Sports

Lafayette Vaults Past Lehigh into Championship Game

Leopards advance to Patriot League title game for the third time in four years.

The Lafayette College men's basketball team advanced to the Patriot League title game by defeating rival and defending champion Lehigh University, 82-69, in a semifinal game on Saturday, according to The Morning Call. 

The Leopard men (19-14), swept all three games from the Mountain Hawks this year, advance to Wednesday night's Patriot League championship game where they will face Bucknell (27-5) for the title and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth, according to Lehigh Valley Live.

Tony Johnson was the leading scorer for Lafayette with 24 points. Teammates Seth Hinrichs added 18 points, Dan Trist chipped in with 13 and Bryce Scott netted 12, according to both reports.

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This marks the sixth time Lafayette will play for the Patriot League title, and the third time they've reached the final in the last four years, according to a report on WFMZ.com.

Lehigh (21-9) might have played its final game of the season. The Mountain Hawks will not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but could qualify for an at-large bid to the National Invitational Tournament.

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The Mountain Hawks played most the season without the services of star guard C.J. McCollum, who suffered a broken foot in early January.


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