LHU Men’s Basketball wins third straight behind gritty effort against West Chester

LOCK HAVEN– The resilient Lock Haven men’s basketball team clawed its way to a gritty come-from-behind victory over West Chester University, 74-71, to earn its third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 6) inside Thomas Fieldhouse.

With the victory, Lock Haven improves to 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC to move into a tie for second in the Eastern Conference with West Chester, who falls to 8-5 overall and 5-2 in the East.

The Bald Eagles also improve to 4-1 in front of the home crowd at Thomas Fieldhouse.

The Bald Eagles secured the come-from-behind victory, thanks to their defense, which held the Golden Rams to 24 percent (9-of-38) from the floor. West Chester went cold from 3-point land in the second half, going 0-of-9 after making five in the first half.

The Haven continues to win games at the charity stripe and finished a scorching 84 percent (28-of-33), including a perfect 16-of-16 effort in the first half. Lock Haven outscored the Golden Rams 28-16 at the foul line, while doubling West Chester in 3-pointers (6-3).

Lock Haven finished with a game-high 13 blocks, seven of which came from Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer). From his point guard position, Shoats tied the program record for blocks in a single game.

The swiss-army knife, Shoats also finished with two steals to go with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Collin Jones (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) came off the bench to lead the offense with 18 points, including the go-ahead bucket down the stretch. Jones added three steals and two blocks, while going perfect at the free throw line on a game-high 12 attempts.

Isaiah Stewart (Madison, Wisc./Madison La Follette) rounded out the Bald Eagles in double figures, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds. Stewart and Mike Knouse (Horsham, Pa./Archbishop Wood) combined to go 4-of-seven from long range.

Bryson Scott (Dacula, Ga./Penfield) provided quality minutes off the bench down the stretch and finished with seven points and four rebounds. Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added six points, six rebounds and two blocks.

The Golden Rams led 44-39 coming out of the break and built their lead to 48-39 through the opening two minutes.

However, The Haven turned defense into offense and outscored the Golden Rams, 10-4, over the next seven minutes to cut the deficit to one (50-49) with just under 12 minutes to go.

The Golden Rams built their lead back up to five, but Jones scored six straight points to give The Haven its first lead of the second half, 55-54, at the 7:41 mark.

The final seven minutes featured nine ties and eight lead changes, before the Bald Eagles sealed the deal with a 5-0 run to end it behind three points from Jones and a perfect trip to the foul line by Stewart.

Up Next:

The Bald Eagles return to the court on Wednesday (Jan. 10) when they hit the road for a PSAC East showdown at Kutztown, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Back to top button