- The Final Score: #2 Lehigh 69, #10 Holy Cross 66.
- The Play: Junior guard Nasir Whitlock drained a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half court to break a tie.
- The Stakes: Lehigh advances to the Patriot League semifinals to face #3 Colgate.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Nasir Whitlock didn’t have time to think; he only had time to pray. With the score knotted at 66 and the clock bleeding out, the Lehigh guard launched a desperate, high-arcing prayer from the mid-court logo. The ball hung in the Stabler Arena air for what felt like an eternity before catching nothing but the bottom of the net as the red lights flashed. The 69-66 victory ended Holy Cross’s Cinderella dreams and sent the Mountain Hawks into the semifinal round.
The Shot Heard ‘Round the Patriot League
Holy Cross, the tournament’s 10-seed, looked poised to pull off its second massive upset in three days. After knocking off Lafayette in the first round, the Crusaders played Lehigh to a literal standstill in the final minute. A late turnover by Holy Cross gave Lehigh one final chance with less than two seconds remaining.
Whitlock, who has been the engine for Lehigh all season, took the inbound pass and took two hard dribbles before leaning into a heave from nearly 50 feet. The stadium, packed with 5,600 fans, went from a collective gasp to an absolute explosion as the shot fell. Whitlock finished the night as the hero, securing Lehigh’s spot in the next round despite a grueling challenge from a resilient Holy Cross squad.
What They Said
“I just wanted to give it a chance. As soon as it left my hand, it felt straight. I saw the arc and just started running toward the student section before it even went through.”
— Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh Guard
“That’s March. You play 39 minutes and 59 seconds of perfect basketball, and sometimes it comes down to a shot you can’t defend. I’m proud of my guys, but this one hurts.”
— Holy Cross Head Coach
What’s Next: A Semifinal Showdown
Lehigh avoids a disastrous quarterfinal exit and now shifts its focus to a Sunday afternoon clash. They will host No. 3 Colgate at 12:00 PM ET on CBS Sports Network. The Mountain Hawks have won three straight, but they will need more than miracle heaves to get past a Colgate team that dismantled Loyola Maryland 90-77 earlier in the night. For Holy Cross, a season that saw them rise from the bottom of the standings ends in the most heart-wrenching way possible.
