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Lehigh Mountain Hawks hit unreal halfcourt shot to win Patriots League Tournament game
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- Lehigh Mountain Hawks hit unreal halfcourt shot to win Patriots League Tournament game
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Lehigh Mountain Hawks hit unreal halfcourt shot to win Patriots League Tournament game appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks stunned the Holy Cross Crusaders 69-66 on Thursday in the Patriot League quarterfinals thanks to a half-court buzzer-beater from junior guard Nasir Whitlock .
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After catching an inbounds pass with 2.1 seconds remaining, Whitlock took one dribble and released the game-winning heave from two feet beyond half court. He finished with a game-high 29 points, shooting 11-for-24 from the field, 4-for-6 from three-point range, and 3-for-6 at the free-throw line.
The 6-foot-2 junior also scored Lehigh 's final 11 points during an 11-2 closing run. With the Mountain Hawks behind 64-58 with 2:43 remaining after Holy Cross guard Tyler Boston made two free throws, Whitlock initiated the comeback. He scored four of Lehigh's next six points to tie the game at 64 before responding again after a short jumper from Gabe Warren gave the Crusaders a late lead.
Whitlock drove coast-to-coast for a layup to tie the score at 66 with 11 seconds remaining, then helped force a turnover that set up the final play. The performance is emblematic of a season in which he has blossomed offensively, averaging 20.8 points per game while striking from deep at a 43.1 percent rate.
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The Mountain Hawks (16-16) also received 14 points from sophomore forward Hank Alvey, who shot 6-of-9 from the field, and 12 points from junior guard Joshua Ingram . Lehigh led 31-26 at halftime after limiting Holy Cross to 8-for-27 shooting and 1-for-10 from three-point range in the opening half. Ingram scored 10 points before the break, while Whitlock dropped 22 points in the second half alone.
The Crusaders (11-22) got a team-high 24 points from Tyler Boston. Gabe Warren contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while first-year forward Aiden Disu recorded 11 points and eight rebounds. Holy Cross erased the Mountain Hawks' early advantage in the second half, using a 10-4 run to take their first lead at 36-35. The teams exchanged nine lead changes over the final 11:48 of regulation.
Though Lehigh finished ninth in the 10-team Patriot League standings during the regular season with a 6-12 conference record (11-19 overall), they still advanced to the tournament semifinals. The No. 2-seeded Mountain Hawks will host the Colgate Raiders on Sunday. In the other semifinal, the top-seeded Navy Midshipmen will face the No. 4 Boston University Terriers.
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