on the ensuing possession and scored inside to trim their deficit to three with 1:14 on the clock. The Raiders generated another stop on defense, getting the ball back down three with 47.8 to play. Ingram grabbed a rebound off a three-point miss from Ahayere before calling a timeout with just under 30 seconds remaining. Whitlock then split a pair at the line to push the Mountain Hawk lead to four. The Raiders turned the ball over the next possession, forcing them to foul. A Whitlock breakaway layup put the icing on the cake for the Mountain Hawks.

Lehigh shot the ball efficiently to the tune of 54.0% (27-50) from the field, 43.8% (7-16) from three, and 65.2% (15-23) from the line. Colgate shot 41.9% (26-62) from the floor, 20.8% (5-24) from distance, and 80.0% (12-15) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Hawks earned a slight edge on the glass 33-31, pushing Lehigh's record to a perfect 11-0 when they outrebound their opponent.

Alvey was a force for the Mountain Hawks, posting a career-best 30 points on 13-18 shooting with five rebounds and three blocks.

"[Hank] missed his first shot, but he didn't step back. That's a sign of his growth and development," said Reed. "I'm really proud of him. He gave us an interior presence that allowed us to neutralize their perimeter pressure."

Whitlock recorded his second career double-double, notching 22 points and a career-high 10 assists. Ingram joined Alvey and Whitlock in double-figures with 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Benoit added seven points and a game-high nine rebounds while Urosevic chipped in six off the bench.

Cox led the Raiders with 26 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Alekseyenko (19p) and Wright (14p) joined Cox in double-figures.

The Mountain Hawks will host No. 4 Boston University at Stabler Arena in the Patriot League Championship game on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

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