BETHLEHEM, Pa.- The Lafayette men's basketball team's four-game win streak was snapped on Saturday evening in Stabler Arena with the Mountain Hawks defeating the Leopards 61-49 in the first iteration of the 2023 rivalry game.

The Maroon and White had three players score in double figures led by TJ Berger (14), CJ Fulton (12) and Josh Rivera (10), who added four assists and two blocks.

Senior Leo O'Boyle kicked off scoring for the Leopards, who made a 5-0 run just two minutes into the game. Lafayette led 11-10 at 13:26.

Fulton nixed the Mountain Hawks' first lead of the game at 12:25, sinking a 3-pointer for a 14-14 tie. Lehigh then went on a 10-0 run and took a 26-16 advantage at 8:32.

Fulton and O'Boyle combined for six points at 3:24, as Lafayette trailed 28-22. Freshman Ryan Pettit and Berger closed the gap with a layup and 3-pointer, respectively, with only 10 seconds on the clock before halftime. Lafayette trailed 33-27 heading into the locker room.

The Leopards were inspired coming out of the locker room in the second half, breaking out with an 11-6 run. Berger put up nine of those points on a trio of 3-pointers to move within one, 39-38 at 15:36.

Lehigh took control of the game with an even-scoring offense and made a 17-10 run to put away the contest. Six Mountain Hawks put points on the board, led by Keith Higgins with four.

The hosts continued to stay just out of reach of the Leopards with a pair of layups and three free throws, 56-48 at the four-minute mark.

A cold-shooting streak by both teams was ended with the teams trading free throws to close out the game. Berger sank one and was followed by Lehigh's Evan Taylor (2) and Higgins (2) at 1:15, 60-49.

Dominic Parolin led the Mountain Hawks with 15 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field. Lehigh out-rebounded the Leopards 46-29.

Lafayette will host Loyola Md. on Wednesday for the Coaches vs. Cancer - Suits and Sneakers game. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. inside Kirby Sports Center.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.