OPENING TIP
Lafayette returns to College Hill to host Lehigh this afternoon, seeking a victory in the second iteration of the Rivalry as each program closes in on the end of the regular season.

Last time out, the Leopards took Colgate to the final minutes, 67-62, on Monday evening during a nationally televised contest in Kirby Sports Center. Justin Vander Baan led three players in double figures with 15 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots.

Previously in the series, the Maroon and White shot 55.6 percent and 43.5 percent from the floor and beyond the arc overall, respectively, before falling in double overtime, 94-90, in Stabler Arena. Freshman Mark Butler had a career evening, posting 20 points, five assists and three rebounds in 42 minutes of play. Three Leopards fouled out.

The 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship will begin with first round games on Tuesday, March 5. Each game in the first two rounds will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

Next up, Lafayette travels to Navy on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Annapolis, Md.

THE MATCHUP
Lehigh finished the 2022-23 season with a 16-14 (11-7 PL) overall record. The Mountain Hawks return many contributors from the previous  squad, most notably preseason All-League selections Keith Higgins Jr. and Tyler Whitney-Sidney. The pair averages 13.7 ppg. and 14.6 ppg. this season, respectively. Brett Reed is in his 17th season at the helm of the program. 

A JOB WELL DONE
Following warm ups, Lafayette will celebrate Eric Sondberg and Kyle Jenkins' collegiate careers for Senior Day.

VICTORY LAP
The 1998-99 Patriot League championship team returns to Kirby Sports Center today for its 25-year reunion. The Leopards finished as regular-season victors with a 22-8 (10-2 PL) record. Lafayette collected a 73-71 semifinal win against No. 4 Colgate before defeating No. 3 Bucknell in the tournament's title match, 67-63, at home. The triumph on March 5, 1999 earned the Maroon and White its first NCAA Tournament berth, facing No. 2 Miami (Fla.) at the Fleet Center in Boston, Mass. 

SAME STARTERS
The Maroon and White have used the same starting lineup for 25 contests this season: guards Devin Hines, Eric Sondberg and Mark Butler, forward Kyle Jenkins and center Justin Vander Baan. The identical trio of change-ups appeared against Richmond (Dec. 30), Bucknell (Jan. 20) and Loyola Md. (Jan. 24) with Ryan Pettit in for Hines at guard.

FAMILIAR FOES
Lafayette has played 496 games against current Patriot League members. In conference play, the Leopards are 213-283 in the regular season and 25-29 in the Patriot League Tournament.

1K FOR KJ
Senior forward Kyle Jenkins collected his 1,000th point as a Leopard against Colgate on Feb. 19. At 2:13 in the second half, he made a layup in traffic to hit the milestone. The Higganum, Conn. native is the 49th Leopard to reach the grand plateau at Lafayette.

BIG BLOCKER
Junior center Justin Vander Baan blocked 31 shots (1.1 per game) last season, good for fifth in the conference. He has already surpassed his season block total from 2022-23 this winter (averaging 2.25 per game). The Northbridge, Mass. native continues to sit atop the Patriot League leaderboard and ranks eighth in the country for his 63 stops. As a program, Lafayette currently ranks first in the conference in blocks per game with 4.3. In just two years wearing the Maroon and White, Vander Baan has quickly climbed the program ranks for career blocks. He is sixth with 100 stops.

SONDBERG FROM DEEP
Senior guard Eric Sondberg is ranked third in the conference with 59 total 3-point field goals. The Davidsonville, Md. native recorded a season-high six 3-pointers on Dec. 5 at Columbia on 13 attempts.

IT WOULD BE OUR HONOR 
Lafayette College has been chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the 2024 vice presidential debate on Sept. 25, the first time the College has been chosen as the site for this tradition in American politics. 

The debate will be held inside Kirby Sports Center while being broadcast live across the U.S. and worldwide. It promises to be an educational opportunity for Lafayette students and the wider community to engage in America's democratic process. Additional details, such as new planning committees and a map of campus closures can be found on the newly released debate website: debate.lafayette.edu.

