As the Lehigh community settled into spring break, the men’s basketball team came alive Sunday afternoon in Stabler Arena.
A crowd of fans dressed in brown and white watched the Mountain Hawks punch their ticket to the Patriot League Championship as they defeated Colgate University 76-69.
Lehigh (17-16, 11-7 Patriot League) last met the Raiders (18-15, 11-7 Patriot League) in the postseason two years ago, when the teams faced each other in the Patriot League Championship during the 2023-24 season. Lehigh lost that game 74-55.
This year, the result was different.
Sophomore forward and center Hank Alvey led Lehigh with a career-high 30 points and three blocks, repeatedly attacking in the paint and driving the ball to the basket. The Second-Team All-Patriot League member scored every bucket from the free-throw line or inside the paint.
“I credit the 30 points to all my teammates, they’re the ones passing me the ball,” Alvey said. “I’m not the one bringing it up to court. I’m hardly ever creating for myself. It’s always my teammates who are passing me the ball, getting me the ball. I appreciate that, and I always got to shout them out.”
Junior guard and captain Nasir Whitlock, who sent the Mountain Hawks to the semifinals on a half-court buzzer beater, finished with a double-double, recording 22 points and 10 assists.
Colgate junior guard Jalen Cox tallied 26 points for the Raiders, alongside first-year forward Andrew Alekseyenko, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Lehigh opened the game with a slow start, facing a 14-7 deficit halfway through the first half. Cox and junior forward Sam Wright found gaps in Lehigh’s defense and scored consistently in the paint.
Alvey sparked Lehigh’s momentum by scoring 14 of his 30 points in the first half. First-year guard Andrew Urosevic came off the bench and landed six points by making two 3-pointers.
Whitlock closed the half strong, dishing out two assists in the final 1:38 of the first half to help Lehigh take a 33-30 lead into halftime.
“We struggled to score a little bit early on, but that’s a credit to our guys, and actually, the fact that they did an excellent job executing at times gave us the offensive advantage,” coach Brett Reed said. “There’s a reason why Colgate is good, they play very good defense.”
Both teams traded blows early in the second half, scoring 3-pointers and free throws.
Alvey continued to drive Lehigh’s offense inside, adding 16 more points in the paint while facing Wright. Before the game, Alvey said he knew he had the upper hand in the matchup.
“Coming into the game, we knew (Wright) was an outside threat, and they knew I’m an inside threat,” Alvey said. “So, just looking at the weight and the matchup and the height, I knew I had that advantage inside. Going at them early and establishing a presence was key.”
Multiple players from Colgate secured points through layups, tying the score at 52 with 9:29 left in the game.
Whitlock drained a three for Lehigh to reclaim the lead, and while the Raiders responded with their own 3-pointer, Whitlock drove back down the court to sink another triple.
“I’m just thinking about all the work I put in to give me this spot (in critical moments),” Whitlock said. “You know, gotta make no mistake, so I’m here for a reason, but just trying to think about all that work I put in, I’ve been here before.”
Action down low proved to be critical for both teams. Alvey and Wright battled inside on both ends of the court, coverage that would prove successful for Lehigh. Wright finished the game with 14 points.
Tied at 61, Alekseyenko fouled junior guard Joshua Ingram, resulting in two free throws to give Lehigh a two-point advantage with 5:17 to go.
Two possessions later, Ingram went back to the free throw line after a Cox foul, resulting in two more points. Ingram finished the game going 6-6 from the free-throw line, contributing to his 11 points on the day.
Compounded by Ingram’s free throws and an Alekseyenko turnover, Lehigh went on an 11-2 run between the 5:20 and 2:03 mark. Previously, the game was knotted at 61.
After Whitlock made two free throws to cap off the scoring run, Lehigh held a 72-63 lead.
However, the Raiders battled back by forcing turnovers.
With 1:39 remaining, Cox scored a layup after the Raiders stole the ball from Ingram. It narrowed Lehigh’s lead down to 72-67.
Cox later scored off another turnover off an inbound which cut Lehigh’s lead to three.
The Raiders had an opportunity to tie the game with 35.8 seconds on the clock, but saw sophomore guard Josh Ahayere’s game-tying 3-pointer miss.
The Mountain Hawks later iced the game with free throws after Colgate began intentionally fouling.
Reed credited the team’s patience and ability to recognize the matchup advantage inside.
“(Alvey) was assertive, he was aggressive,” Reed said. “Our team was patient and poised to give him the ball in sports where he could excel.”
With the win, Lehigh advances to the Patriot League Championship and will host Boston University on Wednesday at Stabler Arena at 7 p.m.
“I’m feeling blessed,” Whitlock said. “It’s what we’ve been playing for – to get to the championship and win it. We’ve got one more game.”
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