The (2) Lehigh Mountain Hawks(18-16, 11-7) are going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 after they defeated (4) Boston University(17-17, 10-8) 74-60 in the championship game of the Patriot League Tournament at Stabler Arena on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Mountain Hawks, who beat BU three times this season, are going to tournament for the fourth time in school history.
Lehigh will wait until Selection Sunday to see who they will play in the NCAA Tournament.
Nasir Whitlock, who had a team-high 18 points, was named Patriot League Tournament MVP.
The Mountain Hawks seized control of the game late in the first half. After a made jump shot by BU’s Donte Tisinger Jr., Lehigh led 23-22 with just under eight minutes in the first half. However, the Mountain Hawks would close the half on an 18-8 run, and Whitlock’s jumper near the end of the half gave Lehigh a 41-30 lead at the break.
The Terriers never really threatened in the second half, and Lehigh led by as many as 21 points.
Back to Whitlock, he had an amazing run through the Patriot League Tournament. He made a half-court buzzer-beater in their quarterfinals victory over Holy Cross, had 22 points and 10 assists in their semifinals win against Colgate, and he finished it off with a strong performance against BU.
After the win, the junior guard was asked whether this was the best week of basketball in his life.
Dating back to the end of the regular season, Lehigh has won six straight, and they found momentum at the right time of the season.
As they prepare for the tournament, more than likely, the Mountain Hawks will probably be in the first four, but none of that matters; in the end, they are going dancing!
Notes:
BU’s Ben Defty had a game-high 21 points. The Terriers had four players in double figures.
BU shot 1-16 from three-point range.
Joshua Ingram and Edouard Benoit had 15 points apiece for Lehigh, and Hank Alvey added 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
Whitlock, Ingram, BU’s Chance Gladden, Defty, Alvey, and Navy’s Aidan Kehoe were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team.
Leave a Reply