Lehigh Starts Hot, Withstands Rally to Defeat Men's Basketball, 94-78

Saturday, January 26

Bethlehem, PA

2 PM

Boston University

9-12, 2-6PL

Lehigh

13-6, 6-2PL

Boston University

Lehigh

Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Lehigh Starts Hot, Withstands Rally to Defeat Men's Basketball, 94-78

January 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Patriot League preseason favorite Lehigh shot a blistering 79.3 percent in the first half and withstood a furious rally in the second with help at the free throw line to defeat the Boston University men's basketball team, 94-78, on Saturday afternoon at Stabler Arena.

Jordan Cohen went a perfect 8-of-8 from the field in the first half en route to a game-high 32 points, as the Mountain Hawks (13-6, 6-2 PL) avenged last year's 88-82 home PL quarterfinal defeat to the Terriers (9-12, 2-6 PL). Redshirt-freshman Alex Vilarino tallied a season and team-high 20 points to lead BU, while junior Tyler Scanlon posted 16 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Mountain Hawks scored the first nine points off three straight layups and Pat Andree's 3-pointer to grab the lead for good.
Facing a 15-2 deficit, BU twice pulled within 10 on 3-pointers by freshman Jonas Harper and sophomore Javante McCoy, but Lehigh flushed a bomb in response each time.
Lance Tejada's layup and free throw at 6:18 gave the Mountain Hawks their first 20-point lead of the game, 40-20.
Tallying 20 points alone in the first half, Cohen ended with a jumper and trey for the 57-32 halftime lead.
Nic Lynch completed a 3-point play to extend Lehigh's lead to 71-43 with 13:59 remaining in regulation.
BU trailed 76-53 with 10:48 remaining before Vilarino scored eight straight points to ignite an 18-4 run capped by Harper's 3-pointer at 5:13.
Cohen hit a layup on the next possession, and the Terriers missed a 3-point attempt in their last chance to pull closer.
Lehigh finished the game outscoring BU, 14-7, with the help of eight free throws over the final five minutes to seal the victory.

GAME NOTES

After shooting 1-of-7 in the first half, Vilarino finished 5-of-7 from the field and 8-of-8 at the charity stripe to become the third Terrier alongside Scanlon and junior Max Mahoney to reach 20 points this season.
Both McCoy (15 pts.) and Harper (10 pts.) finished in double figures.
Lehigh's 57 points were the most scored against BU in a half in a Patriot League game since the Terriers joined the conference in the summer of 2013 … The Mountain Hawks tallied 56 last year in the second half of a 92-81 loss at BU.
Lehigh entered the game ranked 28th nationally at 48.6 FG% and went 35-of-52 (.673) against the Terriers to off-set 16 turnovers against BU's nine miscues ... BU went 27-of-62 (.435).
The Mountain Hawks improved to 4-3 all-time at home, but still trails in the series, 8-6.

NEXT UP: HOLY CROSS

The Terriers will host the Crusaders on Wednesday (Jan. 30) with a 7 p.m. start time.
The contest will serve as both Club Sports Night and Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night.
BU currently leads HC in the 2018-19 Turnpike Trophy standings, 7-1.
Both road teams won last year for the regular-season split.