A DYNAMIC DUO
Justin Vander Baan and Mark Butler were named the Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Jan. 15. Vander Baan averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots in the two-game stretch while Butler averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the week. Butler, a Philadelphia, Pa. native picked up his second-straight collegiate award on Monday after averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds to help the Leopards improve to 6-0 in League play.

HISTORY MATCHED
The 70-44 win at Loyola Md. on Jan. 24 pushed the Leopards to a program record-tying 7-0 conference start for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Lafayette's athletic programs stood out among the nation's best on Dec. 6 in the NCAA's Division I annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) release. College Hill claimed a 98 percent GSR overall for the second straight year based on the 19 sports measured while 17 Leopard teams, including men's basketball, achieved a graduation success rate of 100 percent.

RECENT RENOVATIONS
Kirby Sports Center, the Leopards' home arena, has seen major upgrades over the past fall semester. A state-of-the art Daktronics control and video display system can now be seen above center court, showcasing exciting promotional team videos and updated branding to enhance the fan experience. By featuring Daktronics' latest version of Show and Venus Control Suite, it allows Lafayette to expand on in-game presentations. Lafayette fans may order birthday video board messages for display during the remaining home basketball games at tinyurl.com/yslx5esh.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
Mark Butler led four Leopards in double figures to help Lafayette quiet Colgate, 69-64, on Jan. 10. He shot a team-high 14 points while Justin Vander Baan added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore Ryan Pettit cleaned up with 12 points and delivered two crucial three-pointers in the second half. The Jan. 10 victory shut down the Raiders' six-game series streak and handed Colgate its first Patriot League loss on Cotterell Court since Jan. 3, 2021. 

LEOPARDS CALLED GAME
Ryan Pettit hit a crucial 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining during the Jan. 17 contest at Holy Cross to keep a late advantage that allowed Lafayette its fifth-straight Patriot League victory. The sophomore guard connected on four-of-six from the field, including 3-of-4 from long distance, to go with five rebounds off of the bench.

On Jan. 20 against Bucknell, Lafayette had possession of the ball and was down by three, 64-61, with eight seconds left in regulation. Head coach Mike McGarvey called a timeout to draft one final regulation play, which was a perfectly executed 3-pointer by senior guard Eric Sondberg. The three-ball from Sondberg near the Leopards' bench tied the game at 64-64 with four seconds left for an eventual overtime victory.

THE PORTAL
One student-athlete made his way to College Hill after playing two seasons for Eastern Michigan. Luka Savicevic is a 6-3 junior point guard from Skopje, North Macedonia. At EMU, he totaled 83 points, 41 assists, 40 rebounds and 12 steals and was named to the Academic All-MAC team following his last season with the Eagles. Savicevic scored a career-high 14 points at American on Feb. 17 this season. On the flipside, the Leopards will watch last year's Third Team All-Patriot League guard CJ Fulton play for the College of Charleston and second leading scorer Josh Rivera play for Fordham.

FRESH MEAT
Lafayette brings five first-year student-athletes aboard this season in Mark Butler, Joshua Wyche, Luke Rasmussen, Mike Bednostin and Andrew Phillips. All incoming players have seen the court during multiple games so far.

Butler is a four-year varsity point guard out of Philadelphia, Pa., who attended William Penn Charter School. While starting in all games of his rookie campaign, he has the highest scoring average out of all the Lafayette underclassmen. His career-high 20 points came in double overtime at Lehigh on Jan. 10.

Wyche is a three-year varsity guard/forward from Philadelphia, Pa., who attended Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School. He has seen consistent second-half minutes against each opponent. 

Rasmussen, a 6-7 guard, is a Haverford, Pa. native who lists three years of basketball experience at the Hill School and the Haverford School. He averages over 15 minutes per game, most notably 27 at Columbia, this season.

Bednostin, who attended Trinity High School and Crestwood Prep, stands in as a 6-11 center from Dillsburg, Pa./Kyiv, Ukraine. He tallied his first collegiate points in the home-opening victory versus Wilkes on Nov. 19. 

Phillips is a 6-4 wing who hails from Downingtown, Pa. with three years of varsity experience at Malvern Prep. He posted a career-high eight points and added three steals in 10 minutes of play at Richmond on Dec. 30.