Following a 39-point loss to Lehigh University in January, the men’s basketball team bounced back at home to win its 150th series game against the Mountain Hawks by a score of 78-70 on Saturday. The Leopards responded with another big-time win over Army on Tuesday night.
The Leopards (7-10 Patriot League, 12-18 overall) got started with a pair of 2-point jumpers from freshman guard Caleb Williams and sophomore guard Andrew Phillips. Williams has been pivotal in his first year, ranked second on the roster in scoring, behind only freshman guard Alex Chaikin. Senior center Justin Vander Baan described Williams as “a talented kid.”
“Even with his talent, he plays the right way,” Vander Baan said. “He gets himself open, gets his teammates open.”
The rival schools traded blows from behind the arc, as the Mountain Hawks (5-11 Patriot League, 10-17 overall) shot 6-10 from downtown in the first half compared to the Maroon and White’s 5-11 3-point shooting. However, the Leopards took a 44-38 lead into the half.
Early in the second half, the Leopards extended their lead into double figures, thanks to points from Phillips, Williams and senior guard Luka Savicevic. Williams had 19 points in the win and emphasized the team’s late-game discipline as a key factor.
“We have to stay poised, listen to our coach and be together as one,” Williams said.
Despite the double-digit deficit, the Mountain Hawks fought back, reducing the margin to just two points with six minutes remaining. A pair of successful trips to the foul line from Vander Baan and a 3-pointer from Phillips helped the Leopards keep Lehigh at arm’s length for the remainder of the contest.
Vander Baan was also key in defeating the Mountain Hawks, finishing with a monster box score of 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
“They’ve had our number the past year and a half,” Vander Baan said. “It feels real good to win.”
The senior from Northbridge, Massachusetts, is currently second on the Lafayette single-season block list with 72, only trailing Rob Dill ‘04 at 79. Regardless of whether he claims the record, Vander Baan says “making a deep run” in the postseason is the top priority.
Following their bounce-back win against Lehigh, the Leopards faced Army (10-7 Patriot League, 16-13 overall) in another Patriot League matchup at home on Tuesday. In their last matchup, the Leopards lost to the Black Knights on a buzzer-beater.
Chaikin led the Leopards in scoring with a career-high 27 points, shooting 50% from deep and adding to his impressive resume, which includes two Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.
“My teammates do a great job finding me, getting me open,” Chaikin said. He added that “playing through the offense, not forcing anything,” gets him open.
At the half, the Leopards led Army 38-26, fueled by Chaikin’s 11 points. Army opened the second half with a bucket, but Chaikin immediately answered with a 3-pointer, followed by two made free throws after being fouled on another 3-pointer.
Struggling to cut into the Maroon and White lead, Army committed a flagrant foul with just over three minutes left that sent Chaikin to the free-throw line, where he finished 9-11 on the game. The Leopards’ lead never fell below double digits in the final minutes, allowing them to comfortably win their final regular season home game.
“I think we’re flipping a switch, finding out the right things to do to win,” Chaikin said.
The Maroon and White are currently in position to host a first-round playoff game, sitting in seventh place with one regular season game left to play.
The Senior Night game on Saturday honored seniors TJ Berger, Devin Hines, Chris Rubayo, Savicevic and Vander Baan.
Also honored at the game was former men’s basketball head coach Harold Wissel, who passed away on Feb. 10 at 86 years old. Wissel coached the team from 1967 to 1971.
The Leopards will finish the regular season at Boston University (8-8 Patriot League, 14-15 overall) this Saturday, followed by the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on Tuesday.
