LEWISBURG, PA – C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson combined for 52 points, leading Lehigh (26-7, 11-3) to an 82-77 victory over top-seeded Bucknell (24-9, 12-2) in the Patriot League championship game on Wednesday night. The Mountain Hawks clinched their fifth all-time berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison lost on their home court at Sojka Pavilion for just the third time all season, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks captured their second league title in three years, while denying Bucknell back-to-back Patriot League crowns.
The Bison nearly erased a seven-point deficit with 45 seconds left in regulation, but committed consecutive turnovers after cutting the deficit to one. Mike Muscala scored a game-high 30 points for Bucknell.
John Tautges and Alaa Abdelnaby called the action on the Westwood One Radio Network.