Boston University men’s basketball lost to Lehigh in the Patriot League Championship on March 11 at Stabler Arena. The Terriers, seeded fourth, were defeated by the second-seeded Mountain Hawks, who secured their first conference title in 14 years.
The game was significant as it marked Boston University’s first appearance in the championship since 2020. Despite a strong performance from sophomore Ben Defty, who scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, the Terriers could not overcome Lehigh’s early lead and three-point shooting.
Lehigh took control of the game seven minutes into the first half after hitting eight three-pointers before halftime. Boston University briefly led after an 8-0 run but trailed by eleven points at halftime following a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Lehigh. The Terriers struggled from beyond the arc throughout the night, missing all seven attempts in the second half.
Defty led all scorers with twelve points in the first half on perfect shooting. Junior Michael McNair contributed fourteen points, while freshmen Chance Gladden and Donte Tisinger Jr. added eleven and ten points respectively for Boston University. For Lehigh, Nasir Whitlock scored eighteen points, with Joshua Ingram and Edouard Benoit each adding fifteen.
Boston University outscored Lehigh in points in the paint but was outrebounded overall. The Terriers finished their season having won nine of their final eleven games and made their third appearance in the Patriot League title game.
