BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior guard Nasir Whitlock led a balanced Mountain Hawks’ offense with 18 points in No. 2 Lehigh’s (18-16, 11-7 PL) 74-60 victory over No. 4 Boston University (17-17, 10-8 PL) to capture the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League men’s basketball title and the League’s automatic berth in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.   
 
Whitlock scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half to help the Mountain Hawks build an insurmountable 11-point lead by the break. He was selected Patriot League Championship MVP honors after averaging 23.0 points per game in Lehigh’s three tournament wins. Sophomore forward Hank Alvey finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while junior guard Joshua Ingram posted 15 points and six boards to earn All-Tournament honors.
 
Boston University sophomore forward Ben Defty led the Terriers with 21 points and eight rebounds to earn All-Tournament honors. He was joined by freshman guard Chance Gladden, who posted 11 points after hitting game-winning baskets in the Terriers first two games.
 
Navy senior center Aidan Kehoe earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 16.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in two games for the top-seeded Midshipmen.
 
The Mountain Hawks will learn their postseason seed and destination on Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m. when the Field of 68 is revealed during the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show on CBS.
 
2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship MVP – Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh, Jr. G
 
2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team -
Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh, Jr., G
Hank Alvey, Lehigh, So., F/C
Joshua Ingram, Lehigh, Jr., G/F
Chance Gladden, Boston University, Fr., G
Ben Defty, Boston University, So., F/C
Aidan Kehoe, Navy, Sr., C
 
For more information on the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship, CLICK HERE. To view the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Basketball Championship Digital Program, CLICK HERE.
 
2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship

First-Round	Tuesday, March 3 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Results
Game 1	No. 9 Army West Point at No. 8 Bucknell	7 p.m.	Bucknell, 65-55
Game 2	No. 10 Holy Cross at No. 7 Lafayette	7 p.m.	Holy Cross, 82-77
Quarterfinals	Thursday, March 5 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Results
Game 3	No. 8 Bucknell at No. 1 Navy	7 p.m.	Navy, 74-69
Game 4	No. 5 American at No. 4 Boston University	7 p.m.	Boston U, 75-73
Game 5	No. 6 Loyola Maryland at No. 3 Colgate	7 p.m.	Colgate, 90-77
Game 6	No. 10 Holy Cross at No. 2 Lehigh	7 p.m.	Lehigh, 69-66
Semifinals	Sunday, March 8 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Results
Game 7	No. 4 Boston University at No. 1 Navy	2 p.m.	Boston U, 73-72
Game 8	No. 3 Colgate at No. 2 Lehigh	Noon	Lehigh, 76-69
Champ. Game	Wednesday, March 11 – Hosted by Higher Seed	Time	Result
Game 9	No. 4 Boston University at No. 2 Lehigh	7 p.m.	Lehigh, 74-60

 
AT NO. 2 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (18-16, 11-7 PL) 74, NO. 4 BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS (17-17, 10-8 PL) 60
Stabler Arena/Bethlehem, Pa.                                    7 p.m. (CBSSN)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior guard Nasir Whitlock led four Mountain Hawks in double-figures with 18 points, as No. 2 Lehigh earned a 74-60 victory over No. 4 Boston University to capture its fourth Patriot League crown and first since 2012.
*Whitlock scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beater before the break to go along with four assists. He earned Patriot League Championship MVP honors after averaging 23.0 points in the Mountain Hawks’ three tournament games.
*Junior guard Joshua Ingram and sophomore forward Edouard Benoit each scored 15 points, combining to go 5-of-10 from 3-point range for a Mountain Hawks’ squad which shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from long distance.
*Sophomore forward Hank Alvey added 14 points and team-highs of nine rebounds and five assists.
*Boston University sophomore forward Ben Defty scored a game-high 21 points to go along with eight rebounds.
*Junior guard Michael McNair contributed 14 points, while freshman guards Chance Gladden and Donte Tisinger Jr. added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
RECAPS: BOSTON UNIVERSITY | LEHIGH
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
*Benoit scored the game’s first five points and Lehigh’s first eight, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the game’s opening minutes. The Mountain Hawks connected on 3-of-4 from long range to start the game.
*Defty and McNair helped BU keep pace throughout the first half, combining for 23 points. Defty posted 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field.
*Whitlock scored a team-high 11 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half. Ingram added nine points in the first half, connecting on 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to help Lehigh shoot 57% (8-of-14) from beyond the arc and build an 11-point halftime lead, at 41-30.
 
SECOND HALF
*Defty scored six of the Terriers’ first eight second-half points, after BU outscored the Mountain Hawks in the paint, 18-6, in the first half.
*Alvey helped neutralize the Terriers’ interior advantage, scoring nine of his 14 points in the second half.
*The Mountain Hawks never trailed in the second half, shooting 41.7% (10-of-24) from the floor to build their advantage to as many as 21 points.
*Gladden scored eight second-half points, but the Terriers combined to shoot 0-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.