LHU Men’s Basketball wins fourth straight in comeback fashion at Kutztown
KUTZTOWN – The Lock Haven men’s basketball team won its fourth straight game in come-from-behind fashion after traveling to Kutztown University to snatch a 78-72 victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest on Wednesday night (Jan. 10).
The Haven improves to 8-5 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC and remains in second place in the East. Kutztown falls to 1-13 on the year with a 0-8 mark in the conference.
The Bald Eagles continue to improve on the road and have moved above .500 as visitors this season with a mark of 4-3. The Haven has come-from-behind during all four victories during the streak.
Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) led the way with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, adding five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Collin Jones (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) continued his run of double figure outings off the bench as he scored 14 points to go with a team-high eight rebounds and a steal.
Isaiah Stewart (Madison, Wis./Madison La Follette) rounded out the Bald Eagles in double figures, adding 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added six rebounds and a block. Dyllon Scott (Dacula, Ga./Penfield) and Bryson Scott (Dacula, Ga./Penfield) each pulled in five rebounds.
In a game that featured 10 ties and six lead changes, Lock Haven took its first lead of the second half following a Jones’ layup to make it 62-60 with 7:13 to go.
The Bald Eagles never relinquished the lead from there, holding off multiple Kutztown runs that trimmed the deficit to one score as Lock Haven outscored the Golden Bears 18-12 over the final seven minutes.
Lock Haven shot a scorching 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field in the second half, while connecting on 14-of-19 shots at the foul line after going just 2-of-5 in the first half.
The Bald Eagles also turned up the pressure on the defensive end in the second half as they held the Golden Bears to just 10 makes from the field. Kutztown, who shot 49 percent in the first half, connected on just 40 percent of its shots in the second half, while not connecting from behind the arch.
In a high-scoring first half, the Golden Bears came out on top 39-34 after slightly outshooting the Bald Eagles from the floor and knocking down two trifectas, while Lock Haven failed to make one.
Neither team committed more than five turnovers, while the teams deadlocked at 30-30 for points in the paint, making for a very efficient half.
Shoats led the Bald Eagles in scoring with 10 points through the opening 20 minutes.
NEXT UP
The Bald Eagles have the weekend off and will return to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. when they travel to East Stroudsburg University.
