BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Boosted by 20+ point performances from sophomore
Max Mahoney and freshman
Javante McCoy, the No. 5-seed Boston University men's basketball team advanced to the Patriot League semifinals with an 88-82 win at No. 4 Lehigh.
Owning a 33-30 halftime lead, the Terriers (15-15) shot an impressive 63.0 percent in the second stanza to eliminate the hottest team in the conference, as the Mountain Hawks were (16-14) were riding an eight-game win streak. The victory also helped BU avenge last year's heartbreaking 91-88 double-overtime semifinal loss to Lehigh at home.
THE TURNING POINT
- After Pat Andree hit a 3-pointer to pull Lehigh within eight (51-43) at 14:08, the Terriers went on an 18-6 run over the next seven minutes.
- Senior Eric Johnson, freshman Walter Whyte, senior Will Goff and McCoy all scored from downtown to build up the 20-point advantage with 7:29 remaining.
LATE LEHIGH CHARGE
- Facing a 76-63 deficit with 2:00 remaining following Caleb Bennett's jumper, Lehigh began fouling the Terriers immediately hoping to get back into the contest.
- BU went 12-of-20 at the line in the final two minutes, and the Mountain Hawks heated up from behind the arc with three 3-pointers to help create a frantic finish.
- Kahron Ross flushed his fourth trey at 48 seconds to pull Lehigh within six (82-76) but fouled out trying to create a turnover.
- Jordan Cohen later cut the deficit to just five (85-80) at 30 seconds on a layup, but the Terriers added two more free throws and the Mountain Hawks missed their next two 3-point attempts.
THE SETUP
- Pat Andree opened the scoring on a jumper to give Lehigh it's only lead of the game, as senior Cedric Hankerson's block led to Mahoney's layup.
- James Karnik hit a pair of free throws at 17:49 for the final tie of the game, 4-4, which was quickly broken by McCoy's 3-pointer.
- Owning a 17-15 advantage following Ross' 3-pointer, the Terriers went on an 8-0 spurt with McCoy flushing another trey and Mahoney contributing five points with 6:32 left at the half.
- Lehigh chipped away at the deficit and went into the locker room trailing, 33-30, thanks to Cohen's jumper just before the buzzer.
GAME NOTES
- An All-PL Third Team honoree, Mahoney went 9-of-13 from the field and a near-perfect 9-of-10 at the line to finish two points shy of his personal best, while McCoy went 5-of-12, including 4-of-7 3FG, and 7-of-9 FT to match his personal best.
- Whyte posted 16 points for the third time this season while adding a team-high eight rebounds to help BU out-rebound Lehigh, 33-31.
- Whyte also had three steals alongside Hankerson, who contributed four points to move past video coordinator John Papale ('16) for No. 13 all-time at BU with 1,291 points.
- Sophomore Tyler Scanlon nearly had a double-double with eight points, a career-high seven assists and two steals.
- The Terriers improved to 24-13 all-time in quarterfinal contests and snapped a three-game losing streak as the No. 5 seed with their last win coming at No. 4 Hartford in the 1995 America East tournament.
- BU improved to 4-5 this season when allowing 80+ points after going 1-6 a year prior and also now lead the all-time series against the Mountain Hawks, 8-5.
- Lehigh featured five men in double figures with both Ross and Cohen posting 17 points apiece.
NEXT UP: PATRIOT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
- The Terriers will next visit defending PL champion and No. 1 Bucknell on Sunday (March 4) at 2 p.m.
- BU snapped the Bison's 15-game home win streak back on Jan. 2 (84-79) with the help of 13 steals but then later suffered a 91-79 home loss on Jan. 28.
- Bucknell leads the all-time series, 11-4, as the teams will meet in a conference tournament for the first time.
