The game was tight all night, with 8 lead changes and 8 ties. The Eagles opened several 5-point leads in the first half but could never extend it further. Lehigh came back to take the lead but they too could never control the game by more than 5 points. The game was marred by poor shooting by both teams. American was 26.1 percent from the field, including 5-of-19 from the arc; Lehigh was 38.3 percent from the field and 3-for-12 on three-pointers. Each team’s star scorer had a poor shooting night: Jose Olivero led the Mountain Hawks with 11 points but shot 5-for-15 from the field, and Andre Ingram was 2-for-8 on the night for a total of 9 points. The Eagles used free-throw shooting to stay in the game, hitting 9 of 10 attempts in the second half and 87.0 percent of foul shots overall.

American was expected to have the inside advantage, with Lehigh center Jason Mgebroff on the shelf with injuries. Brayden Billbe scored 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for American, but no one else could do much. Paulius Joneliunas, Jordan Nichols, Travis Lay and starter Brian Gilmore combined for just 2 points and 5 rebounds all night. Meanwhile, Lehigh’s frontcourt combo of Bryan White, Phil Anderson, Zahir Carrington and John Gourlay combined for 23 points and 14 boards.