First-place LHU Men’s Basketball soars by Bloomsburg for ninth straight win
LOCK HAVEN – The Lock Haven men’s basketball team won its ninth straight game of the season to remain perfect in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play by downing Bloomsburg, 80-68, on Monday night (Jan. 29) inside Thomas Fieldhouse.
Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) recorded his second straight double-double and Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the way.
The nine consecutive wins marks the most for the program since winning 10 in a row during the 1989-90 season.
The Haven improves to 13-5 overall and 11-2 in conference to remain in a tie for first place in the East. The Bald Eagles nine-game winning streak dates back to Dec. 19 and Lock Haven remains a perfect 7-0 vs. the PSAC East.
The Bald Eagles also improve to 7-1 in front of the home crowd this season.
Harward pulled in a game-high 13 rebounds and scored 12 points to notch a double-double in back-to-back games. Harward knocked down a pair of trifectas and blocked three shots.
Shoats blew by his defender consistently while showcasing a smooth mid-range game to shoot 12-of-19 for a game-high 25 points.
Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./MacDuffie School) rounded out the starters in double figures with 10 points. Collin Jones (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) finished with a team-high three steals and Isaiah Stewart (Madison, Wisc./Madison La Follette) dished out a game-high five assists.
Bloomsburg took its one-and-only lead after opening the game with a free throw, but Mike Knouse (Horsham, Pa./Archbishop Wood) drilled his first of three 3-pointers to give the Bald Eagles a lead they would never relinquish.
The Bald Eagles, who shot over 50 percent (32-of-62) for the game, jumped out to a 41-28 advantage after the first half, thanks to tenacious defense that held the Huskies to just 10 field goal makes on 29 attempts.
Bloomsburg made things interesting late in the second half after a hot streak from behind the arch cut a 20-point Bald Eagles’ lead to 68-60 with six minutes to go, but a pair of triples by Harward and Knouse put Lock Haven back up by double-digits and ultimately put the game out of reach.
Lock Haven doubled the Huskies in points-off-turnovers (16-8), while holding a 40-30 advantage in points in the paint.
Up Next:
The Bald Eagles hit the road on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. for a PSAC East battle against Millersville.
Wednesday marks the final contest of the first half of the PSAC East schedule for Lock Haven.
