BOSTON – Highlighted by graduate student Sukhmail Mathon's fourth double-double in five games, the Boston University men's basketball team claimed an 80-74 home win against Lehigh on Saturday afternoon. 

With their second consecutive win, the Terriers (13-8, 4-4 PL) become the first Patriot League squad to reach 13 victories on the season, as the Mountain Hawks fall to 8-13 and 5-3 in conference play. Both squads shot an identical 50 percent from the field with Lehigh posting a 13-5 advantage in made 3-pointers, but BU outscored the Mountain Hawks off turnovers (22-7) and in second-chance opportunities (15-5). 

Entering the contest No. 12 nationally in rebounding at 10.1 rpg, Mathon led all players with 23 points and 13 rebounds while adding a pair of blocks and steals for his 10th double-double of the season. Both graduate student Javante McCoy and senior Jonas Harper delivered 13 points apiece, while senior Walter Whyte came up two rebounds shy of a double-double with 10 points.

Jeameril Wilson went a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc for a team-high 18 points alongside nine rebounds to help keep Lehigh in contention. Both Evan Taylor and Keith Higgins Jr. recorded 16 points apiece with a combined five 3-pointers. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• BU jumped out to an early 13-6 lead at 14:29 on a fastbreak 3-pointer from sophomore Caelan Jones.
• Lehigh struck back with an 8-0 spurt keyed by back-to-back treys from Wilson for its final lead of the game, 14-13, at 12:22, before Mathon responded with a pair of buckets in the paint.
• Owning a 34-31 advantage following another Wilson 3-pointer at 2:32, BU scored the final seven points of the half, including an impressive 3-pointer from Harper just before the buzzer that was set up by his own steal on an intercepted Lehigh pass.
• Jones followed McCoy's jumper with his second trey to give BU its largest lead of the game, 56-41, with 13:26 left in regulation.   
• Lehigh chipped away with the help of nine second-half 3-pointers and was able to pull within three on four occasions, starting at 5:14 (70-67) on a bomb from Jake Betlow
• After Whyte hit a layup and Harper netted a free throw, Higgins put the game back at one possession, 70-67, at 3:21 on another 3-pointer.
• The teams exchanged a pair of free throws to put the score at 75-72 entering the final 1:50.
• Taylor forced a turnover with 1:35 remaining but lost the ball back, and Mathon made the Mountain Hawks pay with a critical falling jump shot before the buzzer for a 77-72 lead at 48 seconds
• Lehigh missed its final five field goal attempts, and Mathon added three free throws to seal the win.

GAME NOTES

• Mathon moved up to No. 7 all-time at BU with 734 career rebounds while also collecting his third career 20+ performance with all three occurring this season.
• McCoy is now just 32 points away from becoming the fifth Terrier to reach 1,800 career points, as Whyte moved up to No. 30 all-time in points at 1,075.
• Shooting 15-of-21 at the charity stripe against Lehigh's 7-of-8 performance, the Terriers improved to 12-2 this season when outscoring an opponent from the free throw line.
• The Terriers' 80 points scored were the second most this season in regulation and most against a Division I opponent following an 85-61 win over Gordon College back in November.
• BU committed a season-low five turnovers and finished with a 34-26 advantage in rebounds.  
• With their third straight home win against Lehigh, BU improved to 11-8 all-time in the series.

UP NEXT

• BU will next visit Lafayette on Wednesday (Jan. 26) with a 7 p.m. tip.
• The Terriers swept the two-game weekend series on the road last season, 81-76 and 64-61.