With 2.1 seconds left on the clock, the Patriot League quarterfinal game between Lehigh and Holy Cross appeared headed to overtime.
On their own end of the court, junior guard Joshua Ingram inbounded the ball to Lehigh’s junior guard and captain, Nasir Whitlock. Under no defensive pressure from 45 feet out, just behind the half-court line, Whitlock calmly released the ball from his fingertips.
It wasn’t his first time putting up a shot with the game on the line.
According to an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Whitlock missed a game-winning shot for DeLaSalle High School in a game against Wayzata High School. It became a moment in his career that constantly motivates him.
Four years later, against Holy Cross, Whitlock wouldn’t miss another game-winning opportunity.
Instead, the basketball soared through the air as everyone in Stabler Arena held their breath — which became sudden screams after it found nothing but net.
The Mountain Hawks (16-16, 11-7 Patriot League) defeated the College of the Holy Cross (11-22, 5-13 Patriot League) 69-66 on Thursday evening at Stabler Arena, advancing to the Patriot League semifinals against Colgate University.
After the buzzer sounded, the stands emptied onto the court to surround Whitlock and the entire Lehigh team as the Crusaders looked on in disbelief.
“We’re gonna remember that shot that Whitlock made for a long time,” coach Brett Reed said. “But we also have to realize that the defensive stop and the turnover we forced don’t give us that opportunity.”
It would take more than stops for the Mountain Hawks to rewrite history and their postseason woes against the Crusaders.
Previously, the Mountain Hawks had lost seven consecutive postseason games to Holy Cross. Down six points late in the game, Lehigh battled until the final second, scoring 11 points in the final 2:30 to secure their spot in the penultimate round of the tournament.
Nine of those 11 points were scored by Whitlock, who led Lehigh with 29 points. Sophomore forward Hank Alvey added 14, while Ingram followed with 12 points.
Sophomore guard Tyler Boston led the Crusaders with 24 points. Junior guard Gabe Warren followed with 12 points, while first-year forward Aiden Disu finished with 11 points.
Despite hitting the game-winner, Whitlock struggled to convert on opportunities earlier in the game. Lehigh relied on Alvey and Ingram to score the ball in the first half.
“(Ingram) has been a very clutch player for us,” Reed said. “He understands the game and he seems to always be in the right spots. He facilitates action and gets other people involved. He’s one of our strongest defenders so he’s a really important piece for everything that we’re doing.”
The Mountain Hawks opened the game on an 8-0 scoring run, with Alvey contributing six of those eight points inside the paint. Alvey’s interior presence led to Crusader defenders collapsing inside to help, leaving open perimeter shots for Whitlock and other teammates.
“(Whitlock) makes the game so much easier,” Alvey said. “He opens up so many opportunities for me, especially inside. Having attention on him draws attention off everyone else on the court.”
Lehigh’s defense shone in the first half, as the Crusaders did not make a 3-point field goal until 4:09 remained in the first half. Holy Cross shot 8-27 from the field and 1-10 from deep. The Crusaders’ inefficient shooting helped Lehigh capture a 31-26 halftime lead.
However, once the second half began, the story flipped. Holy Cross could not miss.
The Crusaders started the second half on a 10-4 run in the first 2:29 of game action.
Boston sank two 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper to cut into Lehigh’s lead. On the ensuing possession, Warren later made a layup to give Holy Cross a 36-35 lead, its first of the contest.
The game went back and forth, marked by 10 lead changes over the next 13 minutes of play.
It appeared the game would see an 11th lead change when Whitlock went to the line with 4:34 remaining in the game. His free-throw percentage was 80.5% during the regular season. Down one point, he missed both free throws.
“In this game, missing free throws, those definitely stuck with me, just having that motivation,” Whitlock said afterwards. “You always want to make every shot, but you don’t, and God blessed this wouldn’t be able to go in.”
Leading 59-58, Holy Cross quickly scored five points off a Warren and-one and two Boston free throws to lead 64-58 with 2:43 remaining.
Whitlock then took over the game. He bounced back, making a pair of free throws and a layup to cut the Crusaders’ lead to two. An Alvey layup later tied the game at 64 with 1:12 remaining.
Warren responded with a heavily contested midrange jump shot to take a 66-64 lead with 0:21 left. Whitlock then swiveled through defenders and found an opening for a layup with 0:11 to tie the game at 66.
Holy Cross had one opportunity to retake the lead.
Instead, Lehigh forced a turnover that led to Whitlock’s half-court heave and Reed’s 18th career Patriot League Tournament victory.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Reed said. “Our guys showed great resolve and great togetherness to pull off the win.”
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