Lehigh men’s basketball rallies from a 13-point deficit to defeat Boston 70-67

As the final buzzer sounded, signaling the end of a men’s basketball matchup between Lehigh and Boston University, the crowd of 774 inside Stabler Arena got loud for two reasons.

First, the 70-67 comeback victory kept the Mountain Hawks (13-16, 9-7 Patriot League) near the top of the Patriot League standings in a third-place tie with American.

And perhaps foremost, the victory gave coach Brett Reed his 300th career win.

Lehigh players sprinted across the court and ambushed Reed, cheering and soaking him with water to celebrate.

“You know, it’s a great feeling, and I feel like I’m extraordinarily blessed,” Reed said. “In addition, it makes me very thankful and very thoughtful about all the players and all the former coaches that have ultimately poured in and supported our program and made these wins possible.”

Beyond the schedule, the matchup held conference standing implications for both Mountain Hawks and Terriers. With a win, the Mountain Hawks would move into third place in the Patriot League. A loss would drop either team to fifth.

Lehigh came out on top in what proved to be a back-and-forth game. Both teams continuously grabbed the lead in the first half, which was marked by 10 lead changes.

“I’m very proud of our guys, that they were able to withstand runs in this game and continue to keep their heads up, work together and play with great emotional energy,” Reed said.

He felt the team was adaptable during the game and continued to play hard and build their momentum despite being down for the majority of the second half.

The Terriers held an eight-point lead with under five minutes to go in the first half. But Lehigh fought back before the intermission, taking a 29-28 into the locker room. Nasir Whitlock scored eight points — two 3-pointers and a layup — in the final three minutes of the half.

Boston showed resilience, immediately retaking the lead in the opening minutes of the second half after a 7-0 run.

The Stabler atmosphere climbed in intensity as the second half progressed, with the crowd growing noticeably louder after the Boston lead forced the Mountain Hawks into a position to fight back once more.

The Terriers built a 13-point lead — the largest by either team — on a jumper from first-year guard Donte Tisinger Jr. with 11:06 left in the game. The momentum appeared to be entirely in their favor, driven by a strong offense that shot 50% from the field and forced Lehigh to commit 10 turnovers.

The intensity continued and the game got tight again with under five minutes to play. A pair of Jalen Vazquez free throws gave the Mountain Hawks a 60-59 advantage, their first lead of the second half.

Vazquez felt his mindset during this game was to disrupt Boston’s offense and keep them on their toes.

“We live for these moments,” Vazquez said. “We’ve prepared our whole lives to get up to this point. So when the time is calling, we’re always prepared to do our best.”

With the game tied entering the final four minutes, Whitlock hit a floater to put Lehigh up 63-61, inciting a “defense” chant from the crowd. Shortly after, Lehigh sophomore guard Peter Kramer (eight points, 3-3 from the field) sank a 3-pointer to shift the momentum with 1:58 left, giving Lehigh a 66-61 lead.

Boston sophomore forward Ben Defty scored on a pair of buckets to tighten the score at 66-65, before Whitlock answered with a basket to make it 68-65.

With 4.8 seconds remaining, junior guard Michael McNair was fouled on his game-tying 3-point attempt and went to the line with a chance to tie the game.

McNair sank the first, missed the second attempt, and made the third.

The Terriers intentionally sent Whitlock to the line, and he sank both free throws to extend Lehigh’s lead to three.

Whitlock said he main focus while playing in a game like this is to keep the atmosphere calm while keeping himself in “attack mode.”

“To keep the guys calm, you know, and keep myself calm,” said Whitlock. “Every game is gonna be close, so we have to make sure we’re calm in the moment and make sure we’re not lacking detail.”

Whitlock, who was recognized at the beginning of the game for his 1,000 career point milestone, expressed his gratitude for this milestone, sharing his appreciation for the team and the game of basketball.

“It was a great feeling,” Whitlock said. “Most importantly trying to get this win and staying focused with the task at hand.”

A last-second 3-point attempt from Boston first-year guard Chance Gladden rimmed out, giving Lehigh the win.

Lehigh will play American on the road Wednesday in the second-to-last game of the regular season.