BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In a contest featuring 10 lead changes and seven ties, junior
Ethan Okwuosa scored with a reverse layup on senior
Miles Brewster's pass to beat the buzzer and help the Boston University men's basketball team edge Lehigh in an overtime thriller, 64-62, Wednesday night at Stabler Arena.
Extending their active win streak to a season-high four games behind their third consecutive sweep, the Terriers (14-16, 9-8 PL) clinched a first round bye for next week's Patriot League tournament, as the Mountain Hawks (12-16, 9-8 PL) saw their five-game win streak snapped.
With his bucket, Okwuosa became the fourth BU starter in the game to reach double figures at 11 points while adding a team-high eight rebounds. Four-time PL Rookie of the Week
Kyrone Alexander came off his personal-best 23 point performance in Saturday's OT win over Loyola Maryland with a team-high 18 points thanks in part to a 10-of-10 performance at the charity stripe, while sophomore
Otto Landrum added 12 points. Brewster totaled 15 points alongside four assists and four boards.
Lehigh's Tyler Whitney-Sidney led all players with a game-high 20 points but only scored four total over the final 25 minutes of action. Dominic Parolin earned a double-double as the second Mountain Hawk in double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks shot 48.3 percent in the first half to lead by as many as 12 points and enter the locker room ahead, 39-30, but went a combined 9-of-29 (.310) the rest of the game to record just 23 points.
DOWN THE STRETCH
- Down by as many as 12 points in the first half, BU rallied to grab the lead, 50-49, with Okwuosa going coast-to-coast for the fastbreak floater with 9:13 remaining.
- The teams traded blows over the next five minutes with Alexander hitting a pair of free throws for a 58-56 advantage at 4:10.
- Parolin responded with what would be the last field goal in regulation for either team at 3:48 on a jumper.
- Landrum missed a contested jumper at 30 seconds, and Keith Higgins Jr. was forced into a tough shot attempt to send the game to overtime.
- Parolin scored the game's first bucket in over five minutes with a layup at 2:44.
- BU was one for its last 15 when Alexander flushed a 3-pointer from the corner for 61-60 lead at 2:19.
- Cam Gillus swiped the ball away from Brewster with 25 seconds remaining but when he went for the fastbreak layup attempt, senior Anthony Morales used his length to swat the ball away.
- Quickly fouled, BU went 1-of-2 at the free throw line, and Whitney-Sidney drove to the hoop to tie the game at 62-62 with six seconds remaining.
- Brewster helped seal the victory by making his way through the perimeter defense and finding a slashing Okwuosa for the reverse layup off the glass.
THE SETUP
- Brewster set the tone early for a fast-paced matchup, scoring on a layup to open the game and then finding Landrum for a one-handed slam dunk.
- Brewster hit his first 3-pointer at 16:35 to cut the deficit to 10-9, but the Mountain Hawks responded with a 13-4 run over the next six minutes capped by Higgins' 3-pointer.
- Whitney-Sidney's jumper at 7:01 gave Lehigh its largest lead of the game, 29-17, and his two free throws with 1:44 left in the half kept the Mountain Hawks ahead by double digits, 37-26.
- After Alexander netted four straight points off a driving layup and pair of free throws, Parolin scored a layup to give Lehigh the 39-30 halftime advantage.
- Facing a 44-35 deficit with 17:20 remaining, BU utilized an 8-1 spurt over the next four minutes to pull within two on a pair of Alexander free throws.
- Higgins extended the Mountain Hawks' lead to 49-44 at 10:35 on a jumper, but the Terriers responded with six quick points to help set up the exciting finish.
UP NEXT
- BU will next end the regular season by hosting Holy Cross on Saturday (March 2) at 12 p.m. in a Turnpike Trophy doubleheader clash with the women following up at 3 p.m.
- Crusaders have won the last three straight, including a 65-63 decision back on Jan. 29, and five of the last six overall.
