Men’s basketball wins fourth consecutive game against Lehigh in another overtime win

The Boston University men’s basketball team took home its second overtime win in as many wins with a 64-62 victory against Lehigh University on Wednesday night. 

With six seconds left in overtime, senior guard Miles Brewster found junior guard Ethan Okwuosa for the game winner. A smooth layup left the Mountain Hawks (12-16, 9-8 Patriot League) with no time to find an answer, and the Terriers (14-16, 9-8 PL) came out victorious, winning their fourth game in a row. 

The game wasn’t always looking optimistic though. 

After a tight first five minutes of the game, the Mountain Hawks took a commanding lead through connecting on six of ten three-point attempts in the first half. 

Junior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney’s 16 points led the Mountain Hawks to a 39-30 lead at the half. 

The momentum shifted in the second half as BU came out looking strong with a higher intensity, cutting the lead to five within the first four minutes of the half.

Another factor that led the Terriers to victory was free throws, as they scored crucial points from shooting 18-20 from the line compared to Lehigh’s 8-13. 

The leading scorer for BU was freshman guard Kyrone Alexander with 18 points, 10 of those coming from the line, where he shot 100%. 

“If you can make foul shots, defend, and rebound and you pass the ball to the open man, those are the ingredients for a good team, and we do that,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. 

In addition to Alexander, sophomore forward Otto Landrum had 12 points, Brewster had 15, and Okwuosa, who scored the game-winner, had 11. 

With 3:48 left in regulation, Lehigh’s senior forward Dominic Parolin hit a jumper to tie the game at 58. 

Then both teams went cold while still playing impressive defense but missing some key shots, remaining scoreless for the remaining regulation minutes.

Coming out of a timeout with 24.9 left on the clock, the Mountain Hawks attempted to score the game-winner.

Junior guard Keith Higgins Jr. missed the go-ahead jumper for Lehigh and the game headed to overtime. 

The Terriers found themselves in familiar territory. 

After tying it at 58-58 at the end of regulation, being down by as much as 12 in the first half, their work wasn’t done. 

Jones was prepared though. 

“[Going into overtime] I thought we were gassed, I thought they were gassed, and I just thought the tougher team was going to prevail,” Jones said. 

In the end, the tougher team was the Terriers . 

As the scoring drought continued for the first couple minutes of overtime, neither team got the upper hand. 

Lehigh’s Parolin broke the scoring drought with a layup halfway through overtime, giving the Mountain Hawks a two-point lead. BU responded with a three-pointer from Alexander to put the Terriers up one. 

With less than 20 seconds left, BU still led by one, but Lehigh made a break down the court, looking as if they were going to score.

Running all the way from the other side of the court, senior wing Anthony Morales made a clutch block, denying Lehigh’s freshman guard Cam Gillus. 

Forced to foul, Lehigh sent Okwuosa to the line where he made one of two free throw attempts, putting his team up by two. 

Lehigh did not give up though. 

Whitney-Sidney made a layup to tie the game at 62 with six seconds left. 

BU had one more chance to score. 

They did what they do best and made one another timely play. 

Brewster made the assist to Okwuosa who laid it into the basket, giving the Terriers their fourth win in a row.

BU has found their footing at the right time with the Patriot League tournament on the horizon, with the Terriers currently sitting in the fourth seed. 

Head coach Joe Jones is optimistic about the direction the team is headed in. 

“We’re playing our best … If you look at my records, we’re usually better down the stretch, and this team is no different,” Jones said. 

The Terriers’ form is their best of the season so far, and they hope to continue this on Saturday against Holy Cross in the regular season finale and keep the momentum going into the Patriot League tournament.