Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include Lehigh’s current conference standing following Sunday’s games.
EASTON — In Saturday’s rendition of The Rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette College, the stakes were higher than just bragging rights.
Deadlocked in a seventh-place tie, crucial Patriot League Tournament seeding was on the line for both of the men’s basketball teams.
The winner would secure the seventh seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser would play on the road to face off against the seventh or eighth place team.
Ultimately, Lafayette would take care of business in its own Kirby Sports Center.
Senior center Justin Vander Baan recorded a double-double to help push the Leopards (11-18, 6-10 Patriot League) past Lehigh 78-70 on Saturday at the Kirby Sports Center. He scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists.
First-year guard Caleb Williams scored 19 points to lead the Leopards. Junior guard and forward Andrew Phillips tallied 14 points and first-year guard Alex Chaikin contributed 11 points off the bench.
First-year forward Hank Alvey and senior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney each scored 14 points to lead the Mountain Hawks (10-17, 5-11 Patriot League). Alvey also grabbed seven rebounds in the game.
Sophomore guards Josh Ingram and Nasir Whitlock each added 13 points. Whitlock started his second game of the season in place of sophomore guard Cam Gillus, the Mountain Hawks’ third-leading scorer, who was out with an injury.
A nearly sold out crowd of 2,208 witnessed a tight game where Lafayette evened up the series after suffering a blowout defeat in Bethlehem earlier this season when Lehigh won its home bout.
Unlike the previous matchup, Lafayette controlled the game.
Lehigh never gained a lead, forcing just two ties in the first half but failing to pull ahead of the Leopards.
Lehigh coach Brett Reed said he was disappointed the team lost on the road, especially because it was an important game.
“I thought Williams did an excellent job with his dribble penetration, putting a lot of pressure on our defense,” Reed said. “Fortunately, we were able to adjust, but not soon enough.”
Despite never being in the lead, Lehigh kept the game close. The Mountain Hawks held the deficit within single digits for most of the game and only trailed by double-digits once — when Lafayette built an 11-point lead at the 17:27 mark of the second half.
Ingram played a key role in keeping the game close, opening with two early buckets to match Lafayette’s quick offensive start.
The Leopards scored on their first four possessions, threatening to pull away early, but Ingram responded with five consecutive points on a three-pointer and jumper to keep the Mountain Hawks close until the defense settled in to record stops.
“I was just staying confident in myself, being able to know that I could knock down these type (of) shots and it would help us on offense get things started,” Ingram said. “I feel like me making those two shots helped us get our offense going. It gave us a calm grooving at the start.”
Alvey was another key contributor on the offensive end. He scored 14 points against Vander Baan, the nation’s third-ranked shot blocker, who averages 2.87 blocks per game. Alvey was Lehigh’s most efficient scorer in the night, shooting 62.5% from the field, including 80% from the free-throw line.
Alvey attributed his success against a premier defender to making in-game adjustments.
“I feel like the first half was a little rough,” he said. “I was trying to feel things out, especially since I was against one of the leading shot blockers in the country, so I didn’t really know how to go at them at first. In the second half, you know, making adjustments felt like pump faking tonight, and drawing fouls was a big part of momentum for us.”
Lehigh trailed the entire second half but eventually narrowed the Leopards’ lead to three with four minutes remaining.
Buckets by Alvey and Benoit sparked the Mountain Hawk comeback attempt, but Phillips responded with a three-pointer to kick off a 9-4 run in the final minutes, keeping Lehigh at bay.
Foul shots proved costly for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh committed 18 fouls, leading to 19 free-throw attempts for Lafayette. The Leopards capitalized by making all 19, while the Mountain Hawks only had 13 free throws, converting nine.
Reed said the team must improve defensively to compete for the Patriot League Title. This includes being fundamental and solid in everything the team does, particularly on the defensive side, he said.
“Lafayette scored too easily,” Reed said. “They had too many actions that were successful in the way in which they wanted to strategize to play against us, and it was disappointing. We weren’t able to get those stops.”
Following the loss, Lehigh now sits in ninth place, tied for last with the College of the Holy Cross, while Lafayette is now tied for eighth place with Loyola University Maryland. If the current standings hold, the two rivals will square off for a third time in the postseason.
Lehigh will return to action on Wednesday against Boston University (14-15, 8-8 Patriot League) for its final regular-season home game in Bethlehem.
Comment policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to not publish entirely anonymous comments.