EASTON, Pa. - Senior center Justin Vander Baan recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Lafayette to a 78-70 win over rival Lehigh on Saturday evening at Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards have now claimed 150 series victories over the Mountain Hawks since the inception of the men's basketball rivalry on Jan. 27, 1902. Lafayette leads the all-time series vs. Lehigh, 150-98.

Vander Baan added seven assists and two blocks, while freshman guard Caleb Williams scored a team-high 19 points. Both Leopards went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to aid Lafayette to its vital 19-of-19 free-throw shooting effort overall.

Each team shot 45.6 percent from the floor on 57 attempts overall, but the opponents knocked down nine 3-pointers to Lafayette's seven.

In the first half, Lafayette used Vander Baan's tally from beyond the arc at 9:17 to take an initial 22-16 advantage.

The Leopards kept in stride over the next seven minutes, nailing 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from long distance to extend the margin to eight, 41-33, by the two-minute mark. Freshman Alex Chaikin had eight points in the stretch, while Williams chipped in with five.

Chaikin was awarded a trio of free throws right before the break, which he successfully added for a 44-38 vantage point at halftime.

Senior Luka Savicevic opened the second period with four points, furthering the lead to a game-high 11 in just the first three minutes (53-42 at 16:50).

Lehigh recovered to make a 21-12 run down to the six-minute mark, shortening the gap to two, 65-63. Hank Alvey paced five Mountain Hawks through the scoring drive with seven points.

The hosts were given eight opportunities from the foul line between 5:32 and the final 30 seconds of play. Vander Baan and Williams each sunk their four shots, paired with a big 3-pointer by Andrew Phillips at 3:09, to stay out of reach, 76-67.

Savicevic concluded the game with a pair of his own on the line at the 24-second mark for the 78-70 Rivalry win.

Tyler Whitney-Sidey and Alvey scored 14 points apiece to lead Lehigh, which was 9-for-13 from the charity stripe. The Leopards out-rebounded the opponents, 35-30.

Prior to the contest, Lafayette celebrated Senior Day for the Class of 2025: Devin Hines, TJ Berger, Vander Baan, Chris Rubayo and Savicevic. Past players from the 1950, 1970, 1975, 1980, 2000 and 2015 championship seasons also journeyed back to College Hill for Alumni Day recognitions and a full day of programming together.

Next up, the Leopards host Army on Tuesday. Tip-off for the final regular season home game of 2024-25 is set for 7 p.m.

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