BALTIMORE – Cam Spencer cut Lehigh University's lead to three with less than three seconds to play, and Loyola University Maryland got one more possession after a turnover on the Mountain Hawks' inbound attempt, but a tying 3-point attempt went just long and Lehigh held on for a 74-71 victory in the regular-season finale for the teams.
 
The Greyhounds (15-16 overall, 7-11 Patriot League) will head to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to face the Mountain Hawks on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in the Patriot League Championships First Round.
 
Lehigh (10-20, 7-11) built a 12-point lead on an Evan Taylor three with 7:28 left in regulation, but Kenneth Jones came up with a steal and Spencer got the margin back to single digits, 66-57, with a transition three of his own just over a minute later.
 
Santi Aldama then drove down the middle of the lane and scored with 4:59 on the clock to get the Greyhounds within seven.
 
Loyola held the Mountain Hawks scoreless for more than four minutes during a modest 5-0 run until James Karnik converted in the paint for Lehigh with 3:12 on the clock, stretching the advantage back to nine.
 
An Aldama jumper at 2:15 pulled Loyola within six, and a Jaylin Andrews basket with 63 ticks on the clock made it a 70-65 Lehigh lead, but two James Karnik free throws nine seconds later pushed the Mountain Hawks' lead back to seven.
 
Aldama then made a three off a Jones assist with 45 seconds to go, and Loyola was within four. Aldama had a steal on the defensive end, but the Greyhounds could not convert offensively. Marques Wilson was fouled on the rebound, and he made two free throws with 32 seconds left for Lehigh.
 
Loyola misfired on two 3-point attempts seconds later, and Lehigh came away with the rebound after the second. The Mountain Hawks, however, called a timeout and promptly turned the ball over with a pass that sailed out-of-bounds.
 
Spencer missed his first 3-point attempts with seven seconds left, but he grabbed his own rebound, back out behind the line and then hit his second attempt to make it a 3-point game.
 
Loyola called a timeout with 2.7 seconds on the clock, and Lehigh again turned it over against Loyola pressure with under two seconds to play.
 
Loyola got an inbound pass to Jaylin Andrews, but his long 3-point attempt went off the back of the iron, and Lehigh secured the win.
 
Aldama finished with a game-high-tying 20 points to go with eight rebounds for Loyola. Fourteen of Aldama's points came in the game's final 14 minutes.
 
Spencer hit a game-high four 3-pointers and scored 14 to go with a career-high seven rebounds. Andrews added 12 points, and Isaiah Hart scored 10. KaVaughn Scott had seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.
 
Karnik logged a double-double for Lehigh with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Jeameril Wilson scored 18.